Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Salvador and Bogota

For one person, living is cheaper in Bogota: $1,310 a month against $1,666 in San Salvador, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in San Salvador
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San Salvador Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Bogota
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Bogota Living Index

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San Salvador

🇸🇻 El Salvador

$1,666

/mo nomad

Bogota

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,310

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in San Salvador and in Bogota

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in San Salvador and in Bogota actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,666 per month in San Salvador vs $1,310 in Bogota, rent included.

San Salvador $1,666
Bogota $1,310

A couple spends around $2,465 per month in San Salvador vs $2,073 in Bogota, rent included.

San Salvador $2,465
Bogota $2,073

A family of three spends $3,263 per month in San Salvador vs $2,836 in Bogota, rent included.

San Salvador $3,263
Bogota $2,836

San Salvador costs about 27% more than Bogota, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

San Salvador sits 24% above the global median, while Bogota is 2% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.72 $6.72

$7.62 COP 24.5K

-11.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.39 $45.39

$40.93 COP 131.8K

10.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.07 $7.07

$9.96 COP 32.1K

-29.02%

Cappuccino

$3.53 $3.53

$2.46 COP 7,933

43.50%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.36 COP 4,394

-16.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.85 $0.85

$0.82 COP 2,631

3.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.04 $2.04

$2.01 COP 6,472

1.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.51 $3.51

$3.85 COP 12.4K

-8.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.87 $1.87

$1.62 COP 5,213

15.43%

White Bread (500g)

$2.89 $2.89

$2.46 COP 7,909

17.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.40 $1.40

$1.65 COP 5,311

-15.15%

Eggs

$3.09 $3.09

$3.45 COP 11.1K

-10.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.88 $7.88

$7.69 COP 24.8K

2.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.93 $6.93

$7.02 COP 22.6K

-1.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.05 $10.05

$9.72 COP 31.3K

3.40%

Apples (1kg)

$5.08 $5.08

$3.47 COP 11.2K

46.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 $1.39

$1.78 COP 5,732

-21.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.53 $2.53

$1.96 COP 6,305

29.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.40 $3.40

$1.75 COP 5,637

94.29%

Potato (1kg)

$2.87 $2.87

$1.40 COP 4,507

105.00%

Onion (1kg)

$3.28 $3.28

$1.39 COP 4,479

135.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.97 $0.97

$1.31 COP 4,232

-25.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 $0.97

$1.16 COP 3,724

-16.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.07 $4.07

$4.15 COP 13.4K

-1.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.21 $12.21

$12.24 COP 39.4K

-0.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.19 $2.19

$1.42 COP 4,575

54.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.86 $2.86

$2.83 COP 9,117

1.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 $0.34

$1.06 COP 3,426

-67.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$37.66 $37.66

$48.65 COP 156.7K

-22.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.04 $6.04

$2.28 COP 7,335

164.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.03 $3.03

$2.31 COP 7,454

31.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.11 $20.11

$9.26 COP 29.8K

117.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 $1.29

$1.26 COP 4,042

2.38%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$24.8K $24.8K

$23.4K COP 75.3M

5.90%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$27.0K $27.0K

$35.3K COP 113.7M

-23.60%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$130 $130

$121 COP 389.4K

7.88%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$21.57 $21.57

$15.63 COP 50.3K

38.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.03 $43.03

$29.00 COP 93.4K

48.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.99 $31.99

$32.55 COP 104.8K

-1.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.57 $21.57

$15.14 COP 48.7K

42.47%

Cinema Ticket

$5.06 $5.06

$7.55 COP 24.3K

-32.98%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$165 $165

$465 COP 1.5M

-64.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,640 $4,640

$8,119 COP 26.1M

-42.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 $68.2

$82.5 COP 265.6K

-17.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.79 $46.79

$46.69 COP 150.3K

0.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 $120

$142 COP 457.4K

-15.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 $117

$104 COP 335.2K

11.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$906 $906

$781 COP 2.5M

16.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$755 $755

$440 COP 1.4M

71.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,804 $1,804

$1,258 COP 4.1M

43.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,343 $1,343

$974 COP 3.1M

37.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,813 $2,813

$2,755 COP 8.9M

2.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,845 $1,845

$2,239 COP 7.2M

-17.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$372 $372

$795 COP 2.6M

-53.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.5

12.81

-33.65%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for San Salvador: October 6, 2026

Last update for Bogota: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

San Salvador

$755 46.1%

Bogota

$440 34% 41.7% $315

Groceries & Markets

San Salvador

$287 17.5%

Bogota

$256 19.9% 10.5% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Salvador

$195 11.9%

Bogota

$166 12.8% 15.1% $30

Clothing & Footwear

San Salvador

$158 9.7%

Bogota

$169 13.1% 6.7% $11

Eating Out

San Salvador

$142 8.7%

Bogota

$147 11.4% 3.2% $4.5

Getting Around

San Salvador

$60 3.7%

Bogota

$67 5.2% 10.9% $6.6

Sport & Entertainment

San Salvador

$42 2.6%

Bogota

$48 3.7% 13.1% $5.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $906 in San Salvador versus $781 in Bogota. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 114% higher in Bogota, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45.00 in San Salvador versus $41.00 in Bogota. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $287 vs $256 – making Bogota the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇻 San Salvador

🇨🇴 Bogota

🕒 Local time

03:52 3:52 AM

04:52 4:52 AM

1 h ahead of San Salvador

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

316,090 Capital

8,181,047 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.11 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3,220 COP (10,000 COP = 3.11 USD). 1 EUR = 3,608 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

COP to USD in detail →

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Between locations

San Salvador Bogota 1,940 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

San Salvador
Bogota

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

San Salvador vs Bogota: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – San Salvador is pricier by about 27%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,499 per month in San Salvador and $1,966 in Bogota. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Bogota, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,666 in San Salvador and $1,310 in Bogota. That's a gap of about 27%.

Public transport costs about 29% less in Bogota. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Bogota, where all-in costs run around $1,310, than in San Salvador at $1,666. In Bogota it covers expenses comfortably, while in San Salvador it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Bogota – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Bogota. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, San Salvador makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.