Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Cruz and Bogota

For one person, living is cheaper in Bogota: $1,323 a month against $1,891 in Santa Cruz, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Bogota
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Bogota Living Index

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Santa Cruz

🇦🇼 Aruba

$1,891

/mo nomad

Bogota

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,323

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Santa Cruz 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 Santa Cruz and in Bogota actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,891 per month in Santa Cruz vs $1,323 in Bogota, rent included.

Santa Cruz $1,891
Bogota $1,323

A couple spends around $2,891 per month in Santa Cruz vs $2,110 in Bogota, rent included.

Santa Cruz $2,891
Bogota $2,110

A family of three spends $3,890 per month in Santa Cruz vs $2,897 in Bogota, rent included.

Santa Cruz $3,890
Bogota $2,897

Santa Cruz costs about 43% more than Bogota, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Santa Cruz sits 40% above the global median, while Bogota is 2% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.65 COP 24.3K

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.44 COP 131.4K

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.38 COP 32.9K

Cappuccino

$2.53 COP 8,011

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

$1.35 COP 4,277

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.87 COP 2,752

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.06 COP 6,542

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.98 COP 12.6K

Milk (1 liter)

$2.09 AWG 3.74

$1.65 COP 5,240

26.67%

White Bread (500g)

$2.71 AWG 4.85

$2.40 COP 7,618

12.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.52 AWG 8.08

$1.69 COP 5,345

167.46%

Eggs

$4.64 AWG 8.31

$3.54 COP 11.2K

31.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.92 AWG 14.17

$7.89 COP 25.0K

0.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.65 AWG 13.69

$7.30 COP 23.1K

4.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.48 AWG 11.60

$9.87 COP 31.3K

-34.35%

Apples (1kg)

$4.54 AWG 8.13

$3.58 COP 11.4K

26.82%

Banana (1kg)

$4.36 AWG 7.81

$1.84 COP 5,822

136.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$8.08 AWG 14.45

$1.90 COP 6,012

325.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.60 AWG 11.80

$1.74 COP 5,517

279.31%

Potato (1kg)

$6.88 AWG 12.31

$1.41 COP 4,484

387.94%

Onion (1kg)

$1.91 AWG 3.42

$1.37 COP 4,332

39.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.03 AWG 5.43

$1.30 COP 4,131

133.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$4.37 AWG 7.82

$1.15 COP 3,643

280.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.45 AWG 18.70

$4.32 COP 13.7K

141.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.07 AWG 34.12

$12.76 COP 40.5K

49.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.56 AWG 4.57

$1.43 COP 4,542

79.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.10 AWG 5.55

$2.83 COP 8,986

9.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.92 AWG 3.43

$1.08 COP 3,434

77.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$157 AWG 281

$50.8 COP 161.1K

209.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$19.50 AWG 34.89

$2.38 COP 7,550

719.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.34 COP 7,411

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.79 AWG 35.41

$9.20 COP 29.2K

115.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 COP 4,213

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

$23.5K COP 74.4M

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

$35.6K COP 113.0M

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

$140 AWG 251

$125 COP 397.8K

11.76%

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

$71.4 AWG 128

$16.29 COP 51.6K

338.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$207 AWG 371

$30.21 COP 95.8K

585.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.2 AWG 126

$34.11 COP 108.2K

105.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$46.90 AWG 83.9

$15.37 COP 48.7K

205.14%

Cinema Ticket

$8.44 AWG 15.10

$7.84 COP 24.8K

7.65%

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

$139 AWG 248

$501 COP 1.6M

-72.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,450 COP 23.6M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$77.2 AWG 138

$82.8 COP 262.6K

-6.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$111 AWG 198

$47.40 COP 150.3K

133.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$140 AWG 250

$142 COP 449.4K

-1.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 AWG 248

$106 COP 337.4K

30.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,271 AWG 2,274

$803 COP 2.5M

58.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$565 AWG 1,010

$452 COP 1.4M

25.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,532 AWG 2,742

$1,244 COP 3.9M

23.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,389 AWG 2,485

$974 COP 3.1M

42.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,816 COP 8.9M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,354 COP 7.5M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,638 AWG 6,511

$813 COP 2.6M

347.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.81

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

Last update for Santa Cruz: October 11, 2026

Last update for Bogota: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santa Cruz

–

Bogota

$452 34.1%

Groceries & Markets

Santa Cruz

–

Bogota

$261 19.7%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santa Cruz

–

Bogota

$172 13%

Clothing & Footwear

Santa Cruz

–

Bogota

$170 12.9%

Eating Out

Santa Cruz

–

Bogota

$150 11.3%

Getting Around

Santa Cruz

–

Bogota

$69 5.2%

Sport & Entertainment

Santa Cruz

–

Bogota

$50 3.8%

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,271 in Santa Cruz versus $803 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 348% higher in Santa Cruz, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

Good to know

🇦🇼 Santa Cruz

🇨🇴 Bogota

🕒 Local time

00:14 12:14 AM

23:14 11:14 PM

1 h behind Santa Cruz

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,236

8,181,047 Capital

💱 Currency

Aruban Florin AWG ƒ

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AWG = 0.559 USD

1 AWG = 0.497 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to AWG – Aruban Florin Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇼 Aruban Florin (ƒ)

Aruban Florin exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.79 AWG (1 AWG = 0.559 USD). 1 EUR = 2.01 AWG (1 AWG = 0.497 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

USD to AWG in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Santa Cruz Bogota 980 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Santa Cruz
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

Santa Cruz vs Bogota: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Santa Cruz is pricier by about 43%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,837 per month in Santa Cruz and $1,985 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.

Public transport costs about 210% less in Bogota. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Groceries cost about 64% more in Santa Cruz, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Bogota, where all-in costs run around $1,323, than in Santa Cruz at $1,891. In Bogota it covers expenses comfortably, while in Santa Cruz 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.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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