Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Cruz, Bolivia and Caranavi

For one person, living is cheaper in Caranavi: $615 a month against $676 in Santa Cruz, rent and utilities included – about $730 less a year. The total is higher in Santa Cruz despite lower rent and utilities.

32

Cost of Living Index in Santa Cruz
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Santa Cruz Living Index
29

Cost of Living Index in Caranavi
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Caranavi Living Index

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Santa Cruz

🇧🇴 Bolivia

$676

/mo nomad

Caranavi

🇧🇴 Bolivia

$615

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Santa Cruz and in Caranavi

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 Caranavi actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $676 in Santa Cruz versus $615 in Caranavi.

Santa Cruz $676
Caranavi $615

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,235 in Santa Cruz versus $889 in Caranavi.

Santa Cruz $1,235
Caranavi $889

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,793 in Santa Cruz versus $1,163 in Caranavi.

Santa Cruz $1,793
Caranavi $1,163

Living in Santa Cruz is roughly 10% more expensive than in Caranavi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Santa Cruz 50% lower, Caranavi 55% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.12 BOB 25.40

$1.39 BOB 16.69

52.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.41 BOB 221

$9.03 BOB 108

103.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.40 BOB 64.8

$3.94 BOB 47.33

37.06%

Cappuccino

$1.81 BOB 21.67

$1.70 BOB 20.42

6.47%

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

$0.50 BOB 5.95

$0.41 BOB 4.88

21.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.43 BOB 5.16

$0.29 BOB 3.42

48.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.96 BOB 11.51

$0.88 BOB 10.57

9.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.33 BOB 15.98

$2.29 BOB 27.49

-41.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.83 BOB 9.95

$0.69 BOB 8.28

20.29%

White Bread (500g)

$1.00 BOB 12.04

$0.81 BOB 9.72

23.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.09 BOB 13.08

$0.73 BOB 8.78

49.32%

Eggs

$1.18 BOB 14.17

$0.49 BOB 5.84

140.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.36 BOB 40.33

$3.51 BOB 42.12

-4.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.88 BOB 34.53

$1.08 BOB 13.02

166.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.40 BOB 64.8

$3.42 BOB 41.02

57.89%

Apples (1kg)

$1.95 BOB 23.42

$1.67 BOB 20.08

16.77%

Banana (1kg)

$0.68 BOB 8.21

$0.54 BOB 6.44

25.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.85 BOB 10.25

$0.48 BOB 5.76

77.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.83 BOB 10.00

$0.70 BOB 8.37

18.57%

Potato (1kg)

$0.80 BOB 9.65

$0.55 BOB 6.55

45.45%

Onion (1kg)

$0.76 BOB 9.12

$0.44 BOB 5.26

72.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.64 BOB 7.74

$0.50 BOB 6.00

28.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.73 BOB 8.81

$0.58 BOB 6.90

25.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.05 BOB 24.62

$1.88 BOB 22.58

9.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.49 BOB 53.9

$3.02 BOB 36.21

48.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 BOB 13.72

$1.25 BOB 15.04

-8.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 BOB 20.30

$1.55 BOB 18.57

9.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 BOB 3.36

$0.29 BOB 3.42

-3.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$24.38 BOB 293

$8.22 BOB 98.7

196.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 BOB 22.14

$0.81 BOB 9.76

127.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.05 BOB 12.59

$0.83 BOB 9.91

26.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.43 BOB 77.2

$8.65 BOB 104

-25.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.64 BOB 7.74

$0.47 BOB 5.61

36.17%

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

$14.9K BOB 178.6K

$8,267 BOB 99.2K

80.06%

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

$20.9K BOB 251.0K

$11.9K BOB 142.8K

75.80%

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

$38.29 BOB 459

$22.97 BOB 276

66.70%

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

$20.47 BOB 246

$14.40 BOB 173

42.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.02 BOB 228

$18.48 BOB 222

2.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$19.70 BOB 236

$8.25 BOB 98.9

138.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.37 BOB 160

$12.55 BOB 151

6.53%

Cinema Ticket

$6.44 BOB 77.2

$3.86 BOB 46.27

66.84%

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

$123 BOB 1,478

$85.3 BOB 1,024

44.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,266 BOB 111.2K

$1,305 BOB 15.7K

609.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$26.14 BOB 314

$15.90 BOB 191

64.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.67 BOB 452

$17.50 BOB 210

115.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.7 BOB 848

$28.53 BOB 342

147.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$62.1 BOB 745

$35.46 BOB 426

74.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$276 BOB 3,307

$496 BOB 5,952

-44.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$256 BOB 3,074

$340 BOB 4,078

-24.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$923 BOB 11.1K

$662 BOB 7,940

39.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$856 BOB 10.3K

$571 BOB 6,847

50.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,350 BOB 16.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$753 BOB 9,033

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$304 BOB 3,645

$211 BOB 2,533

43.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.17

7.94

-22.29%

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

Last update for Santa Cruz: November 1, 2026

Last update for Caranavi: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santa Cruz

$256 37.9%

Caranavi

$340 55.3% 32.6% $84

Groceries & Markets

Santa Cruz

$123 18.2%

Caranavi

$90 14.6% 26.9% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Santa Cruz

$88 13.1%

Caranavi

$44 7.1% 50.4% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santa Cruz

$78 11.5%

Caranavi

$56 9.1% 28.2% $22

Eating Out

Santa Cruz

$66 9.8%

Caranavi

$55 9% 16.4% $11

Getting Around

Santa Cruz

$33 4.8%

Caranavi

$14 2.3% 56.1% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Santa Cruz

$33 4.8%

Caranavi

$16 2.6% 51% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $276 in Santa Cruz and $496 in Caranavi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Santa Cruz pays 44% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $18 in Santa Cruz vs $9 in Caranavi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $123 vs $90 per month, with Caranavi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇴 Santa Cruz

🇧🇴 Caranavi

🕒 Local time

01:24 1:24 AM

Same time as Santa Cruz

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,800,000

13,569

💱 Currency

Bolivian Boliviano BOB Bs.

📈 Exchange rate

100 BOB = 8.33 USD

100 BOB = 7.45 EUR

100 BOB = 8.33 USD

100 BOB = 7.45 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Santa Cruz Caranavi 510 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Santa Cruz
Caranavi

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 Caranavi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Caranavi is about 9% cheaper overall, especially in clothing, groceries, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 44% higher in Santa Cruz, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $276 in Santa Cruz versus $496 in Caranavi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Caranavi – a meal for two runs $9 versus $18 in Santa Cruz. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $676 per month in Santa Cruz versus $615 in Caranavi – Caranavi is about 9% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $1,000 a month, though Caranavi gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

It comes down to priorities – Caranavi wins on affordability, Santa Cruz on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.