Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Cruz and La Paz

For one person, living is cheaper in La Paz: $497 a month against $639 in Santa Cruz, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

31

Cost of Living Index in Santa Cruz
Learn more

Santa Cruz Living Index
24

Cost of Living Index in La Paz
Learn more

La Paz Living Index

Jump to prices

Santa Cruz

🇧🇴 Bolivia

$639

/mo nomad

La Paz

🇧🇴 Bolivia

$497

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Santa Cruz and in La Paz

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $639 in Santa Cruz versus $497 in La Paz.

Santa Cruz $639
La Paz $497

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,172 in Santa Cruz versus $755 in La Paz.

Santa Cruz $1,172
La Paz $755

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,704 in Santa Cruz versus $1,012 in La Paz.

Santa Cruz $1,704
La Paz $1,012

Living in Santa Cruz is roughly 29% more expensive than in La Paz, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Santa Cruz 53% lower, La Paz 63% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.00 BOB 23.19

$2.09 BOB 24.23

-4.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.80 BOB 195

$9.26 BOB 108

81.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.10 BOB 59.2

$4.06 BOB 47.08

25.62%

Cappuccino

$1.77 BOB 20.52

$1.72 BOB 19.97

2.91%

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

$0.49 BOB 5.72

$0.67 BOB 7.74

-26.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.43 BOB 4.97

$0.43 BOB 5.04

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.86 BOB 9.97

$1.23 BOB 14.30

-30.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.24 BOB 14.35

$2.27 BOB 26.35

-45.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.71 BOB 8.23

$0.74 BOB 8.63

-4.05%

White Bread (500g)

$0.94 BOB 10.88

$0.84 BOB 9.73

11.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 BOB 11.93

$0.73 BOB 8.49

41.10%

Eggs

$1.06 BOB 12.27

$1.22 BOB 14.11

-13.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.15 BOB 36.56

$3.56 BOB 41.37

-11.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.58 BOB 29.92

$3.37 BOB 39.17

-23.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.98 BOB 57.8

$4.46 BOB 51.8

11.66%

Apples (1kg)

$1.82 BOB 21.12

$1.68 BOB 19.46

8.33%

Banana (1kg)

$0.62 BOB 7.24

$0.50 BOB 5.85

24.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.76 BOB 8.81

$0.49 BOB 5.72

55.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.73 BOB 8.48

$0.77 BOB 8.89

-5.19%

Potato (1kg)

$0.74 BOB 8.55

$0.56 BOB 6.50

32.14%

Onion (1kg)

$0.67 BOB 7.75

$0.48 BOB 5.52

39.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.57 BOB 6.66

$0.53 BOB 6.18

7.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 BOB 7.36

$0.68 BOB 7.87

-7.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.92 BOB 22.25

$1.88 BOB 21.82

2.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.32 BOB 50.2

$2.94 BOB 34.11

46.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 BOB 11.86

$1.32 BOB 15.28

-22.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.64 BOB 19.01

$1.60 BOB 18.62

2.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.24 BOB 2.78

$0.20 BOB 2.33

20.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.48 BOB 261

$16.66 BOB 193

34.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.64 BOB 19.05

$1.03 BOB 11.97

59.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.91 BOB 10.58

$0.87 BOB 10.12

4.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.31 BOB 73.3

$8.60 BOB 99.9

-26.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.57 BOB 6.59

$0.49 BOB 5.72

16.33%

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

$14.1K BOB 163.3K

$9,427 BOB 109.4K

49.20%

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

$19.3K BOB 223.6K

$11.9K BOB 137.7K

62.44%

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

$34.84 BOB 405

$23.37 BOB 271

49.08%

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

$19.67 BOB 228

$14.42 BOB 167

36.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.53 BOB 204

$18.78 BOB 218

-6.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$19.56 BOB 227

$15.76 BOB 183

24.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.84 BOB 149

$9.62 BOB 112

33.47%

Cinema Ticket

$5.86 BOB 68.1

$4.11 BOB 47.71

42.58%

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

$112 BOB 1,303

$126 BOB 1,468

-11.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,950 BOB 34.2K

$1,288 BOB 15.0K

128.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$27.21 BOB 316

$15.80 BOB 183

72.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.79 BOB 416

$25.79 BOB 299

38.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$66.3 BOB 769

$41.15 BOB 478

61.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$58.3 BOB 677

$36.03 BOB 418

61.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$267 BOB 3,105

$252 BOB 2,927

6.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$247 BOB 2,869

$165 BOB 1,921

49.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$909 BOB 10.6K

$393 BOB 4,567

131.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$830 BOB 9,630

$297 BOB 3,450

179.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,299 BOB 15.1K

$1,213 BOB 14.1K

7.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$737 BOB 8,551

$507 BOB 5,887

45.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$276 BOB 3,204

$247 BOB 2,870

11.65%

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: October 12, 2026

Last update for La Paz: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santa Cruz

$247 38.6%

La Paz

$165 33.3% 33% $82

Groceries & Markets

Santa Cruz

$112 17.5%

La Paz

$110 22.2% 1.6% $1.8

Clothing & Footwear

Santa Cruz

$84 13.2%

La Paz

$53 10.8% 36.7% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santa Cruz

$72 11.3%

La Paz

$57 11.4% 21.5% $15

Eating Out

Santa Cruz

$63 9.8%

La Paz

$65 13% 2.7% $1.7

Sport & Entertainment

Santa Cruz

$31 4.9%

La Paz

$24 4.8% 23.3% $7.3

Getting Around

Santa Cruz

$30 4.6%

La Paz

$23 4.6% 22.9% $6.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $267 in Santa Cruz and $252 in La Paz. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Santa Cruz pays 12% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $17.00 in Santa Cruz vs $9.00 in La Paz for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $112 vs $110 per month, with La Paz cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇴 Santa Cruz

🇧🇴 La Paz

🕒 Local time

08:44 8:44 AM

Same time as Santa Cruz

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,800,000

715,900 Capital

💱 Currency

Bolivian Boliviano BOB Bs.

📈 Exchange rate

100 BOB = 8.61 USD

100 BOB = 7.66 EUR

100 BOB = 8.61 USD

100 BOB = 7.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Santa Cruz La Paz 550 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Santa Cruz
La Paz

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 La Paz: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Santa Cruz and La Paz differ by about 29% in total monthly costs ($639 vs $497 including rent). La Paz is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 12% 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: $267 in Santa Cruz versus $252 in La Paz. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $639 per month in Santa Cruz versus $497 in La Paz – a 29% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in La Paz runs roughly 35% less than in Santa Cruz. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though La Paz 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.

Expats usually find La Paz gentler on the wallet – expenses run 29% less than in Santa Cruz. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.