Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Cruz and Tarija

For one person, living is cheaper in Tarija: $407 a month against $639 in Santa Cruz, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

31

Cost of Living Index in Santa Cruz
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Santa Cruz Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in Tarija
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Tarija Living Index

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Santa Cruz

🇧🇴 Bolivia

$639

/mo nomad

Tarija

🇧🇴 Bolivia

$407

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $639 per month in Santa Cruz vs $407 in Tarija, rent included.

Santa Cruz $639
Tarija $407

A couple spends around $1,172 per month in Santa Cruz vs $468 in Tarija, rent included.

Santa Cruz $1,172
Tarija $468

A family of three spends $1,704 per month in Santa Cruz vs $529 in Tarija, rent included.

Santa Cruz $1,704
Tarija $529

Santa Cruz costs about 57% more than Tarija, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Santa Cruz and Tarija are more affordable than the global median – Santa Cruz 53% lower, Tarija 70% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.00 BOB 23.19

$2.08 BOB 24.11

-3.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.80 BOB 195

$7.70 BOB 89.4

118.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.10 BOB 59.2

$3.68 BOB 42.67

38.59%

Cappuccino

$1.77 BOB 20.52

$1.36 BOB 15.73

30.15%

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

$0.49 BOB 5.72

$0.89 BOB 10.34

-44.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.43 BOB 4.97

$0.71 BOB 8.25

-39.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.86 BOB 9.97

$1.28 BOB 14.88

-32.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.24 BOB 14.35

$1.66 BOB 19.23

-25.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.71 BOB 8.23

$0.45 BOB 5.24

57.78%

White Bread (500g)

$0.94 BOB 10.88

$0.74 BOB 8.61

27.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 BOB 11.93

$0.49 BOB 5.70

110.20%

Eggs

$1.06 BOB 12.27

$1.63 BOB 18.90

-34.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.15 BOB 36.56

$2.99 BOB 34.69

5.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.58 BOB 29.92

$2.49 BOB 28.96

3.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.98 BOB 57.8

$3.72 BOB 43.19

33.87%

Apples (1kg)

$1.82 BOB 21.12

Banana (1kg)

$0.62 BOB 7.24

$0.99 BOB 11.50

-37.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.76 BOB 8.81

Tomato (1kg)

$0.73 BOB 8.48

Potato (1kg)

$0.74 BOB 8.55

Onion (1kg)

$0.67 BOB 7.75

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.57 BOB 6.66

$0.26 BOB 3.03

119.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 BOB 7.36

$0.74 BOB 8.54

-14.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.92 BOB 22.25

Wine (Bottle)

$4.32 BOB 50.2

$2.07 BOB 24.03

108.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 BOB 11.86

$1.15 BOB 13.33

-11.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.64 BOB 19.01

$0.88 BOB 10.18

86.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.24 BOB 2.78

$0.15 BOB 1.77

60.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.48 BOB 261

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.64 BOB 19.05

$0.41 BOB 4.74

300.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.91 BOB 10.58

$0.57 BOB 6.64

59.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.31 BOB 73.3

$3.00 BOB 34.80

110.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.57 BOB 6.59

$0.60 BOB 7.02

-5.00%

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

$14.1K BOB 163.3K

$11.4K BOB 131.8K

23.88%

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

$19.3K BOB 223.6K

$14.9K BOB 172.9K

29.37%

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

$34.84 BOB 405

$20.85 BOB 242

67.10%

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

$19.67 BOB 228

$17.62 BOB 205

11.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.53 BOB 204

$20.57 BOB 239

-14.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$19.56 BOB 227

$20.24 BOB 235

-3.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.84 BOB 149

Cinema Ticket

$5.86 BOB 68.1

$3.69 BOB 42.80

58.81%

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

$112 BOB 1,303

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,950 BOB 34.2K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$27.21 BOB 316

$25.07 BOB 291

8.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.79 BOB 416

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$66.3 BOB 769

$29.31 BOB 340

126.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$58.3 BOB 677

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$267 BOB 3,105

$206 BOB 2,389

29.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$247 BOB 2,869

$152 BOB 1,761

62.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$909 BOB 10.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$830 BOB 9,630

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,299 BOB 15.1K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$737 BOB 8,551

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$276 BOB 3,204

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.17

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

Last update for Santa Cruz: October 12, 2026

Last update for Tarija: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santa Cruz

$247 38.6%

Tarija

$152 37.3% 38.6% $95

Groceries & Markets

Santa Cruz

$112 17.5%

Tarija

$80 * 19.8% 28.2% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Santa Cruz

$84 13.2%

Tarija

$24 * 6% 71% $60

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santa Cruz

$72 11.3%

Tarija

$59 14.5% 18.1% $13

Eating Out

Santa Cruz

$63 9.8%

Tarija

$60 14.7% 4.6% $2.9

Sport & Entertainment

Santa Cruz

$31 4.9%

Tarija

$28 6.8% 11.7% $3.7

Getting Around

Santa Cruz

$30 4.6%

Tarija

$3.9 * 1% 86.9% $26

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $267 in Santa Cruz versus $206 in Tarija. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $17.00 in Santa Cruz versus $8.00 in Tarija. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $112 vs $80.0 – making Tarija the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇴 Santa Cruz

🇧🇴 Tarija

🕒 Local time

08:44 8:44 AM

Same time as Santa Cruz

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,800,000

108,241

💱 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

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Santa Cruz Tarija 450 km

From you

Santa Cruz
Tarija

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 Tarija: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Santa Cruz is pricier by about 57%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $959 per month in Santa Cruz and $611 in Tarija. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 39% 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 mid-range dinner for two costs $17.00 in Santa Cruz and $8.00 in Tarija. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $639 in Santa Cruz and $407 in Tarija, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Tarija – 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 Tarija. 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.