Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Cruz, CA and Bogota

For one person, living is cheaper in Bogota: $1,310 a month against $4,316 in Santa Cruz, CA, rent and utilities included – about $36,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

211

Cost of Living Index in Santa Cruz, CA
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Santa Cruz, CA Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Bogota
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Bogota Living Index

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Santa Cruz, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$4,316

/mo nomad

Bogota

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,310

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $4,316 per month in Santa Cruz, CA vs $1,310 in Bogota, rent included.

Santa Cruz, CA $4,316
Bogota $1,310

A couple spends around $6,246 per month in Santa Cruz, CA vs $2,073 in Bogota, rent included.

Santa Cruz, CA $6,246
Bogota $2,073

A family of three spends $8,177 per month in Santa Cruz, CA vs $2,836 in Bogota, rent included.

Santa Cruz, CA $8,177
Bogota $2,836

Santa Cruz, CA costs about 229% more than Bogota, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Santa Cruz, CA sits 222% above the global median, while Bogota is 2% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.94 $24.94

$7.62 COP 24.3K

227.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$99.7 $99.7

$40.93 COP 130.5K

143.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.73 $14.73

$9.96 COP 31.8K

47.89%

Cappuccino

$5.83 $5.83

$2.46 COP 7,853

136.99%

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

$3.46 $3.46

$1.36 COP 4,349

154.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 $2.42

$0.82 COP 2,604

195.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.18 $8.18

$2.01 COP 6,407

306.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.04 $8.04

$3.85 COP 12.3K

108.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 $1.39

$1.62 COP 5,161

-14.20%

White Bread (500g)

$4.75 $4.75

$2.46 COP 7,830

93.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.81 $7.81

$1.65 COP 5,258

373.33%

Eggs

$6.37 $6.37

$3.45 COP 11.0K

84.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$26.58 $26.58

$7.69 COP 24.5K

245.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$16.84 $16.84

$7.02 COP 22.4K

139.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.62 $17.62

$9.72 COP 31.0K

81.28%

Apples (1kg)

$7.78 $7.78

$3.47 COP 11.1K

124.21%

Banana (1kg)

$2.27 $2.27

$1.78 COP 5,675

27.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$8.80 $8.80

$1.96 COP 6,242

348.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.61 $6.61

$1.75 COP 5,580

277.71%

Potato (1kg)

$4.49 $4.49

$1.40 COP 4,461

220.71%

Onion (1kg)

$3.03 $3.03

$1.39 COP 4,434

117.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$5.10 $5.10

$1.31 COP 4,190

289.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.96 $2.96

$1.16 COP 3,686

155.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.82 $11.82

$4.15 COP 13.2K

184.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$25.49 $25.49

$12.24 COP 39.0K

108.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.17 $2.17

$1.42 COP 4,529

52.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.27 $3.27

$2.83 COP 9,025

15.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.99 $1.99

$1.06 COP 3,392

87.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$64.5 $64.5

$48.65 COP 155.1K

32.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.29 $3.29

$2.28 COP 7,261

44.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.47 $2.47

$2.31 COP 7,379

6.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.30 $39.30

$9.26 COP 29.5K

324.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 $1.54

$1.26 COP 4,001

22.22%

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

$37.0K $37.0K

$23.4K COP 74.5M

58.52%

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

$26.3K $26.3K

$35.3K COP 112.5M

-25.59%

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

$373 $373

$121 COP 385.5K

208.78%

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

$57.8 $57.8

$15.63 COP 49.8K

269.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.4 $68.4

$29.00 COP 92.4K

136.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$78.0 $78.0

$32.55 COP 103.8K

139.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.74 $12.74

$15.14 COP 48.3K

-15.85%

Cinema Ticket

$15.71 $15.71

$7.55 COP 24.1K

108.08%

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

$2,499 $2,499

$465 COP 1.5M

437.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.6K $29.6K

$8,119 COP 25.9M

264.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.0 $68.0

$82.5 COP 262.9K

-17.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.64 $48.64

$46.69 COP 148.8K

4.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.4 $93.4

$142 COP 452.8K

-34.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$158 $158

$104 COP 331.8K

51.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,049 $3,049

$781 COP 2.5M

290.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,524 $2,524

$440 COP 1.4M

473.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,860 $4,860

$1,258 COP 4.0M

286.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,160 $4,160

$974 COP 3.1M

327.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,227 $8,227

$2,755 COP 8.8M

198.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.3K $11.3K

$2,239 COP 7.1M

406.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,485 $5,485

$795 COP 2.5M

589.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.47

12.81

-49.49%

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

Last update for Santa Cruz, CA: October 3, 2026

Last update for Bogota: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santa Cruz, CA

$2.5K 57.6%

Bogota

$440 34% 82.6% $2.1K

Groceries & Markets

Santa Cruz, CA

$599 13.7%

Bogota

$256 19.9% 57.2% $343

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santa Cruz, CA

$500 11.4%

Bogota

$166 12.8% 66.9% $334

Eating Out

Santa Cruz, CA

$394 9%

Bogota

$147 11.4% 62.7% $247

Clothing & Footwear

Santa Cruz, CA

$166 3.8%

Bogota

$169 13.1% 2% $3.3

Sport & Entertainment

Santa Cruz, CA

$109 2.5%

Bogota

$48 3.7% 56.5% $62

Getting Around

Santa Cruz, CA

$88 2%

Bogota

$67 5.2% 24.2% $21

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $3,049 in Santa Cruz, CA 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 590% higher in Santa Cruz, CA, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $100 in Santa Cruz, CA versus $41.00 in Bogota. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $599 vs $256 – making Bogota the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Santa Cruz, CA

🇨🇴 Bogota

🕒 Local time

22:46 10:46 PM

00:46 12:46 AM

2 h ahead of Santa Cruz, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

64,220

8,181,047 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.14 USD

10,000 COP = 2.8 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 12, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 12, 2026: 1 USD = 3,187 COP (10,000 COP = 3.14 USD). 1 EUR = 3,572 COP (10,000 COP = 2.8 EUR).

COP to USD in detail →

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Santa Cruz, CA Bogota 6,050 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

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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, CA vs Bogota: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Santa Cruz, CA is pricier by about 229%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $6,474 per month in Santa Cruz, CA 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 $4,316 in Santa Cruz, CA and $1,310 in Bogota. That's a gap of about 229%.

Public transport costs about 33% 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 Santa Cruz, CA at $4,316. In Bogota it covers expenses comfortably, while in Santa Cruz, CA 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, Santa Cruz, CA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.