Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between St Thomas and Bogota

For one person, living is cheaper in Bogota: $1,323 a month against $4,408 in St Thomas, rent and utilities included – about $37,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

St Thomas
🇻🇮 U.S. Virgin Islands
$4,408
/mo nomad
Bogota
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,323
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $4,408 per month in St Thomas vs $1,323 in Bogota, rent included.

  • St Thomas $4,408
  • Bogota $1,323

A couple spends around $7,220 per month in St Thomas vs $2,110 in Bogota, rent included.

  • St Thomas $7,220
  • Bogota $2,110

A family of three spends $10.0K per month in St Thomas vs $2,897 in Bogota, rent included.

  • St Thomas $10.0K
  • Bogota $2,897

St Thomas costs about 233% more than Bogota, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

St Thomas sits 227% above the global median, while Bogota is 2% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
St Thomas
Bogota
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$22.30 $22.30
$7.65 COP 24.3K
191.50%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$170 $170
$41.44 COP 131.4K
310.67%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$13.55 $13.55
$10.38 COP 32.9K
30.54%
Cappuccino
$5.90 $5.90
$2.53 COP 8,011
133.20%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.95 $3.95
$1.35 COP 4,277
192.59%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.39 $3.39
$0.87 COP 2,752
289.66%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.12 $5.12
$2.06 COP 6,542
148.54%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.81 $6.81
$3.98 COP 12.6K
71.11%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
St Thomas
Bogota
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.88 $2.88
$1.65 COP 5,240
74.55%
White Bread (500g)
$6.67 $6.67
$2.40 COP 7,618
177.92%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$18.54 $18.54
$1.69 COP 5,345
997.04%
Eggs
$8.87 $8.87
$3.54 COP 11.2K
150.56%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.12 $11.12
$7.89 COP 25.0K
40.94%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$28.44 $28.44
$7.30 COP 23.1K
289.59%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$39.72 $39.72
$9.87 COP 31.3K
302.43%
Apples (1kg)
$11.91 $11.91
$3.58 COP 11.4K
232.68%
Banana (1kg)
$10.89 $10.89
$1.84 COP 5,822
491.85%
Oranges (1kg)
$12.30 $12.30
$1.90 COP 6,012
547.37%
Tomato (1kg)
$19.99 $19.99
$1.74 COP 5,517
1048.85%
Potato (1kg)
$1.95 $1.95
$1.41 COP 4,484
38.30%
Onion (1kg)
$8.76 $8.76
$1.37 COP 4,332
539.42%
Lettuce (1 head)
$8.18 $8.18
$1.30 COP 4,131
529.23%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$5.39 $5.39
$1.15 COP 3,643
368.70%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
-
$4.32 COP 13.7K
-
Wine (Bottle)
$24.57 $24.57
$12.76 COP 40.5K
92.55%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
-
$1.43 COP 4,542
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.18 $6.18
$2.83 COP 8,986
118.37%
🚌 Getting Around
St Thomas
Bogota
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.98 $1.98
$1.08 COP 3,434
83.33%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$60.7 $60.7
$50.8 COP 161.1K
19.39%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$19.61 $19.61
$2.38 COP 7,550
723.95%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.08 $3.08
$2.34 COP 7,411
31.62%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
-
$9.20 COP 29.2K
-
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.39 $1.39
$1.33 COP 4,213
4.51%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$55.2K $55.2K
$23.5K COP 74.4M
135.06%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$49.0K $49.0K
$35.6K COP 113.0M
37.44%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
St Thomas
Bogota
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$451 $451
$125 COP 397.8K
259.31%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$100 $100
$16.29 COP 51.6K
515.96%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$151 $151
$30.21 COP 95.8K
400.89%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
St Thomas
Bogota
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$164 $164
$34.11 COP 108.2K
380.89%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$15.37 COP 48.7K
-
Cinema Ticket
$10.04 $10.04
$7.84 COP 24.8K
28.06%
🧸 Childcare & Education
St Thomas
Bogota
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,487 $1,487
$501 COP 1.6M
196.55%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$21.9K $21.9K
$7,450 COP 23.6M
193.27%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
St Thomas
Bogota
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$113 $113
$82.8 COP 262.6K
36.44%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$148 $148
$47.40 COP 150.3K
211.35%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$202 $202
$142 COP 449.4K
42.73%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$151 $151
$106 COP 337.4K
42.32%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
St Thomas
Bogota
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,586 $1,586
$803 COP 2.5M
97.44%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,827 $1,827
$452 COP 1.4M
304.45%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,187 $3,187
$1,244 COP 3.9M
156.22%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$4,229 $4,229
$974 COP 3.1M
334.16%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,896 $4,896
$2,816 COP 8.9M
73.83%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$10.9K $10.9K
$2,354 COP 7.5M
362.87%
💵 Salaries & Financials
St Thomas
Bogota
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,726 $2,726
$813 COP 2.6M
235.49%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
9.45
12.81
-26.23%

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

Last update for St Thomas: 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
St Thomas
$1.8K
Bogota
$452 75.3% $1.4K
Groceries & Markets
St Thomas
$956 *
Bogota
$261 72.7% $695
Monthly Utilities & Internet
St Thomas
$702
Bogota
$172 75.5% $530
Eating Out
St Thomas
$358
Bogota
$150 58.2% $209
Clothing & Footwear
St Thomas
$276
Bogota
$170 38.4% $106
Sport & Entertainment
St Thomas
$184
Bogota
$50 73% $134
Getting Around
St Thomas
$104
Bogota
$69 33.2% $34

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,586 in St Thomas 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 235% higher in St Thomas, 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 $170 in St Thomas versus $41.00 in Bogota. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $956 vs $261 – making Bogota the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇻🇮 St Thomas
🇨🇴 Bogota
🕒 Local time
14:19 2:19 PM
13:19 1:19 PM
1 h behind St Thomas
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
20,000
8,181,047 Capital
Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.889 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • St Thomas Bogota 1,810 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight
From you
  • St Thomas
  • 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
St Thomas vs Bogota: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Bogota cheaper than St Thomas?
Yes – St Thomas is pricier by about 233%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $6,612 per month in St Thomas and $1,985 in Bogota. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
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.
What are total monthly expenses in St Thomas and in Bogota?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $4,408 in St Thomas and $1,323 in Bogota. That's a gap of about 233%.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
Public transport costs about 19% less in Bogota. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in St Thomas or in Bogota?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Bogota, where all-in costs run around $1,323, than in St Thomas at $4,408. In Bogota it covers expenses comfortably, while in St Thomas it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is St Thomas or Bogota more family-friendly?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Bogota. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, St Thomas makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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