Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sterling and Bogota

For one person, living is cheaper in Bogota: $1,387 a month against $2,818 in Sterling, rent and utilities included – about $17,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

134

Cost of Living Index in Sterling
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Sterling Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Bogota
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Bogota Living Index

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Sterling

🇺🇸 United States

$2,818

/mo nomad

Bogota

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,387

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,818 per month in Sterling vs $1,387 in Bogota, rent included.

Sterling $2,818
Bogota $1,387

A couple spends around $4,310 per month in Sterling vs $2,151 in Bogota, rent included.

Sterling $4,310
Bogota $2,151

A family of three spends $5,802 per month in Sterling vs $2,915 in Bogota, rent included.

Sterling $5,802
Bogota $2,915

Sterling costs about 103% more than Bogota, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Sterling and Bogota sit above the global median – Sterling by 108%, Bogota by 3%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.31 $19.31

$7.94 COP 25.7K

143.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.1 $74.1

$42.83 COP 138.4K

73.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.39 $12.39

$10.81 COP 34.9K

14.62%

Cappuccino

$6.08 $6.08

$2.47 COP 7,988

146.15%

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

$2.95 $2.95

$1.34 COP 4,343

120.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.64 $2.64

$0.85 COP 2,734

210.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.65 $5.65

$2.39 COP 7,727

136.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.02 $8.02

$4.83 COP 15.6K

66.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.06 $1.06

$1.63 COP 5,267

-34.97%

White Bread (500g)

$4.02 $4.02

$2.33 COP 7,510

72.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.26 $5.26

$1.81 COP 5,838

190.61%

Eggs

$5.58 $5.58

$3.52 COP 11.4K

58.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.94 $16.94

$7.84 COP 25.3K

116.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.42 $14.42

$7.62 COP 24.6K

89.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.73 $18.73

$10.66 COP 34.4K

75.70%

Apples (1kg)

$5.64 $5.64

$3.49 COP 11.3K

61.60%

Banana (1kg)

$2.36 $2.36

$1.76 COP 5,691

34.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.00 $5.00

$1.92 COP 6,186

160.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.67 $5.67

$1.89 COP 6,117

200.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.84 $2.84

$1.41 COP 4,554

101.42%

Onion (1kg)

$3.91 $3.91

$1.43 COP 4,617

173.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.31 $2.31

$1.26 COP 4,075

83.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 $2.66

$1.15 COP 3,730

131.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.06 $10.06

$4.43 COP 14.3K

127.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.73 $13.73

$12.31 COP 39.8K

11.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.48 COP 4,784

58.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.60 $5.60

$3.22 COP 10.4K

73.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.89 $4.89

$1.08 COP 3,484

352.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.2 COP 162.1K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.95 $3.95

$2.02 COP 6,539

95.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.47 $1.47

$2.54 COP 8,215

-42.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.45 $24.45

$7.49 COP 24.2K

226.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.00 $1.00

$1.28 COP 4,136

-21.88%

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

$35.2K $35.2K

$34.1K COP 110.0M

3.48%

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

$26.1K $26.1K

$34.9K COP 112.6M

-24.99%

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

$152 $152

$127 COP 411.1K

19.10%

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

$50.8 $50.8

$16.31 COP 52.7K

211.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$79.3 $79.3

$30.21 COP 97.6K

162.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.55 $29.55

$33.56 COP 108.4K

-11.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.03 COP 48.5K

Cinema Ticket

$18.27 $18.27

$7.62 COP 24.6K

139.76%

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

$1,887 $1,887

$557 COP 1.8M

238.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.9K $27.9K

$13.1K COP 42.2M

113.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 $53.4

$85.1 COP 274.7K

-37.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.51 $45.51

$48.17 COP 155.6K

-5.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.7 $84.7

$139 COP 448.7K

-39.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 $107

$108 COP 347.2K

-0.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,266 $1,266

$730 COP 2.4M

73.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,506 $1,506

$504 COP 1.6M

198.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,003 $2,003

$1,438 COP 4.6M

39.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,849 $2,849

$963 COP 3.1M

195.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,276 $3,276

$2,946 COP 9.5M

11.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,327 $2,327

$2,250 COP 7.3M

3.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,692 $3,692

$811 COP 2.6M

355.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.86

12.81

-46.45%

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

Last update for Sterling: November 2, 2026

Last update for Bogota: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sterling

$1.5K 53.4%

Bogota

$504 36.4% 66.5% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Sterling

$472 16.8%

Bogota

$264 19% 44.1% $208

Eating Out

Sterling

$331 11.8%

Bogota

$156 11.3% 52.9% $175

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sterling

$282 10%

Bogota

$174 12.5% 38.3% $108

Clothing & Footwear

Sterling

$131 4.6%

Bogota

$171 12.3% 30.8% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Sterling

$66 2.3%

Bogota

$49 3.5% 26.2% $17

Getting Around

Sterling

$31 * 1.1%

Bogota

$69 5% 124% $38

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,266 in Sterling versus $730 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 in Sterling are about 4.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $74 in Sterling versus $43 in Bogota. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $472 vs $264 – making Bogota the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Sterling

🇨🇴 Bogota

🕒 Local time

03:04 3:04 AM

04:04 4:04 AM

1 h ahead of Sterling

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

14,782

8,181,047 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.76 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 November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 3,230 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,628 COP (10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR).

COP to USD in detail →

On the map

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Sterling Bogota 4,400 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

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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

Sterling vs Bogota: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Sterling is pricier by about 103%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,228 per month in Sterling and $2,080 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $730 there versus $1,266 in Sterling.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $74 in Sterling and $43 in Bogota. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 79% more in Sterling, though the gap depends on what you buy.

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 or specific career opportunities are the priority, Sterling makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.