Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tarija and Santa Cruz

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.

38

Cost of Living Index in Tarija
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Tarija Living Index
31

Cost of Living Index in Santa Cruz
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Santa Cruz Living Index

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Tarija

🇧🇴 Bolivia

$407

/mo nomad

Santa Cruz

🇧🇴 Bolivia

$639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Tarija and in Santa Cruz actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

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

Tarija $407
Santa Cruz $639

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

Tarija $468
Santa Cruz $1,172

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

Tarija $529
Santa Cruz $1,704

Tarija is about 36% cheaper than Santa Cruz, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.08 BOB 24.11

$2.00 BOB 23.19

4.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$7.70 BOB 89.4

$16.80 BOB 195

-54.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.68 BOB 42.67

$5.10 BOB 59.2

-27.84%

Cappuccino

$1.36 BOB 15.73

$1.77 BOB 20.52

-23.16%

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

$0.89 BOB 10.34

$0.49 BOB 5.72

81.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.71 BOB 8.25

$0.43 BOB 4.97

65.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.28 BOB 14.88

$0.86 BOB 9.97

48.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.66 BOB 19.23

$1.24 BOB 14.35

33.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.45 BOB 5.24

$0.71 BOB 8.23

-36.62%

White Bread (500g)

$0.74 BOB 8.61

$0.94 BOB 10.88

-21.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.49 BOB 5.70

$1.03 BOB 11.93

-52.43%

Eggs

$1.63 BOB 18.90

$1.06 BOB 12.27

53.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$2.99 BOB 34.69

$3.15 BOB 36.56

-5.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.49 BOB 28.96

$2.58 BOB 29.92

-3.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$3.72 BOB 43.19

$4.98 BOB 57.8

-25.30%

Apples (1kg)

$1.82 BOB 21.12

Banana (1kg)

$0.99 BOB 11.50

$0.62 BOB 7.24

59.68%

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)

$0.26 BOB 3.03

$0.57 BOB 6.66

-54.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.74 BOB 8.54

$0.63 BOB 7.36

17.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.92 BOB 22.25

Wine (Bottle)

$2.07 BOB 24.03

$4.32 BOB 50.2

-52.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 BOB 13.33

$1.02 BOB 11.86

12.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.88 BOB 10.18

$1.64 BOB 19.01

-46.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.15 BOB 1.77

$0.24 BOB 2.78

-37.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.48 BOB 261

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.41 BOB 4.74

$1.64 BOB 19.05

-75.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 BOB 6.64

$0.91 BOB 10.58

-37.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.00 BOB 34.80

$6.31 BOB 73.3

-52.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.60 BOB 7.02

$0.57 BOB 6.59

5.26%

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

$11.4K BOB 131.8K

$14.1K BOB 163.3K

-19.28%

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

$14.9K BOB 172.9K

$19.3K BOB 223.6K

-22.70%

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

$20.85 BOB 242

$34.84 BOB 405

-40.15%

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

$17.62 BOB 205

$19.67 BOB 228

-10.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.57 BOB 239

$17.53 BOB 204

17.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$20.24 BOB 235

$19.56 BOB 227

3.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.84 BOB 149

Cinema Ticket

$3.69 BOB 42.80

$5.86 BOB 68.1

-37.03%

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)

$25.07 BOB 291

$27.21 BOB 316

-7.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.79 BOB 416

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$29.31 BOB 340

$66.3 BOB 769

-55.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$58.3 BOB 677

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$206 BOB 2,389

$267 BOB 3,105

-23.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$152 BOB 1,761

$247 BOB 2,869

-38.61%

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 Tarija: October 11, 2026

Last update for Santa Cruz: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tarija

$152 37.3%

Santa Cruz

$247 38.6% 62.9% $95

Groceries & Markets

Tarija

$80 * 19.8%

Santa Cruz

$112 17.5% 39.3% $32

Eating Out

Tarija

$60 14.7%

Santa Cruz

$63 9.8% 4.8% $2.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tarija

$59 14.5%

Santa Cruz

$72 11.3% 22.1% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Tarija

$28 6.8%

Santa Cruz

$31 4.9% 13.3% $3.7

Clothing & Footwear

Tarija

$24 * 6%

Santa Cruz

$84 13.2% 245% $60

Getting Around

Tarija

$3.9 * 1%

Santa Cruz

$30 4.6% 664% $26

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $206 in Tarija versus $267 in Santa Cruz. 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 $8.00 in Tarija versus $17.00 in Santa Cruz. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $80.0 vs $112 – making Tarija the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇴 Tarija

🇧🇴 Santa Cruz

🕒 Local time

09:31 9:31 AM

Same time as Tarija

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

108,241

1,800,000

💱 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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Tarija Santa Cruz 450 km

From you

Tarija
Santa Cruz

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

Tarija vs Santa Cruz: 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 $611 per month in Tarija and $959 in Santa Cruz. 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 $8.00 in Tarija and $17.00 in Santa Cruz. 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 $407 in Tarija and $639 in Santa Cruz, 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.