Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tunja and Santa Tecla

For one person, living is cheaper in Tunja: $1,279 a month against $1,364 in Santa Tecla, rent and utilities included – about $1,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

61

Cost of Living Index in Tunja
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Tunja Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Santa Tecla
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Santa Tecla Living Index

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Tunja

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,279

/mo nomad

Santa Tecla

🇸🇻 El Salvador

$1,364

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tunja and in Santa Tecla

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,279 in Tunja versus $1,364 in Santa Tecla.

Tunja $1,279
Santa Tecla $1,364

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,897 in Tunja versus $2,031 in Santa Tecla.

Tunja $1,897
Santa Tecla $2,031

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,514 in Tunja versus $2,698 in Santa Tecla.

Tunja $2,514
Santa Tecla $2,698

Living in Tunja costs roughly 6% less than in Santa Tecla, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.20 COP 16.4K

$6.70 $6.70

-22.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.94 COP 135.1K

$45.47 $45.47

-5.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.34 COP 32.5K

$6.84 $6.84

51.17%

Cappuccino

$1.61 COP 5,059

$3.64 $3.64

-55.77%

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

$1.08 COP 3,386

$1.16 $1.16

-6.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 COP 2,573

$0.85 $0.85

-3.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.02 COP 3,221

$2.02 $2.02

-49.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.14 COP 13.0K

$3.54 $3.54

16.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.43 COP 4,502

$1.72 $1.72

-16.86%

White Bread (500g)

$1.23 COP 3,855

$2.25 $2.25

-45.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.60 COP 5,024

$1.43 $1.43

11.89%

Eggs

$1.85 COP 5,815

$2.31 $2.31

-19.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.42 COP 10.8K

$7.85 $7.85

-56.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.41 COP 17.0K

$5.57 $5.57

-2.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.72 COP 30.6K

$10.39 $10.39

-6.45%

Apples (1kg)

$1.85 COP 5,818

$3.33 $3.33

-44.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 COP 4,997

$1.43 $1.43

11.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.00 COP 6,302

$2.56 $2.56

-21.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.92 COP 2,895

$3.51 $3.51

-73.79%

Potato (1kg)

$1.29 COP 4,053

$3.01 $3.01

-57.14%

Onion (1kg)

$0.82 COP 2,568

$3.36 $3.36

-75.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.59 COP 1,845

$0.96 $0.96

-38.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 COP 3,727

$0.92 $0.92

28.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.86 COP 12.1K

$4.03 $4.03

-4.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.47 COP 39.2K

$11.80 $11.80

5.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 COP 2,801

$2.28 $2.28

-60.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.25 COP 3,920

$2.98 $2.98

-58.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 COP 2,368

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$64.9 COP 204.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.94 COP 2,952

$5.83 $5.83

-83.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.51 COP 7,907

$3.08 $3.08

-18.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.25 COP 29.1K

$19.68 $19.68

-53.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 COP 4,219

$1.29 $1.29

3.88%

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

$34.3K COP 107.9M

$24.9K $24.9K

37.89%

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

$35.1K COP 110.4M

$26.8K $26.8K

31.01%

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

$123 COP 387.9K

$129 $129

-4.69%

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

$16.42 COP 51.7K

$20.96 $20.96

-21.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.15 COP 94.8K

$42.20 $42.20

-28.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.08 COP 129.2K

$24.86 $24.86

65.25%

Cinema Ticket

$8.08 COP 25.4K

$4.93 $4.93

63.89%

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

$558 COP 1.8M

$161 $161

246.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,635 COP 24.0M

$4,677 $4,677

63.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.6 COP 269.3K

$68.0 $68.0

25.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.69 COP 153.2K

$47.52 $47.52

2.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$147 COP 461.0K

$119 $119

23.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 COP 335.9K

$115 $115

-7.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$712 COP 2.2M

$736 $736

-3.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 COP 1.5M

$554 $554

-11.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 COP 4.4M

$1,220 $1,220

13.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$791 COP 2.5M

$909 $909

-13.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,014 COP 6.3M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,633 COP 5.1M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$407 $407

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.81

8.5

50.71%

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

Last update for Tunja: October 24, 2026

Last update for Santa Tecla: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tunja

$491 38.4%

Santa Tecla

$554 40.6% 12.8% $63

Groceries & Markets

Tunja

$192 15%

Santa Tecla

$262 19.2% 36.3% $70

Clothing & Footwear

Tunja

$174 13.6%

Santa Tecla

$157 11.5% 9.8% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tunja

$170 13.3%

Santa Tecla

$193 14.1% 13.3% $23

Eating Out

Tunja

$113 8.8%

Santa Tecla

$143 10.5% 26.7% $30

Getting Around

Tunja

$81 6.4%

Santa Tecla

$21 * 1.6% 73.9% $60

Sport & Entertainment

Tunja

$57 4.5%

Santa Tecla

$35 2.5% 39.4% $23

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $712 in Tunja and $736 in Santa Tecla. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $43 in Tunja vs $45 in Santa Tecla for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $192 vs $262 per month, with Tunja cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Tunja

🇸🇻 Santa Tecla

🕒 Local time

10:02 10:02 AM

09:02 9:02 AM

1 h behind Tunja

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

200,000

138,695

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR

1 USD = 0.899 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,501 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.899 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Tunja Santa Tecla 1,970 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Tunja
Santa Tecla

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

Tunja vs Santa Tecla: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tunja wins on cost – living expenses run 6% lower than in Santa Tecla. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Tunja the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $1,918 in Tunja and $2,047 in Santa Tecla to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $712 in Tunja versus $736 in Santa Tecla. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 36% higher in Santa Tecla. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,279 per month in Tunja versus $1,364 in Santa Tecla – a 7% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Tunja is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Tunja and Santa Tecla are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.