Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Waltham, MA and Bogota

For one person, living is cheaper in Bogota: $1,323 a month against $4,201 in Waltham, MA, rent and utilities included – about $34,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

207

Cost of Living Index in Waltham, MA
Learn more

Waltham, MA Living Index
64

Cost of Living Index in Bogota
Learn more

Bogota Living Index

Jump to prices

Waltham, MA

🇺🇸 United States

$4,201

/mo nomad

Bogota

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,323

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $4,201 per month in Waltham, MA vs $1,323 in Bogota, rent included.

Waltham, MA $4,201
Bogota $1,323

A couple spends around $6,499 per month in Waltham, MA vs $2,110 in Bogota, rent included.

Waltham, MA $6,499
Bogota $2,110

A family of three spends $8,798 per month in Waltham, MA vs $2,897 in Bogota, rent included.

Waltham, MA $8,798
Bogota $2,897

Waltham, MA costs about 217% more than Bogota, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Waltham, MA sits 211% above the global median, while Bogota is 2% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.71 $24.71

$7.65 COP 24.3K

223.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$97.1 $97.1

$41.44 COP 131.4K

134.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.14 $12.14

$10.38 COP 32.9K

16.96%

Cappuccino

$5.37 $5.37

$2.53 COP 8,011

112.25%

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

$2.86 $2.86

$1.35 COP 4,277

111.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 $2.31

$0.87 COP 2,752

165.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.98 $4.98

$2.06 COP 6,542

141.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.10 $8.10

$3.98 COP 12.6K

103.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.08 $1.08

$1.65 COP 5,240

-34.55%

White Bread (500g)

$4.00 $4.00

$2.40 COP 7,618

66.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.40 $5.40

$1.69 COP 5,345

219.53%

Eggs

$4.87 $4.87

$3.54 COP 11.2K

37.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.08 $11.08

$7.89 COP 25.0K

40.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.44 $14.44

$7.30 COP 23.1K

97.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.44 $17.44

$9.87 COP 31.3K

76.70%

Apples (1kg)

$6.69 $6.69

$3.58 COP 11.4K

86.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 $1.75

$1.84 COP 5,822

-4.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.32 $5.32

$1.90 COP 6,012

180.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.62 $5.62

$1.74 COP 5,517

222.99%

Potato (1kg)

$4.32 $4.32

$1.41 COP 4,484

206.38%

Onion (1kg)

$4.02 $4.02

$1.37 COP 4,332

193.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.89 $2.89

$1.30 COP 4,131

122.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.94 $2.94

$1.15 COP 3,643

155.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.70 $12.70

$4.32 COP 13.7K

193.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.59 $13.59

$12.76 COP 40.5K

6.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.15 $2.15

$1.43 COP 4,542

50.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.20 $4.20

$2.83 COP 8,986

48.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.08 COP 3,434

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.1 $59.1

$50.8 COP 161.1K

16.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.64 $2.64

$2.38 COP 7,550

10.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.70 $1.70

$2.34 COP 7,411

-27.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.34 $28.34

$9.20 COP 29.2K

208.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.05 $1.05

$1.33 COP 4,213

-21.05%

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

$36.1K $36.1K

$23.5K COP 74.4M

53.80%

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

$26.2K $26.2K

$35.6K COP 113.0M

-26.41%

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

$321 $321

$125 COP 397.8K

156.03%

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

$55.5 $55.5

$16.29 COP 51.6K

240.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$85.0 $85.0

$30.21 COP 95.8K

181.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$245 $245

$34.11 COP 108.2K

619.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.37 COP 48.7K

Cinema Ticket

$14.71 $14.71

$7.84 COP 24.8K

87.63%

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

$1,868 $1,868

$501 COP 1.6M

272.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.3K $30.3K

$7,450 COP 23.6M

307.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.6 $55.6

$82.8 COP 262.6K

-32.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.65 $37.65

$47.40 COP 150.3K

-20.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.2 $81.2

$142 COP 449.4K

-42.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$99.5 $99.5

$106 COP 337.4K

-6.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,457 $2,457

$803 COP 2.5M

206.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,454 $2,454

$452 COP 1.4M

443.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,393 $5,393

$1,244 COP 3.9M

333.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$5,043 $5,043

$974 COP 3.1M

417.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,816 COP 8.9M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,354 COP 7.5M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,090 $5,090

$813 COP 2.6M

526.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.64

12.81

-48.17%

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

Last update for Waltham, MA: 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

Waltham, MA

$2.5K 58.4%

Bogota

$452 34.1% 81.6% $2K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Waltham, MA

$462 11%

Bogota

$172 13% 62.8% $290

Groceries & Markets

Waltham, MA

$457 10.9%

Bogota

$261 19.7% 43% $196

Eating Out

Waltham, MA

$360 8.6%

Bogota

$150 11.3% 58.4% $211

Sport & Entertainment

Waltham, MA

$275 6.5%

Bogota

$50 3.8% 81.9% $225

Clothing & Footwear

Waltham, MA

$123 2.9%

Bogota

$170 12.9% 38.1% $47

Getting Around

Waltham, MA

$70 * 1.7%

Bogota

$69 5.2% 1.6% $1.1

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,457 in Waltham, MA 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 527% higher in Waltham, MA, 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 $97.0 in Waltham, MA versus $41.00 in Bogota. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $457 vs $261 – making Bogota the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Waltham, MA

🇨🇴 Bogota

🕒 Local time

12:52 12:52 PM

11:52 11:52 AM

1 h behind Waltham, MA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

60,636

8,181,047 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 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 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

COP to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Waltham, MA Bogota 4,200 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Waltham, MA
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

Waltham, MA vs Bogota: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Waltham, MA is pricier by about 217%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $6,302 per month in Waltham, MA and $1,985 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 $4,201 in Waltham, MA and $1,323 in Bogota. That's a gap of about 217%.

Public transport costs about 16% 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 $1,323, than in Waltham, MA at $4,201. In Bogota it covers expenses comfortably, while in Waltham, MA 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.

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 Bogota. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Waltham, MA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.