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So, what does it really cost to live in Bogota, Colombia as an American? Well, last month, July 2025, I tracked every single peso I spent. Rent, groceries, utilities, healthcare, even my slightly embarrassing WPY habit. And if you think Uber Eats in the US is good, wait until you see what WPY delivers to your door here. Spoiler, it's everything. Let's break it down category by category so you can see exactly what life here really costs. And stick with me because I'll even share with you what my cleaning lady Sandra charges me for eight hours worth of cleaning my apartment.
Hello. Hey, I'm Matt. This is the Americano where we talk about living abroad, earning from anywhere, and building a better life outside your home country. Today, we're going deep into my real 2025 July budget here in Bogota, Colombia. This isn't theory. These are my actual numbers from last month, receipts and all. If you've ever wondered what it costs to live in a big Latin American city without sacrificing comfort, you're about to find out.
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If you're new here, Bogota is Colombia's high altitude capital. We're talking over 8600 ft above sea level. That means year-round mild spring-like weather and occasionally a surprise rainstorm or two. It's a city of contrasts. modern highrises next to colorful colonial neighborhoods, bustling markets just blocks away from quiet treelined streets. You'll find an incredible food scene here and active arts and cultural calendar and neighborhoods for every lifestyle. From trendy nightlife and Zona T to the historic charm of La Candelaria. And while Bogota isn't Colombia's cheapest city, it offers a strong balance between affordability and quality of life, which is exactly what we're about to break down in my real monthly budget.
So, let's start with the big one, housing. I'm in Santa Barbara, which is a sweet spot for me. Safe, walkable, close to great restaurants, grocery stores, and malls. And you need to compare apples to apples. This is Bogota, a massive metropolitan city and the capital city, its sister city, New York City. Both have a similar population. Both have 10 million plus or minus people. But Bogota is 613 square miles and New York City is only 472 square miles. So Bogota is 30% larger. My rent for July 2025 was 3,500,000 Colombian pesos or about $850. And that includes the administration fee for the building. For that, I get a three-bedroom penthouse apartment with living room, kitchen, master bathroom, shared bathroom, large terrace, washing machine connections, and a kitchen.
Now, my kitchen is dated like maybe from 1970. So, this is the master bedroom, and uh that's my bedroom, the hall bathroom. This is technically another bedroom. Uh, but you have to go through this bedroom to get to that bedroom and this bedroom. So, it's a little weird. Uh, the sofa is a sofa bed when it's put together. And those are um built-in closets. And as you can see, that's my uh built-ins in my bedroom. And that goes to my master bath. Uh, which is a pretty good size master bath. So, this is the kitchen. And mind you, I feel like it's from 1970.
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It's not really all that big. The cabinets really need uh needs new cabinets bad, but it has all my cooking stuff up here. And I can go out to the terrace from here as well. And so this is the terrace. Uh the terrace is 50 square meters. I also have 24/7 security guards and the building has a shared gym also probably from 1970. And I do have a parking spot in an underground garage. Most of the time you pay an administration fee in addition to your rent, but in my case mine is included in the rent. Think of it like an HOA in the US, which covers building maintenance, trash, cleaning, and the salaries of the doormen and security staff. One thing to note about Bogota rentals, many come semi-furnished, so you might need to budget for appliances or furniture if you plan to stay long-term. My apartment was unfurnished.
2 and 1/2 years ago, $1 US was almost 5,000 pesos. Since then, it has mostly fluctuated between 3,900 and 4500. I bought this sofa 2 and a half years ago for 2 million pesos, about $400 at the time. And this chair I'm sitting in for 1,500,000 pesos or about $300. And yeah, the chair is a little pricey, but I fell in love with it at the furniture store. I had this ottoman behind me made to my specifications for 200,000 pesos. That's $40. And then this stool was made for 70,000 pesos or $14. And this one was made for $120,000 pesos or $24 to match the sofa, ottoman, and the chair. These two rugs were $800,000 pesos or $160 each, which is because both were imported. As you can see, if it's made in Colombia, the costs can be very inexpensive. But imported goods can give you sticker shock. So, my total for housing in July was $3,500,000 or $850, which would barely get me a cramped studio apartment in a mid-tier US city.
Next up, utilities. And I have one guy in my comments who says that he gets his bills electronically. I get mine on paper. Uh, but one thing that might surprise you if you're new to Colombia is the estratos system. Every neighborhood is assigned a number from 1 to 6 based on its socioeconomic level. The lower your stratum, the bigger your government subsidy. So utility bills in a high stratum neighborhood will be noticeably higher than in a lower stratum one. And we're essentially subsidizing those lower stratum neighborhoods.
For July 2025, my electricity bill came in at 369,110 Colombian pesos, which is about $92. I have a ton of computer equipment here, and that's why my electric bill is a little higher than probably anybody else's. Uh, my water, sewer, and trash bill was 291,67 Colombian pesos or $72. And before you flip out, that's for 2 months. So, it comes out to $36 per month, which is still a little expensive in my opinion. And my natural gas, which powers the stove and water heater, was 67,490 Colombian pesos or $16. Even in a higher stratum area, these numbers are still far lower than what I paid in the US, especially when you factor in Bogota's mild climate, which is no heating or air conditioning needed year-round. And understand, I have a software company, so I have a ridiculous amount of computers in my house. Um, but all in all, my utilities for July were 728,180 Colombian pesos or $180. And yes, that's for the entire month, not just a week like my old US summer electric bills.
So, next up, we have internet and mobile. And I chose to separate them from the utility bills. So, for July 2025, my home internet was 72,300 Colombian pesos or $18 for a 500 megabit fiber plan with ETB. The connection here is surprisingly fast and reliable, easily enough for video calls, streaming in 4K, and uploading large files for work. And 1 Gbits is also available, too. But the 500 megabits works perfectly for me. Uh, my cell phone plan with Tigo ran me 49,000 Colombian pesos or $12. That includes unlimited talk and text in Colombia and plenty of data for Google Maps, WhatsApp calls, and all the food delivery apps I can rely on. To put it in perspective, this combined bill is still less than half of what I used to pay just for my phone in the US.
Now for my luxury items. One of the best parts about living in Bogota is that certain luxuries that feel out of reach in the US become part of your normal monthly routine here. For example, my barbershop visits where I get not just a haircut but a full experience. A scalp massage, hair wash, and even a quick back massage. Each visit runs me 50,000 Colombian pesos or $12 US. And I go every other month. If I went to a barber in a stratum 3 neighborhood, I could cut that cost down to $6. I also treat myself to a pedicure at a local nail salon. Yus, the technician I see, spends 45 minutes working on my feet, including 20 to 25 minutes with the sanding block on my heels and the calluses I get on the side of my big toe. I know sounds gross, but it's honestly heavenly. And I've never had a pedicure before I came to Colombia. But that comes out to 19,000 Colombian pesos when I do that, or $4.50 each time. And then there's my cleaning lady who arrives a little before 8:00 a.m. and works until about 4 or 4:30 in the afternoon for a full day of cleaning, laundry, and tidying the apartment. I paid 80,000 Colombian pesos, or about $19 per visit in July. The total for these services is 149,000 Colombian pesos or $34. All told, these are small costs compared to the US, but they add a massive upgrade to daily life.
So now for groceries. In July 2025, I spent a total of 800,000 Colombian pesos or about $190 on groceries. Could you eat for less? Absolutely. I'm a foodie. I eat well. I love salmon, robo, tuna, shrimp, buffalo, filet mignon, asparagus, cheese, pesto. I like good food. I buy from local vegetable markets, meat markets, and I have a Jumbo near me that has a lot of import options, which does cost extra with imports. Uh, if I were in a stratum 3 neighborhood, I could reduce this even more as the big box grocery stores like Jumbo, Carulla, Exito, and Olimpica are more expensive than your Condors, Camachis, and so on. Here's the thing. Local Colombian products are incredibly affordable. Tropical fruits like mangoes, pineapples, and passion fruit are dirt cheap compared to US prices. And vegetables are often sold by the kilo instead of by the piece. But the moment you wander into the imported goods section, your budget takes a hit. That box of imported cereal, a jar of peanut butter from the US, it's going to be expensive. And yes, coffee is both cheaper and better here. I'm spoiled now. I actually found my favorite coffee from Sander and I now have the guy to ship me bags every month or two, which cost me 30,000 Colombian pesos or $7 for a half kilo, 500g bag. That's almost 18 oz. Look at your coffee bag. It's probably 340g or 12 oz. Bottom line, you can eat really well here without spending a fortune, especially if you lean into what Colombia already does best.
Now for Rappi and dining out, my favorite category. In July 2025, I spent 380,000 Colombian pesos or $93 on Rappi. If you've never used Rappi, it's basically the Swiss Army knife of delivery apps in Latin America. Sure, in the US you've got Uber Eats, GrubHub, DoorDash, but Rappi takes it to another level. They deliver restaurant meals, groceries, pharmacy items. Okay, so I have to take a blood pressure pill called Valsartan. Uh, it's made by a Swiss company called Novartis. And uh, basically, long story short, uh, I can walk into any pharmacy in Colombia without a prescription and buy it. But I literally just had three boxes of it delivered to me. Uh, three boxes being uh, a 3-month supply essentially delivered to me by Rappi. And the total cost was uh, gosh, negligible. Um, she's 68,850 pesos. Uh, so super cheap and there you go. Three boxes. Electronics, clothing, basically anything and everything. I use what used to be called Rappi Prime and is now Rappi Pro Black, which cost me an additional $25,497 Colombian pesos per month or $6. And that waives most delivery fees. So, if you use Rappi often, this definitely pays off. This saves me literally probably about 200,000 pesos a month. And because couriers are on motorbikes, it's often faster than driving to pick up something yourself.
On top of Rappi, I also went out to eat a fair bit in July. Cafes, casual restaurants, and a couple of splurges. That totaled 366,000 Colombian pesos or $89. Dining out here can be ridiculously affordable, especially for lunch menus. A full meal with soup, entree, drink, and dessert for about the price of a Starbucks latte in the US. So, between Rappi convenience and Bogota's dining scene, food is one category where I don't mind spending a little extra because even my extra is still less than my takeout bill back in the States.
Now, let's talk about transportation. Getting around Bogota is a mix of public transit, ride-hailing apps, and just plain walking. Now, I have to be honest, I've never been on the TransMilenio. I have been on buses going from one city to another, and those are nice, like real nice. Air-conditioned with reclining seats and they are amazingly cheap. But for July 2025, I spent 68,200 Colombian pesos or $16 US on Uber and taxis. And honestly, a lot of my trips are just on foot. Bogota is walkable in many neighborhoods. And if you're used to US cities where you need a car for everything, that's a big lifestyle shift. All in, I spend far less here on transportation than I ever did owning a car in the US. No gas, no insurance, no parking headaches.
Now, let's talk about healthcare and insurance. Healthcare in Colombia is one of the biggest cost differences compared to the US. In July 2025, my monthly EPS health insurance, that's the government-regulated public system, was 119,000 Colombian pesos or $28. That covers doctor's visits, specialists, lab work, and even many prescriptions with only small co-pays. Now, if you're just getting a visa, you won't be able to do EPS as the new requirements are private health insurance now. So, not quite as affordable as mine, but still a fraction of what healthcare costs in the US.
Now, let's talk about entertainment and extras. Not everything I spend money on in Bogota is rent and groceries. I like to enjoy life here, too. In July 2025, my gym membership cost me 89,000 Colombian pesos or $21. You could easily spend less in another neighborhood. In fact, my old gym was only 70,000 Colombian pesos or $16. So, for during the time that I lived in this neighborhood, uh, this was my gym and it was uh, if I can recall, I think about 70,000 uh pesos per month. And it's a pretty good-sized gym. Um, it's uh, basically two floors and lots of equipment. And you'll actually find many parks with outdoor gym equipment for free, but I like having access to equipment and classes. My streaming subscriptions, Netflix, Spotify, and a couple of others totaled $60, but those are to US companies.
So, my total monthly spend. All right, let's total it all up for July 2025 in Bogota, Colombia. Here's where my money went. Housing, $850. Utilities, $180. Internet and mobile, $30. My luxury splurges, $34. Groceries, $190. Rappi and dining out, $188. Transportation, $16. Healthcare, $28. Entertainment and extras, $81. Grand total for the month, $1,587 for everything.
Living here comfortably cost me a fraction of what I'd spend in most US cities. And the lifestyle trade-offs are all in my favor. Living in Bogota isn't just about saving money. It's about the quality of life you get for that money. Trust me, I live way better here than I ever did in the US. And if you know anything about my US life, I had a 5-bedroom, 4,000 ft² house on an acre and a half of land. I had two airplanes and I still didn't live this posh. The weather is mild year-round. The food scene is amazing. Healthcare is accessible and there's always something going on in the city. Sure, it's not perfect. Traffic can be intense and Spanish is essential if you want to integrate. But compared to what I was paying for a similar lifestyle in the US, the value here is off the charts. And as you can see, I'm living fairly luxuriously. And the best part, you can tailor your budget up or down depending on the neighborhood, the kind of housing you want, and how much you like to go out. This is just my July numbers. Your numbers could be even lower. And if you swapped this penthouse apartment out for the cheapest apartment I've lived in here in Bogota, you'd be completely under a thousand per month with the same lifestyle.
If you want more real-world budgets like this, visa breakdowns, and country comparisons, make sure you subscribe and definitely sign up for my free weekly newsletter, The Passport. The link is in the description below. Every week I share tips for living abroad, earning from anywhere, and making your move smoother. Plus exclusive content you won't see here on YouTube. You'll find the link down in the description. It's it's free and it's your ticket to building the life you've been daydreaming about. I'm Matt the Americano. I'll catch you in the next video. Take care.
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