Bogota on a budget: how to do it well
Short answer
Bogota is very doable on a budget, with cheap set lunches, free museums and inexpensive app taxis. A realistic daily minimum is about COP 130,000 (roughly €29) per person when sharing a room.
A realistic daily budget
| Budget | Mid-range | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bed (per person, sharing) | COP55,000 | COP140,000 | COP350,000 |
| Food & drink | COP50,000 | COP110,000 | COP250,000 |
| Sights & tickets | COP15,000 | COP50,000 | COP120,000 |
| Local transport | COP10,000 | COP35,000 | COP80,000 |
| Per person, per day | COP130,000 | COP335,000 | COP800,000 |
Approximate 2026 prices, two people sharing a room. From our Bogota day-cost table.
Free things to do
- Museo Botero, with Botero's own works plus Picasso, Monet and Dali
- The Ciclovia, when main roads close to cars for cyclists and walkers on Sundays and holidays
- Plaza de Bolivar, the cathedral and the government buildings
- Tip-based graffiti tours around Calle 11 and Chorro de Quevedo
- The Gold Museum on Sundays
- Usaquen's Sunday flea market
Cheap eats
- Corrientazo set lunch with soup, main and juice, often about COP 15,000-25,000
- Ajiaco santafereno, COP 25,000-45,000
- Tamal tolimense for breakfast, COP 10,000-20,000
- Changua (milk and egg soup), COP 8,000-15,000
- Almojabanas and pandebono from any bakery, COP 2,000-4,500 each
Where to sleep for less
Budget travellers mostly stay in hostels in La Candelaria, in restored colonial houses near the museums, at about COP 60,000-140,000 for a double or less for a dorm bed. Chapinero has a few hostels too and is safer at night.
Getting around cheaply
TransMilenio is the cheapest way to get around with a TuLlave card, though it is crowded. App taxis are cheap enough for most budgets, usually COP 15,000-25,000 across the centre. From the airport, the cheapest option is the TransMilenio feeder bus; a taxi to the centre costs about COP 35,000-50,000.
A sample budget day
- Morning: tamal and hot chocolate at a bakery (about COP 15,000), then the Gold Museum (about COP 5,000)
- Lunch: corrientazo set lunch near Plaza de Bolivar (about COP 20,000)
- Afternoon: Museo Botero and a tip-based graffiti tour (tip about COP 20,000)
- Evening: ajiaco or snacks in La Candelaria, then app taxi home (about COP 35,000 together)
- Total: about COP 130,000 including a shared hostel room
More ways to save
- Plan museum visits around Sunday free entry, but go early, as queues are long.
- Buy a TuLlave card on day one if you plan to use TransMilenio more than once.
- Walk up Monserrate (morning only) once you are used to the altitude to save the cable car fare.
- Drink fresh fruit juices from market stalls, often cheaper than bottled drinks.
- Do Zipaquira by public transport (TransMilenio to Portal Norte, then a bus) rather than a tour.
- Pick a hostel with breakfast included to cut one meal a day.
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Common questions
Can you do Bogota on a budget?
Yes. With a hostel in La Candelaria, set lunches and free museums, about COP 130,000 per person per day is realistic.
Which museums are free in Bogota?
The Botero Museum is free; the Gold Museum is free on Sundays and costs about COP 5,000 on other days.
What is the cheapest way to get to Zipaquira?
TransMilenio to Portal Norte, then a regional bus to Zipaquira, instead of a guided tour.