South America · La Paz
Cost of living in Bolivia
Bolivia is 65% cheaper than the US, ranking #145 of 203 countries we cover for cost of living.
World Bank data through 2024 · last reviewed 2026-06.
What drives the cost here
Price levels by category, where the world average = 100. Above 100 is pricier than the global norm; below it is cheaper.
In Bolivia, communication is the priciest category relative to the world (104), while housing & utilities is the most affordable (38).
Category price levels: World Bank ICP 2021 (world average = 100) · source
What your money is worth here
A $100,000 US lifestyle would cost roughly $35,000 in Bolivia.
Quality of life
76/100 · #102 of 198Beyond cost — health, safety, and connectivity. The score is a transparent, equal-weight composite of the verified metrics below (see methodology).
About Bolivia
Bolivia, named after independence fighter Simón BOLÍVAR, broke away from Spanish rule in 1825. Much of its subsequent history has consisted of a series of coups and countercoups, with the last coup occurring in 1980. Democratic civilian rule was established in 1982, but leaders have faced problems of deep-seated poverty, social unrest, and illegal drug production. In 2005, Bolivians elected Movement Toward Socialism leader Evo MORALES as president -- by the widest margin of any leader since 1982 -- after he ran on a promise to change the country's traditional political class and empower the poor and indigenous majority.
Read the full background
In 2009 and 2014, MORALES easily won reelection, and his party maintained control of the legislative branch. In 2016, MORALES narrowly lost a referendum to approve a constitutional amendment that would have allowed him to compete in the 2019 presidential election. A subsequent Supreme Court ruling stating that term limits violate human rights provided the justification for MORALES to run despite the referendum, but rising violence, pressure from the military, and widespread allegations of electoral fraud ultimately forced him to flee the country. An interim government, led by President Jeanine AÑEZ Chávez, held new elections in 2020, and Luis Alberto ARCE Catacora was elected president.
Background from the CIA World Factbook (public domain), archived 2026-06-03.
Frequently asked
Is Bolivia expensive to live in?
Bolivia is 65% cheaper than the US, ranking #145 of the 203 countries we track. Its most expensive category relative to the world is communication; housing & utilities costs the least.
How much money do you need to live in Bolivia?
A lifestyle that costs $100,000 in the United States would cost roughly $35,000 in Bolivia, going by overall price levels. The salary translator turns your own figure into a local equivalent.
Is Bolivia cheaper than the United States?
Yes. Its overall price level is 34.9, against 100 for the United States.
What is the quality of life in Bolivia?
Bolivia scores 76 out of 100 on our quality-of-life index (#102 of 198), a composite of life expectancy, safety, health, and connectivity, with life expectancy around 69 years.
Every number, sourced.
We cite the exact source and year for each figure. Derived values are computed at build time, never hand-entered.
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