International consulting firm Living Cost considers Sogamoso in Boyacá to be the city with the cheapest cost of living in all of Colombia. This classification was made by analyzing 50 locations between cities and municipalities in Colombia.
Unlike Cartagena, which was chosen as Colombia’s most expensive, You only need $325 to live in Sogamoso for a month.. This is the equivalent of 1,483,378.00 Colombian pesos, slightly more than the minimum wage.
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The information was obtained after evaluating other indicators such as overall cost of living and monthly income from work, public transport fare, proximity to airports and basic meal prices.
They took a total of 13 factors into account to conclude this data, among which seven indicators specific to each country, such as the human freedom index, according to the consultant, who did the dollar-based analysis to compare with other countries. , GDP , life expectancy, homicide figures, among others. Seven more were taken specifically for each city, such as supermarket prices and local transport.
Popayán, Tuluá and Ibagué were also among the cheapest. But, Sogamoso shines with the low price of its rentals. For Cost of Living, an apartment or house can be bought for 461 thousand pesos a month, including services.
Food prices are also more affordable than other cities. For international firm, A person in Sogamoso spends $145 a month on foodie 655 thousand Colombian pesos.
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Dinner for two at a restaurant in the municipality of Boyacá costs 61,521 pesos. The average cost of lunch for one person is 22,000 pesos. According to Sogamoso mayor Rigoberto Alfonso, Cost of Living prices match those of the region. First of all, when it comes to rent and food.
According to Living Cost, Sogamoso has the cheapest rent in Colombia. It is even possible to find apartments of 40 meters in the surrounding areas for 244,000 pesos per month.
In addition, transportation and entertainment plans are also cheaper than other cities. A 16-ounce beer costs 4,116 pesos. A cappuccino costs 5,564 pesos and a movie ticket for 12,000 pesos.
The consultant stated that a person spends 126,661 pesos per month for transportation in Sogamoso. It is inexpensive to take a taxi within the municipality and move between nearby areas.
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“Public transport between neighborhoods costs 2,000 pesos and with 12 municipalities nearby it costs 2,500 to 3,000 pesos. A taxi ride costs 6,000 pesos but you can go up to 4.5km and there is no increment for being at night or on the weekend. Mayor Rigoberto Alfonso said the distance between Bogotá and Sogamoso is 180 km.
The average price of interdepartmental buses to go from Sogamoso to the capital is 35 thousand pesos. For the mayor, the cost is reasonable due to the divided road that allows vehicles to consume less fuel. According to the president, this is the cheapest concession in the country in terms of the value of tolls.
The market in the municipality is also quite cheap compared to other places. A liter of milk costs 2,261 pesos and half a kilo of bread is worth 1,538 pesos, the same price as a kilo of rice.
Buying a box of 12 eggs would be equivalent to paying 4,478 pesos. Cheese has a higher price, you have to pay 17,000 per kilo.
The price of a kilo of chicken breast starts at 10,000 pesos, and the same amount of meat starts at 18,000 pesos. Those who want to accompany the meal with a bottle of wine must pay from 35,000 pesos.
As for other services, a monthly subscription to a gym is 65,000 thousand pesos. A simple haircut averages 16,000 pesos, and doctor visits average close to 84,000 pesos. If the people of Sogamosa get sick, the flu medicine costs 19,000.
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The head of Sogamoseños noted that there are several factors that mitigate the cost of living in the municipality. One of them is food production. The municipality is located in a privileged place surrounded by crops.
Not only do they produce their own fruit and vegetables, they also have crops of potatoes, onions, peas, broad beans, strawberries, and blackberries, among others, in nearby areas. Because of this proximity, it is not necessary to pay for shipping and there is no need for intermediaries. In addition, Boyacá’s climate allows food to stay in good condition for longer. This chain allows them to be cheaper.
In addition, Sogamoso has an industrial economy serving the entire department. in the city coal, phosphorous rock, crushed and clay are used. According to the residents themselves, the latter is considered the second best city in the country.
Its economy is based on industry, mainly on construction materials, with four cement companies, two steel companies and other metal-mechanical companies, 132,000 people live in the region. In this way, it is more economical to make construction and renovations.
For experts, Sogamoso It is a cheap city because of its high economic mobility and industrial development. In fact, it is the second largest contributor to Boyacá’s economy after Tunja. This was expressed by Jacinto Pineda Jiménez, regional director of the School of Public Administration in Boyacá and Casanare.
“Currently, with 11.7 percent of the department’s total, it is the second city to contribute to Boyacá’s economy by 2021 value added, followed by Tunja, which produces 13.9 percent of the municipal value added.”
For President Rigoberto Alfonso, the good location of the municipality and the correct management of resources have allowed municipalities to progress economically and become a source of livelihood for other regions.
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“We have 3 minutes more sun a day in Sogamoso and Sugamuxi, which results in a month less onion production than other parts of the country, they also have a medicinal Marijuana company. The same thing happens in other parts, the harvest takes four months. Also, the flowers come out in less than 10 days, the petal is thicker and the flower shines more,” added Alfonso.
The trade movement in Sogamoso has been crucial to sustaining the activity. The municipality has 16 banks, three private clinics and a state hospital. It also acts as a food pantry for the municipalities of Casanare, Arauca and Vichada due to nearby crops.
Despite the cheap cost of living, there are still poverty rates in the municipality, as described by Dane. However, the figures show that the population in the lower strata is less than in other parts of the country.
“According to DANE, poverty measured by unmet basic needs (NBI) is 3.59% in Sogamoso, meaning the second lowest poverty rate in Boyacá and one of the cities with the lowest proportion of people under the NBI line in Colombia”, Jacinto Pineda announced the .
The strong economic movement of the municipality did not prevent people living in conditions of extreme poverty. According to the latest data released by Dane, More than 7,000 Sogamoseños do not meet their basic needs.
“According to NBI, Poverty is 10.15% in Boyacá and 14.28% in Colombia. Now, according to SISBEN, 7,118 people lived in extreme poverty in Sogamoso in 2022. That means it’s low compared to cities in the department,” he said.
Currently, Sogamoso intends to continue to boost its economic growth. In addition to classical industries, new administrations began to be interested in tourism. According to figures from Bogotá bus terminals, the municipality of Boyacá has the most departures during Holy Week.
“Sogamoso was basically a symbol of industrialization with the founding of the steel company Acerías Paz del Río in 1954. Casanare department after the oil boom, ”the specialist concluded.
For the people of Sogamosa, the cost of living in the region is a privilege that allows them to live more peacefully. According to the Living Cost consultancy and other experts, its proximity to other regions, landscapes and crops makes it have a higher standard of living than other cities.
“The most important thing we have is quality of life, in Sogamoso you can take your kids to school, have lunch with them and get home early to be with them at the end of the workday, which is priceless,” Rigoberto said. Alfonso, the mayor of Sogamoso.
Source: Exame
I am Bret Jackson, a professional journalist and author for Gadget Onus, where I specialize in writing about the gaming industry. With over 6 years of experience in my field, I have built up an extensive portfolio that ranges from reviews to interviews with top figures within the industry. My work has been featured on various news sites, providing readers with insightful analysis regarding the current state of gaming culture.
