Sucre, Bolivia – Cheap Place to Live in South America
Inner-city Park Near SAS Grocery Store
Great for a visit or a low-cost, long-term stay. Sucre, Bolivia may be the only capital city in South America that fits this profile. It may also be one of the few larger cities where you can not only live off of $800 USD per month but have a little left over to take trips to other areas of the country. Photos
The city is compact with plenty of traffic congestion (both pedestrian and auto) yet full of green spaces as well. The main square in Sucre is Plaza 25 de Mayo but if you wander off four to five blocks in any direction you are most likely going to come across another flower-filled oasis.
For a list of popular things to do in and around the city as well as places to eat and to stay when arriving view our Travel Guide to Sucre.
Other than tourists highlights, long-term visitors will have an array of classes (learning Spanish at a language school, taking drawing or painting lesssons at the Casa de la Cultura) and cultural events (film and music festivals) at their disposal. Posters of upcoming events are plastered on windows and doors of cafes and retaurants throughout the city.
Huge farmer’s markets are a main draw for visitors to Sucre, and a great place for low-cost shopping. For information, photographs and a video view: Markets in Sucre.
The city has two grocery stores, for information on both including a price chart of commonly purchased food items view Grocery Shopping in Sucre & Price Chart of Items.
How to Get a Three-course Lunch for Only 12 Bolivianos ($1.75 USD)
Set meal lunches (“El Menú del Dia” in Spanish) that comprise soup, a main course, drink, dessert and bread are dirt cheap throughout South America but in Sucre are an even more amazing bargain. If you pay for two weeks or a month in advance you can get up to a 30% discount. As an example, popular restaurant El Germen (231 Calle San Alberto) offers a month of lunches for 310 bolivianos ($45 USD) or two weeks worth for only 155 bolivianos ($22.50 USD).
Want to know what’s cooking at El Germen ? Here are a couple of lunch menus shared by a writer from England on sabattical in Sucre: “Today we had vegetable soup with wheat, vegetable bocaditos with creamed rice, pineapple cream for dessert and tumbo juice. Yesterday was tomato soup, stuffed pepper and salad, banana cake and juice.”
If you want to try a lunch before committing to more, the daily price is 18 bolivianos ($2.60 USD). El Germen is a vegetarian restaurant, but meat lovers can find a similar arrangement at another establishment. Find a place you like and then try to make a deal.
Low-cost Efficiency Apartments Near the Market
Want to land in Sucre and stay for an extended visit? Four blocks from the market towards the bus terminal is a building with many apartments available for rent – Villa La Plata Guest House.
They have efficiency studios (small kitchen with a few pots & pans, linen), one and two bedroom units with street-side balconies and a rooftop apartment with private patio. You can just show up and see what is available – the friendly owner lives next door. Prices depend on the unit and number of people but start as low as $170 USD per month, including all utilities. Address: 369 Ancieto Arce street Phone: 64-2257
Note: The apartment building has lots of stairs and of course no elevator, upper floors are three flights up.
Finding an apartment or house is very easy in Sucre, and there are plenty of Inmobilarios (real estate offices) to help you. Unlike in Argentina and Uruguay, you do not need to pay a hefty deposit upfront, just the first and last months rent. Renting an Apartment or House in Bolivia
I walked into an office (June, 2011) and there was a furnished two-bedroom apartment with private patio (nice, central location) plus an unfurnished lovely 4-bedroom house (safe neighborhood near the center) both available for $200 USD per month.
When the realtor looks at you and says “es amueblado” her or she means “comes with furniture”. Another way to say “with furniture” in Spanish is “con muebles“. Without furniture is “sin muebles“. Now you’re all set!
Highlights
- Availability of low-cost temporary or long-term rentals in town center, within walking distance of all amenities.
- Grocery shopping. In addition to gigantic Mercado Central, there is Pompeya with a large selection of imported and gourmet foods. Craving stir-fry? Buy a jar of garlic black bean sauce at Pompeya.
Grocery Shopping at Pompeya in Sucre & Price Chart of Items - Steady flow of cultural events in addition to monthly offerings for those with an artistic bent at Casa de la Cultura.
Drawbacks
- Exhaust fumes. Everyone in Sucre seems to own a car and drive it 24/7. Black plumes of smoke passing from exhaust pipe to your nostrils is all too common when walking in Sucre.
- Internet service can be spotty, making working online (and SKYPE calls) difficult. Best -and often only place in town – to make a SKYPE call is the Internet cafe across from Plazuela Santa Cruz at Mercado Central on Ravelo street.
Photograph by Molly McHugh, all rights reserved.
Does the internet cafe you mention have wireless for personal laptops? And is it high-speed?
No – it’s a little hole in the wall place with 8 machines or so… but great for SKYPE with good headsets that actually work! Pueblo Chico at Plaza 25 Mayo is good for WiFi as is Cafe Florin (about 4 blocks from plaza – address on travel guide page). Cafe Florin has outside seating so you can probably use your SKYPE without being too annoying to other customers… give it a shot
Have a great time, Molly
Also, would it be possible to rent an apartment and purchase monthly high speed internet service from a provider?
You could definitely get your own Internet service in an apartment – but I can’t guarantee it will be high-speed, that is something you will have to research in Sucre — depending on where you rent an apartment may affect what options you have.
What sort if costs would you be facing for reasonable health insurance for a year as a healthy 20-something?
Hi Lachlan, not sure about health costs… your best bet for your age would be to get travel insurance for the first few months and then see what may be available in-country after you get there. Here are a few companies to research for a plan, shouldn’t be over $75-$100 USD per month and that would cover you if and when you travel around such as a trip to Argentina, Peru, etc.
http://www.southamericaliving.com/travel-insurance-companies-information/
Best of luck, Molly
Reading about Sucre, it sounds inviting. Alas, I more or less NEED Internet service (at home) to keep my small business humming.
Do we think that Internet service has perhaps IMPROVED just a bit since this was written? Since some of the comments are now a year old!?!
I lived in Arequipa, Peru ALL of 2011, and then again since Aug. of 2012 to the present (Dec., 2012). So, Sucre sounds equivalent, in a way.
I don’t know. It just seems so interesting. But I don’t know if I can afford to venture to Sucre, look for an apartment with good Internet service, and then relocate if things don’t work out. I have to more or less “go and stay” (LOL). Then again, perhaps just checking email once a day would suffice. Hmmm. I’ll have to ponder.
You will be able to have decent Internet, as long as you are in the central area that the companies service. When you pay for it, of course it will be good, and a dedicated line to your apartment, rather than shared by 20 plus other people.
We lived there, now two years ago or so, and I worked just fine. It was SKYPE that was a big deal, but the cafe above had great SKYPE.
Go to Cafe Florin, the owner was German I think (now forgot) but anyways they had great WiFi, ask him how to set-up your service.
Molly … Thanks for the quick reply! I appreciate it.
So, I’m more convinced now. I have this “other” reservation, though–and perhaps you have a definitive answer. Hearsay has it that to enter Bolivia, they charge US citizens something like US$150. Do you happen to know if this is true? That is a chunk of change when you’re on a budget like I am. I basically live inside an $850 budget per month. Sometimes there’s a bit more, but not a lot. I’m happy, though–don’t get me wrong. I typically go and STAY in a city for MONTHS–like here in Arequipa. I meet people, shop owners, and so on, and sort of soak up the culture on a day-to-day level, as opposed to some tourists I see who have an outlook/perspective more geared to photo-snapping and having their noses buried in a guide book. (I’m getting snippy, aren’t I? LOL) Anyway, Do you know about this fee for entering Bolivia?
Michael
Arequipa, Peru
Missoula, Montana
Hi Michael, I agree that around $850 is a really nice monthly amount in these lower cost areas… check out the Visa page for Bolivia Visa info, including the reciprocity fee (fee to enter the country): http://www.southamericaliving.com/living-in-bolivia-visas-fees/
best of luck, Molly
I returned from Bolivia 2/13/13 after A 3 week visit. Considering returning to sucre or Cochabamba for Spanish school and exploring a bit more.
For u s citizens a visa is required. $135.00. In addition a yellow fever shot is also required. It cost me $105.00
Good news is I think it’s good for 10 years.
Just a note that we were not required to have the Yellow Fever shot… but that was over a year ago, entering the country via land, and things may have changed. They may be stricter when flying into the country too, airport immigrations are usually pretty regulated, land borders more lenient and what is enforced depends on the person who is stamping your passport that day…
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