Bolivia, La Paz

Country Full Name: Republic of Bolivia.

Location: Bolivia is in Central South America, southwest of Brazil.

Country Climate: Varies with altitude; humid and tropical to cold and semiarid.

Country Terrain: Rugged Andes Mountains with a highland plateau (Altiplano), hills, lowland plains of the Amazon Basin.

Major Languages: Spanish, Quechua, Aymara, Guarani.

Major Religions: Christianity.

Population: 10.0 million (2008 est.) 10.2 million (2009 est.).

Country Economy: The economy of Bolivia is characterised by the lowest GDP per capita in South America. However, the country is rich in natural resources and has the second largest natural gas reserves in South America. Bolivia is also estimated to have 50%-70% of the worlds lithium.

Currency: Bolivian Boliviano (BOB).

Inflation: 9.9% (2011 est.).

City: La Paz is the administrative capital of Bolivia.

City Economy: The economy of La Paz has improved greatly in recent years. Due to the long period of high inflation and economic struggle faced by Bolivians in the 1980s and early 1990s, a large Informal Economy developed.

The cost of living in La Paz in Bolivia is very low compared to other places. The overall cost of living is determined using the prices for defined quantities of the same goods and services across 13 Basket Groups. La Paz in Bolivia is currently ranked 911 overall out of 950 places (rank 1 is most expensive: rank 950 is least expensive). The cost of living rank for each of the 13 Basket Groups is as follows:

Alcohol & Tobacco costs are low compared to other places for items such as alcoholic beverages, alcohol at a bar, beer, locally produced spirit, whiskey, and wine (where alcohol is legally sold) as well as for tobacco products such as cigarettes. There are 752 places that are more expensive, and 197 places that are less expensive for alcohol and or tobacco.

Clothing costs are very low compared to other places for items such as clothing and footwear products, business suits, casual clothing, childrens clothing and footwear, coats and hats, evening wear, shoe repairs, and underwear. There are 822 places that are more expensive, and 127 places that are less expensive for clothing.

Communication costs are very high compared to other places for various communication costs such as home telephone rental and call charges, internet connection and service provider fees, mobile / cellular phone contract, data, and calls. There are 63 places that are more expensive, and 886 places that are less expensive for communication.

Education costs are very low compared to other places for items such as creche / pre-school fees, high school / college fees, primary school fees, and tertiary study fees. There are 895 places that are more expensive, and 54 places that are less expensive for education.

Furniture & Appliance costs are average compared to other places for items such as furniture, household equipment and appliances, DVD player, fridge freezer, iron, kettle, toaster, microwave, light bulbs, television, vacuum cleaner, and washing machine. There are 542 places that are more expensive, and 407 places that are less expensive for furniture and appliances.

Grocery costs are very low compared to other places for items such as food, non-alcoholic beverages and cleaning material items such as baby consumables, baked goods, baking, canned foods, cheese, cleaning products, dairy, fresh fruits, fresh vegetables, fruit juices, meat, oil & vinegars, pet food, pre-prepared meals, sauces, seafood, snacks, soft drinks, spices & herbs . There are 859 places that are more expensive, and 90 places that are less expensive for groceries.

Healthcare costs are very low compared to other places for general healthcare, medical and medical insurance, general practitioner consultation rates, hospital private ward daily rate, non-prescription medicine, and private medical insurance / medical aid contributions. There are 865 places that are more expensive, and 84 places that are less expensive for healthcare.

Household Accommodation costs are very low compared to other places for items such as housing, water, electricity, household gas, household fuels, local rates and residential taxes, mortgage, house / flat rental, household electricity consumption, household gas / fuel consumption, household water consumption, and local property rates / taxes / levies. There are 911 places that are more expensive, and 38 places that are less expensive for household accommodation.

Miscellaneous costs are very low compared to other places for items such as stationery, linen, general goods and services, domestic help, dry cleaning, linen, office supplies, newspapers and magazines, and postage stamps. There are 864 places that are more expensive, and 85 places that are less expensive for miscellaneous items.

Personal Care costs are average compared to other places for items such as personal care products and services, cosmetics, hair care, moisturizer / sun block, nappies, pain relief tablets, toilet paper, toothpaste, and soap / shampoo / conditioner. There are 511 places that are more expensive, and 438 places that are less expensive for personal care.

Recreation and Culture costs are average compared to other places for items such as books, camera film, cinema tickets, DVDs and CDs, sports goods, and theatre tickets. There are 512 places that are more expensive, and 437 places that are less expensive for recreation and culture.

Restaurants, Meals Out and Hotel costs are very low compared to other places for items such as a business dinner, dinner at a restaurant (non fast food), hotel rates, take away drinks and snacks (fast food). There are 826 places that are more expensive, and 123 places that are less expensive for restaurants, meals out and hotels.

Transport costs are very low compared to other places for items such as public transport, vehicle costs, vehicle fuel, vehicle insurance and vehicle maintenance, hire purchase / lease of vehicle, petrol / diesel, public transport service maintenance, tires, vehicle Insurance, and vehicle purchase. There are 764 places that are more expensive, and 185 places that are less expensive for transport.

Personalized cost of living indexes for La Paz in Bolivia are based on the basket groups and comparison location(s) selected in the Calculators.

In terms of the hardship people are likely to experience, assessed in global terms, La Paz in Bolivia is ranked as extreme hardship with a hardship index of 40%.

Personalized hardship index premiums for La Paz in Bolivia are based on the comparison location(s) selected in the Calculators.

Note: Xpatulator.com data is updated quarterly. The latest update is at at 1 January 2012. Create a personalized cost of living comparison report using the calculators:
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