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You are in a small clothing shop on a side street in Chapinero, Bogota. Racks of jeans line one wall, shelves of folded t-shirts another. Nothing has a visible price tag. A woman behind the counter looks up from her phone and asks, "¿En qué le puedo ayudar?" (How can I help you?) You point at a pair of jeans. She lifts them off the rack, turns them over in her hands, and says: "Esos le quedan en ochenta y cinco mil." (Those come to eighty-five thousand.) You understood the number - ochenta y cinco mil - but you are not sure if that is expensive or reasonable. You do not know how to ask about other sizes, whether they have a sale, or if you should just nod and pay.
Comprar ropa en Colombia es un arte social, no solo una transaccion. (Buying clothes in Colombia is a social art, not just a transaction.) And the phrases you need are remarkably few - about a dozen will carry you through any shopping situation.
In this lesson, you will master the essential question "¿Cuanto cuesta?" and its variations, learn how to ask about sizes and colors, understand the phrases that Colombian shopkeepers use constantly, and develop a sense of what things actually cost in Colombia so you are never caught off guard.
Colombian Spanish has two interchangeable ways to ask about price, and you will hear both dozens of times a day:
| Spanish | Literal Translation | When Used |
|---|---|---|
| ¿Cuánto cuesta? | How much does it cost? | Slightly more formal, universal |
| ¿Cuánto vale? | How much is it worth? | Very common in Colombia, slightly more casual |
Both are perfectly correct. In practice, Colombians tend to favor ¿Cuanto vale? in everyday situations - at markets, tiendas, and street vendors. You might also hear "¿A cuanto?" or "¿A como?" which are more informal but very Colombian.
The full question pattern:
Notice the demonstratives: este/esta (this - near you), ese/esa (that - near the seller). In a shop, you will almost always use ese/esa because you are pointing at something behind a counter or on a shelf.
When you ask the price, the shopkeeper will respond with one of several standard phrases. Training your ear to recognize these patterns is more important than memorizing them - you will hear them so often they become automatic.
| What They Say | What It Means | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Cuesta ___ | It costs ___ | Cuesta quince mil |
| Vale ___ | It is worth ___ | Vale veinte mil |
| Le queda en ___ | It comes to ___ for you | Le queda en treinta y cinco mil |
| Está a ___ | It is going for ___ | Está a diez mil |
| Son ___ | It is / They are ___ | Son ocho mil |
| Te lo/la dejo en ___ | I will let you have it for ___ | Te la dejo en cuarenta mil |
That last phrase - "Te lo dejo en..." - is particularly important. It signals a slight discount or a willingness to negotiate. When a shopkeeper uses it, they are already being flexible on price.
Shopping for a Gift in Usaquén
You are browsing a weekend flea market in Usaquén, one of Bogota's most charming neighborhoods. You spot a hand-painted ceramic mug. You ask the artisan: "Buenos días. ¿Cuánto vale esta taza?" She picks it up and says: "Esa vale veinticinco mil. Pero si lleva dos, se las dejo en cuarenta mil." (That one is 25,000. But if you take two, I will let you have them for 40,000.) You consider it: "¿Y esa azul también vale veinticinco?" (And that blue one is also 25,000?) She nods: "Sí, señor, todas son al mismo precio." (Yes, sir, they are all the same price.) You decide: "Bueno, llevo las dos." (Okay, I will take both.)
Price awareness is language power. If you know the approximate cost of common items, you can instantly tell whether you understood the number correctly - and whether you are being charged a fair price.
| Item | Typical Price (COP) | In Spanish |
|---|---|---|
| Tinto (street coffee) | $1,500 - $2,500 | mil quinientos a dos mil quinientos |
| Agua en botella | $2,000 - $3,000 | dos mil a tres mil |
| Empanada | $2,000 - $4,000 | dos mil a cuatro mil |
| Almuerzo corriente | $12,000 - $18,000 | doce mil a dieciocho mil |
| Cerveza en tienda | $3,000 - $5,000 | tres mil a cinco mil |
| Cerveza en bar | $7,000 - $15,000 | siete mil a quince mil |
| Camiseta básica | $25,000 - $50,000 | veinticinco mil a cincuenta mil |
| Zapatos | $80,000 - $200,000 | ochenta mil a doscientos mil |
| Corte de pelo (hombre) | $15,000 - $30,000 | quince mil a treinta mil |
| Minutos de celular | $200 - $500/min | doscientos a quinientos por minuto |
Beyond price, you need a handful of phrases to navigate any Colombian shop or market.
Sizes - Tallas:
Colors - Colores:
Availability:
At a Shoe Store in Centro Comercial Andino
You enter a shoe store in one of Bogota's upscale malls. A salesperson approaches: "Buenas tardes, ¿en qué le puedo colaborar?" (Good afternoon, how can I help?) You say: "Estoy buscando unos zapatos negros. ¿Cuánto valen esos?" (I am looking for black shoes. How much are those?) She checks: "Esos valen doscientos cuarenta mil." You consider the price and ask: "¿Los tiene en talla cuarenta y dos?" She disappears to the back and returns: "Sí, señor, aquí los tiene. ¿Se los quiere medir?" (Yes, sir, here you go. Do you want to try them on?) You nod: "Sí, por favor."
Some prices come up so often that they become like vocabulary words themselves. These are the numbers Colombian shoppers hear every single day:
| Situation | Number You Hear | What It Means |
|---|---|---|
| Street coffee vendor | "¡A mil! ¡A mil!" | Items for 1,000 pesos each |
| Almuerzo del día | "Quince" or "Dieciocho" | 15,000 or 18,000 (they drop mil) |
| Taxi to airport | "Le sale en cuarenta" | 40,000 pesos |
| Monthly rent | "Un millón doscientos" | 1,200,000 pesos |
| Phone plan | "Treinta y cinco mensual" | 35,000/month |
Notice a critical pattern: in casual speech, Colombians often drop mil entirely when the context is obvious. When a waitress says "Son quince" (It is fifteen), she means 15,000 - nobody would charge you literally fifteen pesos for lunch. Context makes it clear.
Every foreigner in Colombia wonders about it. Does the price go up when a vendor sees a foreign face? The truth is nuanced.
Your best defense against overpaying:
Daily Actions for This Week
Monday-Tuesday: Practice the two price questions aloud: "¿Cuanto cuesta esto?" and "¿Cuanto vale eso?" Vary the demonstratives - este, ese, esta, esa. Say each one ten times until it feels natural.
Wednesday-Thursday: Study the common prices table. Quiz yourself: if someone says "Son dieciocho mil," what could they be selling? If someone says "Vale ochenta mil," what is a reasonable item at that price?
Friday: Practice the full shopping transaction from Section 6. Play all roles aloud - you and the shopkeeper. Focus on smooth transitions between greeting, asking, deciding, and paying.
Weekend: Browse a Colombian online store (Falabella.co, Exito.com, or MercadoLibre Colombia). Find five items, read their prices in COP, and practice saying each price aloud in Spanish.