In Bolivia, certain neighborhoods and zones are the best to live in or to stay within the country. These relatively small parts of the main Bolivian cities are located in specific areas, in general, wealthy people and also many foreigners live in these places.
The best neighborhoods in Bolivia are Calacoto in La Paz, Equipetrol in Santa Cruz, and Cala Cala in Cochabamba. Other really good neighborhoods are San Miguel, Sopocachi, Miraflores in La Paz, Las Palma, Sirarí in Santa Cruz, and Queru Queru in Cochabamba.
Here we’ll talk about the best neighborhoods and zones to either live or stay in Bolivia, whether you are just a tourist or want to establish yourself in the country. You’ll know why these zones are considered the best ones, along with their unique characteristics and details.
Where are the best neighborhoods of Bolivia located?
Of course, there are many neighborhoods and zones within the country that may meet your requirements as a 1st world citizen in terms of safety, quality of life, activities to do, etcetera. But some of these neighborhoods stand out even among the best ones.
Next, you’ll see the best neighborhoods according to the city they are located in.
Santa Cruz
- Equipetrol (Bolivia’s best one). Here is where some of the wealthiest people in the country, and lots of 1st world foreigners, usually live. It’s conveniently located, with many skyscrapers, premium shops, and places of many different types.
- Urubo. Almost only residential, it’s quite similar to middle to high-income people suburbs in the United States or Canada, with premium and luxury stand-alone houses, many resting and vacation homes, as well as many green areas.
- Las Palmas. Next to Equipetrol, a lot more residential but still commercial, more luxury family houses, and green areas. The same as Equipetrol, pretty near to the historical downtown of the city.
- Sirari. Quite near to the city’s downtown and Equipetrol, mostly residential, with many stand-alone premium homes and green areas.
- Within the city’s 1st ring. The historical downtown of the city and nearby areas, all of them being mostly commercial, and also residential. Many restaurants and shops but really crowded streets that can be risky because of burglars, however, it’s still a great and convenient place to live in.
- The North and West zones. Between the 1st and 4th ring on these city’s sides. The 4 neighborhoods just mentioned before are located within these zones, Equipetrol, Urubo, Las Palmas, and Sirarí. Also, many neighborhoods around them are quite good to either live in or stay in. A mix of residential and commercial places can be found in both zones.
La Paz
- Calacoto (La Paz’ best one). Both residential and commercial, lots of wealthy people as well as foreigners can be found there.
- San Miguel. Mostly commercial, next to Calacoto, with many stores, malls, entertainment places, restaurants, offices, and similar types of places.
- Sopocachi. It’s very near to the historic downtown of the city, both residential and commercial, with crowded streets, and lots of high-rises for both apartments and companies.
- Miraflores. More residential than commercial, a pretty calm place, very well positioned to reach any part of the city, near to the city’s downtown.
- The South Zone. Some of the neighborhoods mentioned before are within this zone, like Calacoto (right in its center), and San Miguel, but also other less premium neighborhoods like Achumani, Obrajes, Cota Cota, Irpavi, etcétera.
Cochabamba
- Cala Cala (Cochabamba’s best one). Mostly residential but also commercial, pretty near to the historical downtown of the city, The wealthiest people of this city and many foreigners live there.
- Queru Queru. Just next to Cala Cala, a lot more residential, more resting and stand-alone houses, also larger green areas are located there.
- The Northwest Zone. Both Cala Cala and Queru Queru are located within this zone, but also other large ones like Tiquipaya (which is a mix of very rich and poor people). Usually, neighborhoods that are located in the north side of this city are the best to live in.
The best 3 neighborhoods of Bolivia for foreigners
Now let’s talk in detail about the best neighborhoods you can find in Bolivia, which, as we said before, are Equipetrol, Calacoto, and Cala Cala.
Equipetrol (Santa Cruz)
This neighborhood is perhaps the best one to live or stay in in Bolivia. It has luxury houses and premium buildings everywhere, lots of entertainment places, malls, premium restaurants, green areas with many activities to do, countless high-rises and standalone homes, also, it’s located very near to the historic city’s downtown.
Very wealthy people and many foreigners currently live and perform business activities there, they own or rent commercial premium spaces in this neighborhood. You’ll also find a decent amount of hotels and countless Airbnbs within Equipetrol.
In regards to safety and the quality of life of this neighborhood, it’s one of the best you will find in the country. Home prices go from $500,000 to $3,000,000, renting there will cost you between $300 and $2,500, depending on the size of the home, commercial space, office, or apartment.
Calacoto (La Paz)
This is the best neighborhood that currently exists in La Paz city, lots of rich people and many foreigners live there. This is both a residential and commercial neighborhood. With up to 40-story buildings split between luxury family houses. You can find many hotels and Airbnbs there too.
Calacoto is a very good place to live in, as it has a convenient location, many kinds of restaurants, shops, entertainment places, and green areas, at a walkable distance, without needing to reach the city’s downtown in the Central Zone, which is much less convenient to settle in and far poorer. Calacoto it’s like the downtown of the premium South Zone of La Paz city.
This is also a very safe neighborhood, where you can walk at night without serious worries the same as in San Miguel, where almost any destination will be at max 20 minutes by walking. Home sale prices there will be from $500,000 to $2,500,000, and apartments within high-rises will be about $90,000.
Cala Cala (Cochabamba)
Cala Cala is about 10 minutes away from the historic downtown of the city, with many high-rises and premium homes around. It also has lots of commercial spaces, malls, restaurants, entertainment places, and many large green areas that are minutes away by walking distance.
This neighborhood is very convenient to stay in, as it’s pretty near to the city’s downtown, it’s in the center of the premium North Zone of Cochabamba. It has both great houses and many apartments to rent or buy. All of this together with very large green areas that look like gardens have many activities inside. The safety is also great there.
You’ll be able to find many hotels and Airbnbs within this neighborhood, and home sales prices there usually go from $400,000 to $2,000,000. Buying a common apartment will cost you about $80,000 in this neighborhood.
Other 11 very good neighborhoods of Bolivia
Now let’s see other great neighborhoods to stay or live in Bolivia. There are many reasons for this, for example, some are great resting and vacation places, and other ones are very well located. In general, all of them are premium residential hoods where safety is great and nearby areas are very convenient for many activities.
Other very good Bolivia’s neighborhoods and zones are:
- Santa Cruz
- Urubo
- Las Palmas
- Sirarí
- Within the 1st ring
- The North and West zones
- La Paz
- San Miguel
- Sopocachi
- Miraflores
- The South Zone
- Cochabamba
- Queru Queru
- The Northwest Zone
Urubo (Santa Cruz)
The Urubo neighborhood is like the premium calm, resting, and vacation place in Santa Cruz for rich people and foreigners. It is far from the city’s downtown, to reach it you need to first cross the Pirai River, but once there it’s like a giant well-cared garden with many residential houses, but also many commercial spaces in its central streets.
In this neighborhood, wealthy people usually own a second home for weekends, or they just live there, but always with a car to rapidly get into the city. It’s a very safe place, however, the streets are usually empty, and the distances there are long. It looks very similar to a residential suburb in the US or Canada.
Las Palmas (Santa Cruz)
This is a neighborhood that is just next to Equipetrol, so it’s both a residential and commercial place, but also a lot calmer, and with fewer people and commercial places than Equipetrol, it’s a more resting and quiet premium neighborhood to live in.
It has many high-rises and really beautiful stand-alone homes, where rich people and many foreigners live. It’s of course mostly residential. You’re not going to find too many large malls or entertainment areas at a short walkable distance. Houses are large and luxurious there, and many of them have pools and similar premium amenities.
Sirari (Santa Cruz)
A neighborhood that is also very near to both Equipetrol and Las Palmas, conveniently located near the downtown of Santa Cruz. It is mostly a residential neighborhood very similar to Las Palmas, with premium and luxury homes and some skyscrapers around.
Living in this place is quite calm and quiet, with not too many stores or entertainment places around, but beautiful family homes. The safety is good but not as good at night because of the empty streets and avenues, anyway, most of the people living there usually use cars to transport themselves.
Within the 1st Ring (Santa Cruz)
In contrast with the above neighborhoods, the 1st ring is a very crowded and commercial area within the city, where the historical Santa Cruz downtown is located. Despite this, lots of people have standalone homes there and it’s really convenient because everything is within walkable distance.
There you’ll find many different kinds of stores, entertainment places, restaurants, cinemas, activities to do and stuff of all kinds, but also some open street markets really crowded with a lot of burglars inside. Despite this, after becoming used to this environment, you’ll find that it’s a very convenient and good place to live or stay in.
The North and West zones (Santa Cruz)
The North and West parts of Santa Cruz city are where people with higher incomes generally live. Within these zones are all the neighborhoods we mentioned before, like Equipetrol, Urubo, Las Palmas, etc. These zones are located between the 1st and 4th ring of the north and east parts of the city.
What you’ll find there is usually a central neighborhood, in this case, Equipetrol, which has many commercial, entertainment, and business spaces, mixed with residential homes, surrounded by other mostly residential neighborhoods, but all of them are premium areas where many high-income people and also foreigners live.
We have a complete guide about the best neighborhoods of Santa Cruz, with every detail for each of them. See more in our dedicated guide: The best neighborhoods of Santa Cruz, a complete walkthrough. Link
San Miguel (La Paz)
San Miguel is located just next to Equipetrol. It’s mostly a commercial neighborhood, but it also has many residential places, apartment blocks, and family homes. It’s the commercial and entertainment center of the South Zone. Within this neighborhood, you’ll find many different kinds of premium stores, markets, retail spaces, and even some green areas.
Despite being a mostly commercial area, this neighborhood is quite calm and safe. Many high-rises were built together there, along with countless shops, malls, and many family homes. If you live or stay in San Miguel, you’ll be about 5 to 10 minutes walking distance from any entertainment, food, or shopping place.
Sopocachi (La Paz)
This neighborhood is located pretty far away from the South Zone and consequently from Calacoto and San Miguel, but it’s quite near to the historic city’s downtown and the Central Zone. It’s indeed a neighborhood for rich people, businesses, corporations, small shops, and many retail and commercial spaces.
There you’ll find very crowded streets with countless shops, commercial spaces, and restaurants of all kinds, lots of skyscrapers and apartment buildings, as well as not too many family homes. Going through its principal avenues is often difficult because of the large crowds of people and cars everywhere.
Miraflores (La Paz)
Miraflores is a lot more quiet and calm than Sopocachi, but still very near to the historic city’s downtown, about 10 minutes by car. It also has countless high-rises of apartments across both sides of its principal avenue the Bush Av. However, it’s quite empty at night so it’s somewhat risky after 9:00 pm.
You’ll find this neighborhood more relaxing and calm with many standalone homes, also without the noise of a downtown area. What people seek there is the convenience of a central premium area, as from this neighborhood you can reach every corner of the city in a reasonable amount of time.
The South Zone (La Paz)
La Paz city can be divided into big parts: 1) the Central Zone and 2) the South Zone. The Central Zone is where the historical downtown is located, on the other hand, the South Zone is where most high-income people live and it’s quite far from the city’s historical downtown. This zone also has a better and warmer climate.
Calacoto, San Miguel, along with many other residential premium neighborhoods, are located within this zone. In some sense, it’s like a standalone city or a district of La Paz city. If you want to have a good quality of life, surrounded by wealthy people and also some foreigners, the South Zone is the best place to settle within La Paz city.
We have a complete guide about the best neighborhoods of La Paz, with every detail about each one of them, see every detail in our dedicated guide: The best zones of La Paz, a complete guide. Link
Queru Queru (Cochabamba)
Located next to Cala Cala, this neighborhood is where most wealthy folks from Cochabamba live. It’s a lot more residential with fewer high-rises and more standalone homes than Cala Cala, but emptier streets, and more relaxed and calm places, along with many green areas around.
Nevertheless, it’s still pretty near to the city’s downtown, you’ll find this neighborhood quite relaxing and also safe, like a giant, well-cared garden near a more commercial hood, Cala Cala, but with fewer commercial spaces, and less noise, and with a lot of standalone, premium and luxury family homes.
The Northwest Zone (Cochabamba)
Within this zone are located neighborhoods like Cala Cala and Queru Queru, but farther away also Tiquipaya (which by the way has a mix of very expensive homes together with some rural houses). The neighborhoods that surround both Cala Cala and Queru Queru are also good zones with premium houses, commercial spaces, and lots of green areas.
In Cochabamba people who have more income, better quality of life, also better homes, usually live in the north side of the city, while people with fewer resources and poor conditions usually live in the south side of this city. So, neighborhoods that surround Cala Cala and Queru Queru are pretty good to live in too.
Be careful with the Chagas Disease when living in Cochabamba link, even when you’re in residential areas, this deadly disease is endemic in this city and also is present in Santa Cruz.
Conclusions:
In this guide about the best neighborhoods and zones of Bolivia to stay or live in, you’ve seen that there are many really good neighborhoods, but three of them stand out among the crowd. These 3 are Equipetrol in Santa Cruz, Calacoto in La Paz, and Cala Cala in Cochabamba.
The reasons are their convenient location, a good mix of residential and commercial areas, the presence of many foreigners, and premium and luxury homes. These neighborhoods are the best that currently exist in the country. However other ones that usually surround these neighborhoods, like Urubo, Las Palmas, Sirari, San Miguel, Sopocachi, Miraflores, and Queru Queru are also good enough to stay or settle in.
Additionally, you have seen that the best neighborhoods and areas of Bolivia are located in specific parts of cities, for example, in the North and East zones of Santa Cruz, in the South Zone of La Paz, and in the Northwest Zone of Cochabamba.
We hope this information has helped you, and if you want to know which ones are the best places to live in Bolivia, with all the details about each one of them, including types of homes, quality of life, precautions, etcetera, visit our dedicated guide: The best places to live in Bolivia, a full overview. Link
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