The cities
Santa Cruz, La Paz, Cochabamba, Sucre
What changes from one city to the next, day to day: altitude, vos or tú, getting around, housing, the market. Then the chapters that exist in each city’s version.
Santa Cruz
≈ 416 m
Local words
- anillo one of the city's rings; 'tercer anillo'
- radial avenue running out from the centre across the rings
- curichi wetland, a Santa Cruz word
The course’s default city
See the cityCochabamba
≈ 2,570 m
Local words
- aquí nomás 'right here', to get off the trufi
- permiso to get through a tight space (trufi, market aisle)
- trufi / micro shared car or minivan on a fixed route / larger bus
7 chapters in a Cochabamba version
See the citySucre
≈ 2,790 m
Local words
- caserita your regular vendor, said with affection
- ratito / cafecito everyday diminutives
- pues the soft particle of Sucre speech
7 chapters in a Sucre version
See the cityLa Paz
≈ 3,650 m
Local words
- anticrético a large sum paid instead of rent, to be returned at the end
- calefón water heater, here gas-fired
- gas domiciliario piped gas, with a monthly bill
7 chapters in a La Paz version
See the citySide by side
What changes from one city to the next
The first line of each theme, with its sources. Each city’s page has the details.
| At a glance | Santa Cruz≈ 416 m | La Paz≈ 3,650 m | Cochabamba≈ 2,570 m | Sucre≈ 2,790 m |
|---|---|---|---|---|
AltitudeSourcesSources: Encyclopaedia Britannica · Wikipedia (es) · Wikipedia · Encyclopaedia Britannica · Wikipedia · France Diplomatie · Encyclopaedia Britannica · Wikipedia · Wikipedia · Britannica | Santa Cruz de la Sierra lies in the eastern lowlands, at about 416 m above sea level (Encyclopaedia Britannica figure): no altitude sickness here. | Central La Paz sits at about 3,650 m in a deep valley (the city spans roughly 3,250 to 4,100 m). El Alto and the airport, on the Altiplano above, are over 4,000 m. | Cochabamba sits at about 2,570 m in a valley: high, but much lower than La Paz. | Sucre sits at about 2,790 m in a valley: high, but much lower than La Paz. |
| Vos, tú or usted | Vos is common (querés, decime). Writing to a landlord with usted and getting a reply in vos is normal; at the market, people keep usted with vendors. | Friendly tú softened by 'pues' and 'nomás', no voseo. Usted with an older landlady ('doña...'); at the market the casera often uses tú, and answering with usted is still normal. | Many caseras and neighbours use vos (querés, llevá); respectful usted with an older landlord ('don Hugo'). 'Nomás' softens almost everything: 'aquí nomás'. | Warm usted, 'pues' and diminutives (cafecito, ratito, despacito); plain tú between classmates. No Santa Cruz-style voseo here. |
| Getting around | People navigate by anillos (rings) and radiales, not street numbers: 'tercer anillo' already tells the distance from the centre. Taxis have no meter: agree the fare before getting in. | Minibuses (the pasaje is paid on board, to the driver or the voceador) and Mi Teleférico, whose lines are named by colour. Directions follow the slope: ask whether it is uphill or downhill. | Trufis on a fixed route, micros on longer routes. Addresses sit on a grid, like 'N-0345': a letter for the direction, then a number. You pay on board, with sencillo. | The centre is walkable, in cuadras and landmarks; micros are paid to the driver; taxis usually have no meter, so agree the fare first. Streets up to La Recoleta are steep. |
| Housing | Listings run on WhatsApp, the garantía is often one month, expensas are sometimes included but often extra. Humedad (damp) is the classic issue to note on a visit, without guessing its cause. | Anticrético is a very well-known arrangement. Piped gas and a gas calefón (water heater); few flats have heating. 'Semiamoblado' often means just the basics: ask for the list. | Anticrético is well known, often agreed in dollars. In some areas water only comes at certain hours: the tank, the pump and who repairs it matter. | Many colonial houses around a shared patio; a family house usually has no building expensas. A garrafa for cooking; cold rooms in June and July. |
| Climate | Heat peaks in mid-afternoon; an aguacero is intense but often short; a sur (cold south wind) can bring out the jacket within hours. | 'Four seasons in one day': a cold start, strong sun at noon, a cold evening. Cold nights in June and July; afternoon storms in the rainy season. | Strong sun almost all year; in the middle of the year, dry and windy afternoons, sometimes dusty. | Warm by day, cold at night: mornings feel cool, then the midday sun is strong. Many leave home in a chompa (jumper) and carry it by noon. |
| The market | Go to the mercado in the morning; small fruit like achachairú is sold by the docena (dozen). Casera and yapa are part of the game, with usted towards vendors. | Saturday at Mercado Rodríguez: the libra (about 460 g) next to the kilo, chuño, a yapita asked for with a smile; QR at many stalls, not all. | Saturday at La Cancha: locoto, llajua (ground on a batán), quirquiña; QR at many stalls, not all, so keep sencillo handy. | At the Mercado Central: juice stalls mid-morning (chirimoya, papaya), caserita and yapita; QR at some stalls, many still cash only. |
| The rhythm | Errands and walks in the morning, a break in the shade at the afternoon heat peak; the city fills up again towards evening. | Downtown offices are packed in the morning, with queues at the copy shops too; a short question about one word gets a clearer answer. In Prado banks the wait grows towards noon. | At public offices people come early to get a ficha; many do their errands near home rather than crossing the centre at rush hour. | Many shops close for a good while at midday and reopen in the afternoon. A student city: the university year starts in February, and central rooms go fast. |
| In the course | The course’s default city | 7 chapters in a La Paz version | 7 chapters in a Cochabamba version | 7 chapters in a Sucre version |
Updated September 2026. Practical pointers, not legal, medical or financial advice: requirements change, so check with the office or professional who handles your case.
City by city
The 4 cities in detail
- ≈ 416 m
Santa Cruz
The course’s default cityLocal words, notes and the city’s chaptersSee the city - ≈ 3,650 m
La Paz
7 chapters in a La Paz versionLocal words, notes and the city’s chaptersSee the city - ≈ 2,570 m
Cochabamba
7 chapters in a Cochabamba versionLocal words, notes and the city’s chaptersSee the city - ≈ 2,790 m
Sucre
7 chapters in a Sucre versionLocal words, notes and the city’s chaptersSee the city
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