Cost of living in Cartagena

In Cartagena, Colombia, a family of four typically needs around $1801 per month including rent. A single person may spend about $748 monthly.

How expensive is Cartagena compared to other cities?

Compared to the European benchmark, Cartagena is 15% cheaper overall.

How does Cartagena compare to your city?

Cartagena is 70% cheaper than New York City, without rent.

Rent in Cartagena is, on average, 88% lower than in New York City.

What drives the cost of living in Cartagena?

Who is Cartagena a good fit for?

Cartagena tends to fit higher-income residents who can comfortably absorb housing costs. It can be challenging on a moderate budget, mainly due to rent and utilities.

FAQ

Why is Cartagena so expensive?

Housing costs, particularly rent and utilities, significantly influence the overall expense in Cartagena.

Is food expensive in Cartagena?

Food costs in Cartagena are 19% lower than the European benchmark, making it relatively affordable.

Is public transport affordable in Cartagena?

Public transport is 3% lower than the European benchmark, offering a cost-effective option for residents.

Cost of living breakdown

Cost of Living, one person, including rent
748 $
Without Rent
433 $
Rent & Utilities
315 $
Food
278 $
Transport
85 $
Monthly Salary, after tax
466 $
GDP per Capita
6,980 $
Freedom Index
6.54
Lifespan
74 years
Speak English
4%
Population
915.0K

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Update Prices

Restaurants

Lunch menu, inexpensive restaurant 8.4 $
Dinner 15.1 $
Fast food, McDonalds or KFC 9.01 $
Beer, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz 1.56 $
Capuccino 3.03 $
Coke, 330ml 0.68 $

Compare Cartagena with:

Markets

Milk, 1 L or 1 qt 1.31 $
Bread, 0.5 kg or 1 lb 1.12 $
Rice, 1 kg or 2 lb 1.11 $
Eggs, 12 pack 3.1 $
Cheese, 1 kg or 2 lb 7.97 $
Chicken Breast, 1 kg or 2 lb 4.94 $
Round Steak, 1 kg or 2 lb 7.83 $
Apples, 1 kg or 2 lb 2.02 $
Banana, 1 kg or 2 lb 1.66 $
Oranges, 1 kg or 2 lb 1.66 $
Tomato, 1 kg or 2 lb 1.2 $
Potato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb 1.07 $
Onion, 1 kg or 2.2 lb 1.26 $
Water, 1 L or 1 qt 0.55 $
Coca-Cola / Pepsi, 2 L or 67.6 fl oz 1.75 $
Wine, 750 mL bottle 14.1 $
Beer, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz 1.01 $
Cigarette pack 2.08 $

Transportation

One-way Ticket 0.71 $
Monthly Pass 36.8 $
Gas or Petrol, 1l or 0.26 gal 0.96 $
Taxi, 8 km 11.1 $

Personal Care

Doctor Visit, private clinic 19.9 $
Cold medicine, for 1 week 2.66 $
Hair Shampoo, 400 ml or 12 oz. 3.63 $
Toilet paper, 4 rolls 2.52 $
Toothpaste, 1 tube 1.12 $

Utilities per Month

1 person, electricity, heating, water & garbage 67 $
Family of 4, electricity, heating, water & garbage 102 $
Internet plan, +60 Mbps 22.1 $

Rent per Month

1 Bedroom Apartment, outside of center, 40 sq.m 177 $
3 Bedroom Apartment, outside of center, 85 sq.m 378 $
1 Bedroom Apartment, in city center, 40 sq.m 421 $
3 Bedroom Apartment, in city center, 85 sq.m 696 $

Buy Apartment Price

Price per Square Meter to Buy Apartment, in city center 2,61 $
Price per Square Meter to Buy House, in suburbs 2,496 $

Salaries and Financing

Average Monthly Net Salary, after tax 466 $
Mortgage Interest Rate, for 20 years fixed-rate 14.86%

Sports and Leisure

Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult 33.3 $
Cinema, 1 seat 2.82 $
Haircut 6.37 $

Clothing and Shoes

Brand Sneakers, mid-range, Nike or similar 82.3 $
Brand Jeans, Levis 501 56.4 $

Childcare

Preschool, full day, monthly for 1 child 129 $
International Primary School, yearly for 1 child 3,592 $

Compare Cartagena with other top cities

Curacao
Cartagena vs Willemstad (Willemstad is 86% more expensive) Cartagena vs Barber (Barber is 86% more expensive)
Uruguay
Cartagena vs Montevideo (Montevideo is 78% more expensive) Cartagena vs Salto (Salto is 32% more expensive) Cartagena vs Ciudad de la Costa (Ciudad de la Costa is 57% more expensive) Cartagena vs Rivera (Rivera is 1% more expensive) Cartagena vs Maldonado (Maldonado is 29% more expensive) Cartagena vs Paysandu (Paysandu is 3% more expensive) Cartagena vs Tacuarembo (Tacuarembo is 11% more expensive) Cartagena vs Melo (Melo is 3% less expensive) Cartagena vs Mercedes (Mercedes is 37% more expensive) Cartagena vs Artigas (Artigas is 18% more expensive)
Trinidad And Tobago
Cartagena vs Chaguanas (Chaguanas is 43% more expensive) Cartagena vs Port of Spain (Port of Spain is 56% more expensive) Cartagena vs San Fernando (San Fernando is 29% more expensive) Cartagena vs Scarborough (Scarborough is 47% more expensive) Cartagena vs San Juan (San Juan is 56% more expensive)
Chile
Cartagena vs Santiago (Santiago is 60% more expensive) Cartagena vs Puente Alto (Puente Alto is 28% more expensive) Cartagena vs Antofagasta (Antofagasta is 41% more expensive) Cartagena vs Vina del Mar (Vina del Mar is 25% more expensive) Cartagena vs San Bernardo (San Bernardo is 14% more expensive) Cartagena vs Valparaiso (Valparaiso is 28% more expensive) Cartagena vs Temuco (Temuco is 17% more expensive) Cartagena vs Rancagua (Rancagua is 13% more expensive) Cartagena vs Concepcion (Concepcion is 23% more expensive) Cartagena vs Talca (Talca is 14% more expensive)
Guyana
Cartagena vs Georgetown (Georgetown is 32% more expensive) Cartagena vs Linden (Linden is 36% more expensive) Cartagena vs New Amsterdam (New Amsterdam is 35% more expensive)
Mexico
Cartagena vs Mexico City (Mexico City is 59% more expensive) Cartagena vs Tijuana (Tijuana is 40% more expensive) Cartagena vs Ecatepec de Morelos (Ecatepec de Morelos is 2% less expensive) Cartagena vs Leon (Leon is 4% less expensive) Cartagena vs Zapopan (Zapopan is 35% more expensive) Cartagena vs Guadalajara (Guadalajara is 32% more expensive) Cartagena vs Puebla (Puebla is 26% more expensive) Cartagena vs Ciudad Juarez (Ciudad Juarez is 30% more expensive) Cartagena vs Monterrey (Monterrey is 68% more expensive) Cartagena vs Ciudad Nezahualcoyotl (Ciudad Nezahualcoyotl is 3% less expensive)
Suriname
Cartagena vs Paramaribo (Paramaribo is 16% more expensive) Cartagena vs Nieuw Nickerie (Nieuw Nickerie is 13% more expensive)
Ecuador
Cartagena vs Guayaquil (Guayaquil is 22% more expensive) Cartagena vs Quito (Quito is 21% more expensive) Cartagena vs Cuenca (Cuenca is 3% more expensive) Cartagena vs Santo Domingo (Santo Domingo is 21% less expensive) Cartagena vs Duran (Duran is 8% more expensive) Cartagena vs Machala (Machala is 21% less expensive) Cartagena vs Manta (Manta is 16% more expensive) Cartagena vs Portoviejo (Portoviejo is 2% more expensive) Cartagena vs Loja (Loja is 18% less expensive) Cartagena vs Quevedo (Quevedo is 13% less expensive)
Peru
Cartagena vs Lima (Lima is 32% more expensive) Cartagena vs Arequipa (Arequipa is 25% less expensive) Cartagena vs Trujillo (Trujillo is 7% less expensive) Cartagena vs Chiclayo (Chiclayo is 31% less expensive) Cartagena vs Callao (Callao is 4% more expensive) Cartagena vs Piura (Piura is 25% less expensive) Cartagena vs Cusco (Cusco is 14% less expensive) Cartagena vs Chimbote (Chimbote is 34% less expensive) Cartagena vs Huancayo (Huancayo is 21% less expensive) Cartagena vs Iquitos (Iquitos is 9% less expensive)
Venezuela
Cartagena vs Caracas (Caracas is 40% more expensive) Cartagena vs Maracaibo (Maracaibo is 6% less expensive) Cartagena vs Valencia (Valencia is 5% more expensive) Cartagena vs Maracay (Maracay is 3% less expensive) Cartagena vs Barquisimeto (Barquisimeto is 4% less expensive) Cartagena vs Barinas (Barinas is 7% more expensive) Cartagena vs Ciudad Guayana (Ciudad Guayana is 19% more expensive) Cartagena vs Catia La Mar (Catia La Mar is 27% more expensive) Cartagena vs Ciudad Bolivar (Ciudad Bolivar is 16% more expensive) Cartagena vs Santa Teresa del Tuy (Santa Teresa del Tuy is 22% more expensive)
Colombia
Cartagena vs Bogota (Bogota is 16% more expensive) Cartagena vs Medellin (Medellin is 17% more expensive) Cartagena vs Cali (Cali is 2% less expensive) Cartagena vs Barranquilla (Barranquilla is 5% more expensive) Cartagena vs Cartagena (Cartagena has similar costs) Cartagena vs Cucuta (Cucuta is 26% less expensive) Cartagena vs Soacha (Soacha has similar costs) Cartagena vs Soledad (Soledad is 12% more expensive) Cartagena vs Villavicencio (Villavicencio is 36% less expensive) Cartagena vs Bucaramanga (Bucaramanga is 14% less expensive)
Brazil
Cartagena vs Sao Paulo (Sao Paulo is 35% more expensive) Cartagena vs Rio de Janeiro (Rio de Janeiro is 28% more expensive) Cartagena vs Brasilia (Brasilia is 8% more expensive) Cartagena vs Fortaleza (Fortaleza is 4% less expensive) Cartagena vs Salvador (Salvador is 1% less expensive) Cartagena vs Belo Horizonte (Belo Horizonte is 5% more expensive) Cartagena vs Manaus (Manaus is 7% more expensive) Cartagena vs Curitiba (Curitiba is 2% more expensive) Cartagena vs Recife (Recife is 4% more expensive) Cartagena vs Goiania (Goiania is 12% less expensive)
Argentina
Cartagena vs Buenos Aires (Buenos Aires is 22% more expensive) Cartagena vs Cordoba (Cordoba is 24% more expensive) Cartagena vs Rosario (Rosario is 16% less expensive) Cartagena vs San Miguel de Tucuman (San Miguel de Tucuman is 7% less expensive) Cartagena vs Mar del Plata (Mar del Plata has similar costs) Cartagena vs Salta (Salta is 3% less expensive) Cartagena vs San Juan (San Juan is 12% less expensive) Cartagena vs Lanus (Lanus is 8% more expensive) Cartagena vs Santiago del Estero (Santiago del Estero is 48% less expensive) Cartagena vs Santa Fe (Santa Fe is 5% less expensive)
Bolivia
Cartagena vs Santa Cruz de la Sierra (Santa Cruz de la Sierra is 2% more expensive) Cartagena vs La Paz (La Paz is 10% less expensive) Cartagena vs El Alto (El Alto is 14% less expensive) Cartagena vs Cochabamba (Cochabamba is 28% less expensive) Cartagena vs Sucre (Sucre is 12% less expensive) Cartagena vs Oruro (Oruro is 20% less expensive) Cartagena vs Potosi (Potosi is 33% less expensive) Cartagena vs Tarija (Tarija is 16% less expensive) Cartagena vs Sacaba (Sacaba is 28% less expensive) Cartagena vs Trinidad (Trinidad is 3% more expensive)
Paraguay
Cartagena vs Asuncion (Asuncion is 11% less expensive) Cartagena vs Ciudad del Este (Ciudad del Este is 29% less expensive) Cartagena vs Luque (Luque is 19% less expensive) Cartagena vs San Lorenzo (San Lorenzo is 17% less expensive) Cartagena vs Pedro Juan Caballero (Pedro Juan Caballero is 30% less expensive) Cartagena vs Caaguazu (Caaguazu is 45% less expensive) Cartagena vs Encarnacion (Encarnacion is 31% less expensive) Cartagena vs Coronel Oviedo (Coronel Oviedo is 29% less expensive) Cartagena vs Concepcion (Concepcion is 28% less expensive)