Cost of living in Cartago

In Cartago, Costa Rica, living costs about $961 per month for one person and $2615 for a family of four, including rent.

How expensive is Cartago compared to other cities?

Compared to the European benchmark, Cartago is 33% cheaper overall.

How does Cartago compare to your city?

Cartago is 19% cheaper than Columbus, without rent.

Rent in Cartago is, on average, 70% lower than in Columbus.

What drives the cost of living in Cartago?

Who is Cartago a good fit for?

Cartago 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 Cartago so expensive?

The main driver of costs in Cartago is rent and utilities, which can be significant for residents. This can make it challenging for those on tighter budgets.

Is food expensive in Cartago?

Food costs in Cartago are 21% lower than the European benchmark. This makes dining more accessible for residents.

Is public transport affordable in Cartago?

Public transport in Cartago is 28% lower than the European benchmark. This affordability enhances mobility for residents.

Cost of living breakdown

Cost of Living, one person, including rent
961 $
Without Rent
548 $
Rent & Utilities
413 $
Food
378 $
Transport
54 $
Monthly Salary, after tax
1038 $
GDP per Capita
16,595 $
Freedom Index
8.04
Lifespan
77 years
Speak English
8%
Population
22.8K

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Update Prices

Restaurants

Lunch menu, inexpensive restaurant 7.72 $
Dinner 38.2 $
Fast food, McDonalds or KFC 8.18 $
Beer, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz 2.39 $
Capuccino 3.46 $
Coke, 330ml 1.75 $

Compare Cartago with:

Markets

Milk, 1 L or 1 qt 1.89 $
Bread, 0.5 kg or 1 lb 2.12 $
Rice, 1 kg or 2 lb 2.06 $
Eggs, 12 pack 3.2 $
Cheese, 1 kg or 2 lb 2.86 $
Chicken Breast, 1 kg or 2 lb 4.63 $
Round Steak, 1 kg or 2 lb 4.82 $
Apples, 1 kg or 2 lb 4.23 $
Banana, 1 kg or 2 lb 1.36 $
Oranges, 1 kg or 2 lb 1.93 $
Tomato, 1 kg or 2 lb 2.32 $
Potato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb 1.14 $
Onion, 1 kg or 2.2 lb 1.15 $
Water, 1 L or 1 qt 1.68 $
Coca-Cola / Pepsi, 2 L or 67.6 fl oz 3.04 $
Wine, 750 mL bottle 17.2 $
Beer, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz 2.42 $
Cigarette pack 4.88 $

Transportation

One-way Ticket 0.86 $
Monthly Pass 67.8 $
Gas or Petrol, 1l or 0.26 gal 1.42 $
Taxi, 8 km 14.1 $

Personal Care

Doctor Visit, private clinic 66.1 $
Cold medicine, for 1 week 8.07 $
Hair Shampoo, 400 ml or 12 oz. 6.99 $
Toilet paper, 4 rolls 2.77 $
Toothpaste, 1 tube 3.9 $

Utilities per Month

1 person, electricity, heating, water & garbage 31 $
Family of 4, electricity, heating, water & garbage 47 $
Internet plan, +60 Mbps 43.9 $

Rent per Month

1 Bedroom Apartment, outside of center, 40 sq.m 327 $
3 Bedroom Apartment, outside of center, 85 sq.m 752 $
1 Bedroom Apartment, in city center, 40 sq.m 382 $
3 Bedroom Apartment, in city center, 85 sq.m 712 $

Buy Apartment Price

Price per Square Meter to Buy Apartment, in city center 2,046 $
Price per Square Meter to Buy House, in suburbs 82 $

Salaries and Financing

Average Monthly Net Salary, after tax 1,038 $
Mortgage Interest Rate, for 20 years fixed-rate 11.37%

Sports and Leisure

Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult 38.4 $
Cinema, 1 seat 6.29 $
Haircut 12.7 $

Clothing and Shoes

Brand Sneakers, mid-range, Nike or similar 95.7 $
Brand Jeans, Levis 501 72.4 $

Childcare

Preschool, full day, monthly for 1 child 502 $
International Primary School, yearly for 1 child 13,088 $

Compare Cartago with other top cities

Cayman Islands
Cartago vs George Town (George Town is 279% more expensive)
Bahamas
Cartago vs Nassau (Nassau is 187% more expensive) Cartago vs Freeport (Freeport is 128% more expensive)
Vanuatu
Cartago vs Port Vila (Port Vila is 144% more expensive) Cartago vs Luganville (Luganville is 218% more expensive)
United States
Cartago vs New York City (New York City is 322% more expensive) Cartago vs Los Angeles (Los Angeles is 232% more expensive) Cartago vs Chicago (Chicago is 178% more expensive) Cartago vs Houston (Houston is 134% more expensive) Cartago vs Phoenix (Phoenix is 147% more expensive) Cartago vs Philadelphia (Philadelphia is 164% more expensive) Cartago vs San Antonio (San Antonio is 128% more expensive) Cartago vs San Diego (San Diego is 248% more expensive) Cartago vs Dallas (Dallas is 165% more expensive) Cartago vs San Jose (San Jose is 282% more expensive)
Canada
Cartago vs Toronto (Toronto is 168% more expensive) Cartago vs Montreal (Montreal is 103% more expensive) Cartago vs Calgary (Calgary is 124% more expensive) Cartago vs Ottawa (Ottawa is 133% more expensive) Cartago vs Edmonton (Edmonton is 86% more expensive) Cartago vs Winnipeg (Winnipeg is 83% more expensive) Cartago vs Mississauga (Mississauga is 157% more expensive) Cartago vs Vancouver (Vancouver is 176% more expensive) Cartago vs Brampton (Brampton is 121% more expensive) Cartago vs Hamilton (Hamilton is 124% more expensive)
Barbados
Cartago vs Bridgetown (Bridgetown is 42% more expensive) Cartago vs Holetown (Holetown is 45% more expensive)
Panama
Cartago vs Panama City (Panama City is 44% more expensive) Cartago vs Colon (Colon is 23% more expensive) Cartago vs Tocumen (Tocumen is 28% more expensive) Cartago vs Santiago de Veraguas (Santiago de Veraguas is 10% more expensive) Cartago vs David (David is 13% less expensive) Cartago vs La Chorrera (La Chorrera is 1% less expensive) Cartago vs Balboa (Balboa is 30% more expensive) Cartago vs Pacora (Pacora is 30% more expensive) Cartago vs Chitre (Chitre is 14% more expensive) Cartago vs Penonome (Penonome is 14% more expensive)
Saint Kitts And Nevis
Cartago vs Basseterre (Basseterre is 29% more expensive) Cartago vs Cayon (Cayon is 29% more expensive)
Cuba
Cartago vs Havana (Havana is 7% more expensive) Cartago vs Santiago de Cuba (Santiago de Cuba is 47% more expensive) Cartago vs Holguin (Holguin is 33% more expensive) Cartago vs Camaguey (Camaguey is 59% more expensive) Cartago vs Santa Clara (Santa Clara is 10% more expensive) Cartago vs Bayamo (Bayamo is 21% more expensive) Cartago vs Guantanamo (Guantanamo is 62% more expensive) Cartago vs Las Tunas (Las Tunas is 62% more expensive) Cartago vs Pinar del Rio (Pinar del Rio is 14% more expensive) Cartago vs Cienfuegos (Cienfuegos is 9% less expensive)
Costa Rica
Cartago vs San Jose (San Jose is 29% more expensive) Cartago vs Limon (Limon is 25% more expensive) Cartago vs Liberia (Liberia is 7% less expensive) Cartago vs Alajuela (Alajuela is 28% more expensive) Cartago vs Puntarenas (Puntarenas is 33% more expensive) Cartago vs Cartago (Cartago has similar costs) Cartago vs Heredia (Heredia is 30% more expensive) Cartago vs Tamarindo (Tamarindo is 76% more expensive) Cartago vs Santa Teresa (Santa Teresa is 36% more expensive)
Saint Lucia
Cartago vs Castries (Castries is 21% more expensive) Cartago vs Vieux Fort (Vieux Fort is 24% more expensive)
Jamaica
Cartago vs Kingston (Kingston is 38% more expensive) Cartago vs Spanish Town (Spanish Town is 19% less expensive) Cartago vs Montego Bay (Montego Bay is 6% more expensive) Cartago vs Half Way Tree (Half Way Tree is 21% more expensive) Cartago vs May Pen (May Pen is 15% less expensive) Cartago vs Mandeville (Mandeville is 2% more expensive) Cartago vs Old Harbour (Old Harbour is 12% less expensive) Cartago vs Linstead (Linstead is 9% more expensive) Cartago vs Savanna-la-Mar (Savanna-la-Mar is 17% more expensive) Cartago vs Port Antonio (Port Antonio is 19% more expensive)
El Salvador
Cartago vs San Salvador (San Salvador is 24% more expensive) Cartago vs Santa Ana (Santa Ana is 26% less expensive) Cartago vs Soyapango (Soyapango is 22% more expensive) Cartago vs San Miguel (San Miguel is 12% more expensive) Cartago vs Mejicanos (Mejicanos is 21% more expensive) Cartago vs Apopa (Apopa is 19% more expensive) Cartago vs Santa Tecla (Santa Tecla is 25% more expensive) Cartago vs Ahuachapan (Ahuachapan is 51% more expensive) Cartago vs Usulutan (Usulutan is 13% more expensive) Cartago vs Sonsonate (Sonsonate is 8% less expensive)
Antigua And Barbuda
Cartago vs St. John's (St. John's is 13% more expensive) Cartago vs All Saints (All Saints is 12% more expensive)
Grenada
Cartago vs St. George's (St. George's is 11% more expensive) Cartago vs Grenville (Grenville is 10% more expensive)
Dominica
Cartago vs Roseau (Roseau is 4% more expensive) Cartago vs Portsmouth (Portsmouth is 18% more expensive)
Saint Vincent
Cartago vs Kingstown (Kingstown is 2% more expensive) Cartago vs Georgetown (Georgetown is 4% more expensive)
Belize
Cartago vs Belize City (Belize City is 9% less expensive) Cartago vs San Ignacio (San Ignacio is 13% more expensive) Cartago vs Belmopan (Belmopan is 24% less expensive) Cartago vs San Pedro Town (San Pedro Town is 39% more expensive) Cartago vs Caye Caulker (Caye Caulker is 64% more expensive)
Guatemala
Cartago vs Guatemala City (Guatemala City is 5% more expensive) Cartago vs Mixco (Mixco is 34% less expensive) Cartago vs Coban (Coban is 5% less expensive) Cartago vs Quetzaltenango (Quetzaltenango is 19% less expensive) Cartago vs Jalapa (Jalapa is 6% less expensive) Cartago vs San Miguel Petapa (San Miguel Petapa is 6% less expensive) Cartago vs Momostenango (Momostenango is 9% less expensive) Cartago vs Mazatenango (Mazatenango is 9% less expensive) Cartago vs Flores (Flores is 11% less expensive) Cartago vs Panajachel (Panajachel is 18% less expensive)
Honduras
Cartago vs Tegucigalpa (Tegucigalpa is 14% less expensive) Cartago vs San Pedro Sula (San Pedro Sula is 8% more expensive) Cartago vs Choloma (Choloma is 38% less expensive) Cartago vs La Ceiba (La Ceiba is 32% less expensive) Cartago vs El Progreso (El Progreso is 8% less expensive) Cartago vs Villanueva (Villanueva is 10% less expensive) Cartago vs Comayagua (Comayagua is 26% less expensive) Cartago vs Puerto Cortes (Puerto Cortes is 25% less expensive) Cartago vs Yoro (Yoro is 24% less expensive) Cartago vs La Lima (La Lima is 9% less expensive)
Dominican Republic
Cartago vs Santiago de los Caballeros (Santiago de los Caballeros is 17% less expensive) Cartago vs Santo Domingo (Santo Domingo is 9% more expensive) Cartago vs Puerto Plata (Puerto Plata is 20% less expensive) Cartago vs Higuey (Higuey is 20% less expensive) Cartago vs La Vega (La Vega is 40% less expensive) Cartago vs San Cristobal (San Cristobal is 14% less expensive) Cartago vs San Pedro de Macoris (San Pedro de Macoris is 24% less expensive) Cartago vs San Francisco de Macoris (San Francisco de Macoris is 45% less expensive) Cartago vs San Juan de la Maguana (San Juan de la Maguana is 35% less expensive) Cartago vs Bonao (Bonao is 44% less expensive)
Nicaragua
Cartago vs Managua (Managua is 19% less expensive) Cartago vs Leon (Leon is 34% less expensive) Cartago vs Masaya (Masaya is 26% less expensive) Cartago vs Matagalpa (Matagalpa is 43% less expensive) Cartago vs Chinandega (Chinandega is 34% less expensive) Cartago vs Esteli (Esteli is 38% less expensive) Cartago vs Granada (Granada is 27% less expensive) Cartago vs Jinotega (Jinotega is 52% less expensive) Cartago vs Juigalpa (Juigalpa is 31% less expensive) Cartago vs San Juan del Sur (San Juan del Sur is 7% less expensive)