Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Berlin and Cartagena

For one person, living is cheaper in Cartagena: $1,292 a month against $2,551 in Berlin, rent and utilities included – about $15,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

124

Cost of Living Index in Berlin
Learn more

Berlin Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in Cartagena
Learn more

Cartagena Living Index

Jump to prices

Berlin

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,551

/mo nomad

Cartagena

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,292

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Berlin and in Cartagena

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Berlin and in Cartagena actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,551 per month in Berlin vs $1,292 in Cartagena, rent included.

Berlin $2,551
Cartagena $1,292

A couple spends around $3,845 per month in Berlin vs $2,165 in Cartagena, rent included.

Berlin $3,845
Cartagena $2,165

A family of three spends $5,139 per month in Berlin vs $3,039 in Cartagena, rent included.

Berlin $5,139
Cartagena $3,039

Berlin costs about 97% more than Cartagena, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Berlin sits 89% above the global median, while Cartagena is 4% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.81

$5.87 COP 18.6K

183.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.7 €68.2

$143 COP 453.5K

-46.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.47 €11.98

$10.37 COP 32.9K

29.89%

Cappuccino

$4.37 €3.89

$4.26 COP 13.5K

2.58%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 €3.09

$2.54 COP 8,063

37.01%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.12 €2.77

$2.36 COP 7,478

32.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.34 €4.75

$3.26 COP 10.3K

63.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.39 €3.91

$4.96 COP 15.7K

-11.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 €1.13

$1.91 COP 6,053

-33.51%

White Bread (500g)

$2.33 €2.08

$2.74 COP 8,692

-14.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.40 €3.02

$1.45 COP 4,610

134.48%

Eggs

$4.50 €4.00

$5.06 COP 16.0K

-11.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.78 €14.93

$13.13 COP 41.6K

27.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.91 €10.59

$17.37 COP 55.1K

-31.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.90 €15.92

Apples (1kg)

$3.46 €3.07

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 €1.73

Oranges (1kg)

$3.26 €2.90

Tomato (1kg)

$3.71 €3.30

Potato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

Onion (1kg)

$2.09 €1.86

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.42 €1.27

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 €0.84

$1.99 COP 6,304

-52.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.44 €9.29

Wine (Bottle)

$6.58 €5.85

$14.64 COP 46.4K

-55.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 €1.13

$1.40 COP 4,436

-9.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 €1.85

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.34 €3.86

$1.25 COP 3,972

247.20%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$71.6 €63.7

$58.4 COP 185.2K

22.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.26 €4.68

$4.74 COP 15.0K

10.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.09 €2.75

$3.68 COP 11.7K

-16.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$36.34 €32.32

$9.49 COP 30.1K

282.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.31 €2.05

$1.34 COP 4,251

72.39%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$32.4K €28.8K

$23.4K COP 74.1M

38.76%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$38.6K €34.3K

$34.4K COP 109.2M

12.11%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$382 €340

$78.4 COP 248.6K

386.70%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$18.83 €16.75

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.57 €43.20

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.21 €35.76

$91.7 COP 290.8K

-56.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.90 €31.04

Cinema Ticket

$15.73 €14.00

$8.02 COP 25.4K

96.13%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$142 €126

$630 COP 2.0M

-77.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.8K €14.0K

$5,818 COP 18.4M

171.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$95.4 €84.8

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.32 €41.20

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.4

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$143 €128

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,469 €1,306

$1,035 COP 3.3M

41.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,114 €991

$585 COP 1.9M

90.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,751 €2,447

$2,287 COP 7.3M

20.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,107 €1,875

$944 COP 3.0M

123.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,454 €7,520

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,435 €4,834

$924 COP 2.9M

488.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,543 €3,151

$467 COP 1.5M

658.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.8

-74.67%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Berlin: October 12, 2026

Last update for Cartagena: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Berlin

$1.1K 43.7%

Cartagena

$585 45.3% 47.5% $529

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Berlin

$449 17.6%

Cartagena

$78 * 6.1% 82.5% $371

Groceries & Markets

Berlin

$343 13.4%

Cartagena

$259 * 20% 24.5% $84

Eating Out

Berlin

$288 11.3%

Cartagena

$175 13.5% 39.3% $113

Clothing & Footwear

Berlin

$175 6.9%

Cartagena

- * 0% 100%

Getting Around

Berlin

$110 4.3%

Cartagena

$87 6.7% 21.1% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Berlin

$72 2.8%

Cartagena

$108 8.3% 50.3% $36

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,469 in Berlin versus $1,035 in Cartagena. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 659% higher in Berlin, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $77.0 in Berlin versus $143 in Cartagena. Groceries tell a different story – $343 in Berlin vs $259 in Cartagena – so Cartagena wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Berlin

🇨🇴 Cartagena

🕒 Local time

18:31 6:31 PM

11:31 11:31 AM

7 h behind Berlin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,769,962 Capital

1,028,736

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Berlin Cartagena 9,020 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Berlin
Cartagena

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Berlin vs Cartagena: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Berlin is pricier by about 97%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,826 per month in Berlin and $1,938 in Cartagena. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cartagena, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,551 in Berlin and $1,292 in Cartagena. That's a gap of about 97%.

Public transport costs about 23% less in Cartagena. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Cartagena, where all-in costs run around $1,292, than in Berlin at $2,551. In Cartagena it covers expenses comfortably, while in Berlin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Cartagena – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Cartagena. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Berlin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.