Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucaramanga and Cartago, Colombia

Name: Cartago
Address: Cartago, CO

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucaramanga: $1,221 a month against $1,322 in Cartago, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Cartago outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

58

Cost of Living Index in Bucaramanga
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Bucaramanga Living Index
63

Cost of Living Index in Cartago
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Cartago Living Index

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Bucaramanga

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,221

/mo nomad

Cartago

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,322

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucaramanga and in Cartago

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

A single person spends $1,221 per month in Bucaramanga vs $1,322 in Cartago, rent included.

Bucaramanga $1,221
Cartago $1,322

A couple spends around $1,834 per month in Bucaramanga vs $2,013 in Cartago, rent included.

Bucaramanga $1,834
Cartago $2,013

A family of three spends $2,446 per month in Bucaramanga vs $2,703 in Cartago, rent included.

Bucaramanga $2,446
Cartago $2,703

Bucaramanga is about 8% cheaper than Cartago, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Bucaramanga and Cartago are more affordable than the global median – Bucaramanga 10% lower, Cartago 2% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.34 COP 17.2K

$5.22 COP 16.8K

2.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.23 COP 100.8K

$57.1 COP 184.2K

-45.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.21 COP 29.7K

$6.37 COP 20.6K

44.58%

Cappuccino

$2.11 COP 6,800

$3.05 COP 9,831

-30.82%

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

$1.40 COP 4,512

$2.45 COP 7,902

-42.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.08 COP 3,496

$2.27 COP 7,334

-52.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.68 COP 5,436

$3.55 COP 11.4K

-52.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 COP 7,928

$3.63 COP 11.7K

-32.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.43 COP 4,630

$1.67 COP 5,405

-14.37%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 COP 4,624

$1.80 COP 5,795

-20.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.07 COP 9,896

$1.74 COP 5,615

76.44%

Eggs

$3.10 COP 10.0K

$3.16 COP 10.2K

-1.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.75 COP 25.0K

$9.12 COP 29.4K

-15.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.84 COP 44.6K

$9.32 COP 30.1K

48.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.12 COP 55.2K

$11.27 COP 36.4K

51.91%

Apples (1kg)

$3.51 COP 11.3K

$3.76 COP 12.1K

-6.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.36 COP 4,375

$1.24 COP 4,008

9.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,820

$1.38 COP 4,442

52.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.71 COP 8,749

$1.91 COP 6,166

41.88%

Potato (1kg)

$1.41 COP 4,535

$1.67 COP 5,401

-15.57%

Onion (1kg)

$1.69 COP 5,468

$1.64 COP 5,289

3.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.91 COP 2,937

$0.96 COP 3,082

-5.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 COP 2,971

$0.92 COP 2,967

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.36 COP 14.1K

Wine (Bottle)

$12.42 COP 40.1K

$16.90 COP 54.5K

-26.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 COP 4,208

$1.52 COP 4,892

-14.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 COP 6,024

$1.91 COP 6,158

-2.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.97 COP 3,138

$1.11 COP 3,594

-12.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.4 COP 214.2K

$65.8 COP 212.2K

0.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.69 COP 5,444

$1.14 COP 3,671

48.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.48 COP 1,558

$0.57 COP 1,825

-15.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.67 COP 24.7K

$3.33 COP 10.7K

130.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 COP 4,162

$1.36 COP 4,374

-5.15%

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

$33.9K COP 109.4M

$34.7K COP 112.1M

-2.35%

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

$34.5K COP 111.4M

$34.9K COP 112.8M

-1.24%

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

$170 COP 549.3K

$101 COP 325.8K

68.58%

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

$10.56 COP 34.1K

$15.19 COP 49.0K

-30.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.93 COP 83.7K

$27.03 COP 87.2K

-4.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.62 COP 121.4K

$37.99 COP 122.6K

-0.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.84 COP 102.7K

Cinema Ticket

$8.89 COP 28.7K

$5.18 COP 16.7K

71.62%

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

$416 COP 1.3M

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.7K COP 40.8M

$11.6K COP 37.3M

9.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.5 COP 166.2K

$82.1 COP 264.8K

-37.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.6 COP 182.8K

$43.82 COP 141.4K

29.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 COP 390.0K

$115 COP 372.2K

4.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.1 COP 307.0K

$101 COP 325.0K

-5.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$414 COP 1.3M

$718 COP 2.3M

-42.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$317 COP 1.0M

$490 COP 1.6M

-35.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$966 COP 3.1M

$1,427 COP 4.6M

-32.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$519 COP 1.7M

$780 COP 2.5M

-33.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,189 COP 7.1M

$2,259 COP 7.3M

-3.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,752 COP 5.7M

$1,786 COP 5.8M

-1.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$574 COP 1.9M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.4

13.88

-10.66%

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

Last update for Bucaramanga: November 1, 2026

Last update for Cartago: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucaramanga

$317 26%

Cartago

$490 37% 54.3% $172

Groceries & Markets

Bucaramanga

$302 24.8%

Cartago

$272 20.6% 10.1% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucaramanga

$207 16.9%

Cartago

$143 10.8% 30.7% $64

Clothing & Footwear

Bucaramanga

$146 12%

Cartago

$154 11.6% 5.5% $8

Eating Out

Bucaramanga

$119 9.7%

Cartago

$141 10.7% 18.8% $22

Getting Around

Bucaramanga

$74 6.1%

Cartago

$74 5.6% 0.3% $0.2

Sport & Entertainment

Bucaramanga

$55 4.5%

Cartago

$48 3.7% 12.7% $7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $414 in Bucaramanga versus $718 in Cartago. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $31 in Bucaramanga versus $57 in Cartago. Groceries tell a different story – $302 in Bucaramanga vs $272 in Cartago – so Cartago wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Bucaramanga

🇨🇴 Cartago

🕒 Local time

13:56 1:56 PM

Same time as Bucaramanga

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

581,130

135,365

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Bucaramanga Cartago 410 km

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Bucaramanga
Cartago

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

Bucaramanga vs Cartago: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cartago costs about 8% more than Bucaramanga, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,831 per month in Bucaramanga and $1,983 in Cartago. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Bucaramanga, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $414 there versus $718 in Cartago.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,221 in Bucaramanga and $1,322 in Cartago. That makes Bucaramanga about 8% cheaper.

Interestingly, groceries are about 10% cheaper in Cartago – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,221 in Bucaramanga and $1,322 in Cartago. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Bucaramanga has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,221 in Bucaramanga to $1,322 in Cartago. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.