Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Calgary and Cartago, Colombia

For one person, living is cheaper in Cartago: $1,322 a month against $2,297 in Calgary, rent and utilities included – about $11,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Calgary, Canada
Cartago, Colombia
Calgary
🇨🇦 Canada
$2,297
/mo nomad
Cartago
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,322
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Calgary 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 Calgary and in Cartago actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,297 in Calgary versus $1,322 in Cartago.

  • Calgary $2,297
  • Cartago $1,322

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,378 in Calgary versus $2,013 in Cartago.

  • Calgary $3,378
  • Cartago $2,013

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,459 in Calgary versus $2,703 in Cartago.

  • Calgary $4,459
  • Cartago $2,703

Living in Calgary is roughly 74% more expensive than in Cartago, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Calgary is 70% above, Cartago is 2% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Calgary
Cartago
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.94 CA$25.23
$5.22 COP 16.8K
243.68%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$68.9 CA$96.9
$57.1 COP 184.3K
20.68%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.94 CA$15.38
$6.37 COP 20.6K
71.74%
Cappuccino
$3.70 CA$5.21
$3.05 COP 9,838
21.31%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.07 CA$2.91
$2.45 COP 7,908
-15.51%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.04 CA$2.87
$2.27 COP 7,339
-10.13%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.74 CA$8.08
$3.55 COP 11.4K
61.69%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.70 CA$8.02
$3.63 COP 11.7K
57.02%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Calgary
Cartago
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.98 CA$2.78
$1.67 COP 5,408
18.56%
White Bread (500g)
$2.65 CA$3.72
$1.80 COP 5,799
47.22%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$5.84 CA$8.21
$1.74 COP 5,619
235.63%
Eggs
$3.81 CA$5.36
$3.16 COP 10.2K
20.57%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.81 CA$15.20
$9.12 COP 29.5K
18.53%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$11.02 CA$15.50
$9.32 COP 30.1K
18.24%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.87 CA$25.14
$11.27 COP 36.4K
58.56%
Apples (1kg)
$4.88 CA$6.87
$3.76 COP 12.1K
29.79%
Banana (1kg)
$1.45 CA$2.04
$1.24 COP 4,011
16.94%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.15 CA$5.84
$1.38 COP 4,445
200.72%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.99 CA$5.61
$1.91 COP 6,170
108.90%
Potato (1kg)
$2.93 CA$4.12
$1.67 COP 5,405
75.45%
Onion (1kg)
$3.02 CA$4.25
$1.64 COP 5,292
84.15%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.67 CA$3.75
$0.96 COP 3,084
178.13%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.57 CA$2.21
$0.92 COP 2,969
70.65%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$14.11 CA$19.84
$4.36 COP 14.1K
223.62%
Wine (Bottle)
$15.45 CA$21.73
$16.90 COP 54.6K
-8.58%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.50 CA$3.52
$1.52 COP 4,896
64.47%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.18 CA$4.47
$1.91 COP 6,162
66.49%
🚌 Getting Around
Calgary
Cartago
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.85 CA$4.00
$1.11 COP 3,597
156.76%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$90.2 CA$127
$65.8 COP 212.3K
37.19%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.16 CA$4.45
$1.14 COP 3,674
177.19%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.41 CA$1.98
$0.57 COP 1,827
147.37%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$27.46 CA$38.62
$3.33 COP 10.7K
724.62%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.18 CA$1.66
$1.36 COP 4,378
-13.24%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.9K CA$39.2K
$34.7K COP 112.1M
-19.78%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$21.1K CA$29.6K
$34.9K COP 112.8M
-39.74%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Calgary
Cartago
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$182 CA$256
$101 COP 326.1K
80.05%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$36.01 CA$50.7
$15.19 COP 49.1K
137.06%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$48.80 CA$68.6
$27.03 COP 87.3K
80.54%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Calgary
Cartago
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$48.78 CA$68.6
$37.99 COP 122.7K
28.40%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.15 CA$25.53
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$14.52 CA$20.42
$5.18 COP 16.7K
180.31%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Calgary
Cartago
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$542 CA$762
$416 COP 1.3M
30.34%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$21.2K CA$29.8K
$11.6K COP 37.3M
83.24%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Calgary
Cartago
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$59.1 CA$83.1
$82.1 COP 265.0K
-28.02%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$42.34 CA$59.5
$43.82 COP 141.5K
-3.38%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$94.2 CA$132
$115 COP 372.4K
-18.36%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$109 CA$153
$101 COP 325.3K
7.85%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Calgary
Cartago
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,214 CA$1,707
$718 COP 2.3M
68.96%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,036 CA$1,457
$490 COP 1.6M
111.65%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,045 CA$2,876
$1,427 COP 4.6M
43.28%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,655 CA$2,327
$780 COP 2.5M
112.17%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,653 CA$5,137
$2,259 COP 7.3M
61.68%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,183 CA$4,476
$1,786 COP 5.8M
78.21%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Calgary
Cartago
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,219 CA$4,526
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.43
13.88
-68.08%

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

Last update for Calgary: November 2, 2026

Last update for Cartago: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Calgary
$1K
Cartago
$490 52.8% $547
Groceries & Markets
Calgary
$390
Cartago
$272 30.3% $118
Eating Out
Calgary
$277
Cartago
$141 49.1% $136
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Calgary
$267
Cartago
$143 46.3% $123
Clothing & Footwear
Calgary
$137
Cartago
$154 12.4% $17
Getting Around
Calgary
$112
Cartago
$74 33.6% $38
Sport & Entertainment
Calgary
$78
Cartago
$48 37.9% $29

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,214 in Calgary and $718 in Cartago. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $69 in Calgary vs $57 in Cartago for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $390 vs $272 per month, with Cartago cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇨🇦 Calgary
🇨🇴 Cartago
🕒 Local time
10:07 10:07 AM
11:07 11:07 AM
1 h ahead of Calgary
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,267,344
135,365
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.711 USD). 1 EUR = 1.58 CAD (1 CAD = 0.633 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,627 COP (10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Calgary Cartago 6,240 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Calgary
  • 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
Calgary vs Cartago: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Cartago cheaper than Calgary?
Cartago is about 42% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
What income do you need for each city?
You’d need roughly $3,445 in Calgary and $1,983 in Cartago to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.
What is the rent difference between Calgary and Cartago?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,214 in Calgary versus $718 in Cartago. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Is eating out cheaper in Calgary or in Cartago?
Dining out is cheaper in Cartago – a meal for two runs $57 versus $69 in Calgary. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
What are total monthly expenses in Calgary and in Cartago?
All in, you’ll spend $2,297 per month in Calgary versus $1,322 in Cartago – Cartago is about 42% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Calgary or in Cartago?
At $1,322 in Cartago versus $2,297 in Calgary, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cartago but tight or insufficient in Calgary. The gap between the two cities makes Cartago the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is it better to live in Calgary or in Cartago?
Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Cartago gentler on the wallet – expenses run 42% less than in Calgary. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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