Comparación del coste de vida entre Cali y Cartagena Comparación del coste de vida entre Cali y Cartagena

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $752 in Cali versus $1,062 in Cartagena.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,212 in Cali versus $1,608 in Cartagena.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,672 in Cali versus $2,153 in Cartagena.

Living in Cali costs roughly 29% less than in Cartagena, driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cali 44% lower, Cartagena 21% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.57 COP 12.9K

$6.17 COP 22.3K

-42.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.24 COP 105.5K

$47.58 COP 171.8K

-38.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.47 COP 27.0K

$9.85 COP 35.5K

-24.16%

Cappuccino

$1.64 COP 5,920

$1.65 COP 5,948

-0.61%

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

$0.87 COP 3,146

$0.81 COP 2,914

7.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 COP 2,036

$0.67 COP 2,407

-16.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.04 COP 3,759

$1.30 COP 4,682

-20.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 COP 8,919

$2.95 COP 10.6K

-16.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 COP 4,593

$1.14 COP 4,124

11.40%

White Bread (500g)

$1.48 COP 5,361

$1.86 COP 6,715

-20.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.24 COP 4,492

$1.33 COP 4,784

-6.77%

Eggs

$2.53 COP 9,120

$2.11 COP 7,605

19.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.29 COP 15.5K

$7.07 COP 25.5K

-39.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.53 COP 19.9K

$5.91 COP 21.3K

-6.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.78 COP 28.1K

$8.13 COP 29.4K

-4.31%

Apples (1kg)

$2.43 COP 8,759

$3.20 COP 11.6K

-24.06%

Banana (1kg)

$0.90 COP 3,260

$1.96 COP 7,059

-54.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.19 COP 4,306

$1.50 COP 5,424

-20.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.32 COP 4,763

$1.58 COP 5,689

-16.46%

Potato (1kg)

$0.86 COP 3,119

$1.55 COP 5,588

-44.52%

Onion (1kg)

$1.06 COP 3,836

$1.08 COP 3,892

-1.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 COP 2,681

$1.00 COP 3,619

-26.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 COP 2,380

$0.59 COP 2,144

11.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.96 COP 10.7K

$2.36 COP 8,503

25.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.44 COP 41.3K

$18.52 COP 66.8K

-38.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 COP 3,980

$0.93 COP 3,367

18.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.88 COP 6,795

$1.03 COP 3,709

82.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.72 COP 2,612

$1.05 COP 3,805

-31.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.29 COP 73.3K

$28.08 COP 101.4K

-27.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.56 COP 5,624

$2.38 COP 8,602

-34.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.89 COP 6,815

$2.37 COP 8,556

-20.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.60 COP 34.6K

$4.93 COP 17.8K

94.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.94 COP 3,405

$1.03 COP 3,709

-8.74%

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

$21.9K COP 78.9M

$20.9K COP 75.4M

4.72%

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

$30.2K COP 109.0M

$23.6K COP 85.3M

27.79%

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

$82.4 COP 297.3K

$142 COP 514.1K

-42.17%

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

$8.75 COP 31.6K

$10.96 COP 39.6K

-20.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.48 COP 88.4K

$25.17 COP 90.9K

-2.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$19.72 COP 71.2K

$35.27 COP 127.3K

-44.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.66 COP 52.9K

$8.84 COP 31.9K

65.84%

Cinema Ticket

$4.89 COP 17.6K

$2.94 COP 10.6K

66.33%

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

$230 COP 832.0K

$142 COP 512.4K

62.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,948 COP 21.5M

$5,910 COP 21.3M

0.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.5 COP 229.2K

$48.13 COP 173.8K

31.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.13 COP 159.3K

$39.46 COP 142.5K

11.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.7 COP 280.6K

$123 COP 445.3K

-36.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.2 COP 321.8K

$115 COP 413.6K

-22.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$238 COP 857.6K

$741 COP 2.7M

-67.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$189 COP 682.9K

$330 COP 1.2M

-42.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$620 COP 2.2M

$1,308 COP 4.7M

-52.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$409 COP 1.5M

$479 COP 1.7M

-14.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,146 COP 4.1M

$3,077 COP 11.1M

-62.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$920 COP 3.3M

$1,977 COP 7.1M

-53.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$514 COP 1.9M

$420 COP 1.5M

22.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.58

-22.80%

Los datos de CityCost se basan en IA y aportaciones de usuarios. Puede haber pequeñas variaciones.

Última actualización para Cali: April 27, 2026

Última actualización para Cartagena: April 25, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $238 in Cali and $741 in Cartagena. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cali pays 22% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $29.00 in Cali vs $48.00 in Cartagena for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $183 vs $222 per month, with Cali cheaper across the board.

Comparación de velocidades medias de internet por ciudad (actualizado April 2026)

El gráfico resalta el umbral de precisión para velocidades de internet móvil y fija, actualizado trimestralmente.

Índice del coste de vida para nómadas digitales

Cali vs Cartagena: Coste de vida - preguntas frecuentes

Cali is cheaper overall, especially in Groceries & Markets, Clothing & Footwear, Eating Out, Getting Around, Monthly Utilities & Internet. The 41% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Cali pays 22% more on average, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $238 in Cali versus $741 in Cartagena. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $230 in Cali versus $142 in Cartagena. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 21% higher in Cartagena. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $752 in Cali versus $1,062 in Cartagena, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cali but tight or insufficient in Cartagena. The gap between the two cities makes Cali the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Cali is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Cartagena, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Cali gentler on the wallet – expenses run 41% less than in Cartagena. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.