Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Cartagena, Spain

Name: Cartagena
Address: Cartagena, ES

For one person, living is cheaper in Cartagena: $1,404 a month against $1,527 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Cartagena
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Cartagena Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Cartagena

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,404

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cape Town 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 Cape Town and in Cartagena actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,527 per month in Cape Town vs $1,404 in Cartagena, rent included.

Cape Town $1,527
Cartagena $1,404

A couple spends around $2,417 per month in Cape Town vs $2,078 in Cartagena, rent included.

Cape Town $2,417
Cartagena $2,078

A family of three spends $3,306 per month in Cape Town vs $2,752 in Cartagena, rent included.

Cape Town $3,306
Cartagena $2,752

Cape Town costs about 9% more than Cartagena, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Cape Town and Cartagena sit above the global median – Cape Town by 13%, Cartagena by 4%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.01 R 198

$14.11 €12.57

-14.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.92 R 707

$57.0 €50.7

-24.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.15 R 101

$7.80 €6.95

-21.15%

Cappuccino

$2.37 R 39.04

$2.56 €2.28

-7.42%

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

$1.27 R 20.96

$2.47 €2.20

-48.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 R 15.46

$1.76 €1.57

-46.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.96 R 48.77

$3.44 €3.06

-13.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 R 60.8

$3.83 €3.41

-3.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 R 21.73

$1.18 €1.05

11.86%

White Bread (500g)

$1.21 R 19.87

$1.13 €1.01

7.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 R 36.26

$2.56 €2.28

-14.06%

Eggs

$3.10 R 51.1

$3.82 €3.40

-18.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.73 R 144

$12.85 €11.44

-32.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.89 R 114

$7.10 €6.32

-2.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.26 R 153

$18.80 €16.74

-50.74%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.08

$2.41 €2.15

-24.07%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 R 32.12

$2.46 €2.19

-20.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 R 27.32

$1.60 €1.43

3.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 R 35.19

$3.24 €2.88

-33.95%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 R 26.01

$1.28 €1.14

23.44%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.29

$1.30 €1.15

13.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 R 22.18

$1.60 €1.42

-15.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R 18.85

$0.69 €0.61

65.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.58 R 59.0

$5.68 €5.06

-36.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.05 R 99.7

$6.18 €5.51

-2.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 22.95

$1.22 €1.09

13.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 R 35.90

$1.13 €1.01

92.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 R 23.02

$1.42 €1.26

-1.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

$11.36 €10.12

434.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 R 15.26

$5.53 €4.92

-83.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R 14.83

$2.27 €2.02

-60.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.96 R 81.7

$27.84 €24.79

-82.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 R 25.37

$1.78 €1.59

-13.48%

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

$35.4K R 582.8K

$35.2K €31.4K

0.36%

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

$33.4K R 549.9K

$30.3K €27.0K

10.08%

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

$117 R 1,929

$187 €167

-37.45%

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

$25.71 R 424

$19.31 €17.19

33.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.41 R 649

$29.28 €26.07

34.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 R 850

$40.49 €36.05

27.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.35 R 187

$12.71 €11.31

-10.70%

Cinema Ticket

$8.89 R 146

$7.72 €6.88

15.16%

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

$308 R 5,069

$407 €363

-24.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,141 R 134.2K

$2,649 €2,358

207.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.4 R 946

$45.72 €40.71

25.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.75 R 523

$34.90 €31.08

-9.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 R 1,911

$60.0 €53.4

93.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 R 1,660

$104 €92.2

-2.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,047 R 17.2K

$590 €525

77.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$669 R 11.0K

$490 €436

36.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,861 R 30.7K

$875 €779

112.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 R 23.2K

$706 €629

99.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,410 R 39.7K

$1,745 €1,554

38.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,570 R 25.9K

$1,395 €1,242

12.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,630 R 26.9K

$1,714 €1,526

-4.90%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.89

4.06

168.23%

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

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Last update for Cartagena: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$669 43.8%

Cartagena

$490 34.9% 26.8% $180

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$223 14.6%

Cartagena

$270 19.3% 21.1% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$182 11.9%

Cartagena

$236 16.8% 29.4% $54

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11.4%

Cartagena

$209 14.9% 20% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$138 9%

Cartagena

$110 7.8% 20.2% $28

Getting Around

Cape Town

$72 4.7%

Cartagena

$34 2.4% 52.8% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$69 4.5%

Cartagena

$56 4% 19.4% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,047 in Cape Town versus $590 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 5% higher in Cartagena, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Cape Town versus $57 in Cartagena. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $223 vs $270 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇪🇸 Cartagena

🕒 Local time

00:38 12:38 AM

23:38 11:38 PM

1 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

218,050

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.43 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.42 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.43 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.89 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cape Town Cartagena 8,200 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
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

Cape Town vs Cartagena: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 9% more than Cartagena, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,291 per month in Cape Town and $2,106 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $590 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,527 in Cape Town and $1,404 in Cartagena. That makes Cartagena about 8% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 81% less in Cartagena. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,527 in Cape Town and $1,404 in Cartagena. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Cape Town has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,404 in Cartagena to $1,527 in Cape Town. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.