Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cartagena, Spain and Campina

For one person, living is cheaper in Campina: $923 a month against $1,425 in Cartagena, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

68

Cost of Living Index in Cartagena
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Cartagena Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Campina
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Campina Living Index

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Cartagena

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,425

/mo nomad

Campina

🇷🇴 Romania

$923

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cartagena and in Campina

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,425 in Cartagena versus $923 in Campina.

Cartagena $1,425
Campina $923

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,101 in Cartagena versus $1,450 in Campina.

Cartagena $2,101
Campina $1,450

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,778 in Cartagena versus $1,977 in Campina.

Cartagena $2,778
Campina $1,977

Living in Cartagena is roughly 54% more expensive than in Campina, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cartagena is 5% above, Campina is 32% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.84 €12.40

$10.41 RON 49.77

32.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.2 €50.3

$42.43 RON 203

32.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.95 €7.12

$7.19 RON 34.35

10.57%

Cappuccino

$2.47 €2.21

$3.01 RON 14.36

-17.94%

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

$2.56 €2.30

$2.04 RON 9.77

25.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.82 €1.63

$1.84 RON 8.78

-1.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 €3.06

$2.50 RON 11.93

36.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.86 €3.46

$3.42 RON 16.36

12.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.22 €1.09

$1.64 RON 7.84

-25.61%

White Bread (500g)

$1.19 €1.06

$1.14 RON 5.45

4.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.63 €2.35

$1.43 RON 6.83

83.92%

Eggs

$3.96 €3.54

$3.49 RON 16.66

13.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.82 €11.48

$7.75 RON 37.04

65.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.71 €6.01

$6.46 RON 30.86

3.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.75 €16.79

$7.75 RON 37.05

141.94%

Apples (1kg)

$2.37 €2.12

$1.23 RON 5.87

92.68%

Banana (1kg)

$2.45 €2.19

$1.51 RON 7.21

62.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.58 €1.42

$1.43 RON 6.83

10.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.20 €2.87

$2.60 RON 12.43

23.08%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 €1.14

$0.72 RON 3.46

77.78%

Onion (1kg)

$1.26 €1.13

$0.60 RON 2.88

110.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 €1.37

$1.03 RON 4.94

48.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.69 €0.62

$0.87 RON 4.17

-20.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.71 €5.11

$6.06 RON 28.97

-5.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.30 €5.64

$6.96 RON 33.28

-9.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 €1.08

$0.94 RON 4.51

28.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.17 €1.05

$1.39 RON 6.65

-15.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.48 €1.32

$0.82 RON 3.91

80.49%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.08 €9.93

$22.01 RON 105

-49.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.65 €5.06

$0.76 RON 3.63

643.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.23 €2.00

$0.77 RON 3.68

189.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.72 €24.83

$6.50 RON 31.06

326.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.77 €1.59

$1.89 RON 9.03

-6.35%

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

$34.6K €30.9K

$28.3K RON 135.0K

22.30%

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

$29.9K €26.7K

$24.9K RON 119.2K

19.69%

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

$211 €189

$115 RON 551

82.99%

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

$19.43 €17.40

$6.90 RON 32.95

181.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.27 €26.21

$11.40 RON 54.5

156.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.23 €36.92

$52.8 RON 252

-21.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.81 €11.47

$16.73 RON 79.9

-23.43%

Cinema Ticket

$7.72 €6.91

$6.96 RON 33.25

10.92%

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

$406 €364

$403 RON 1,926

0.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,651 €2,374

$5,842 RON 27.9K

-54.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.46 €41.61

$75.8 RON 362

-38.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.88 €31.24

$41.78 RON 200

-16.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$60.6 €54.2

$90.2 RON 431

-32.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 €90.5

$95.1 RON 455

6.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$596 €534

$237 RON 1,134

151.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$490 €439

$181 RON 863

171.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$872 €781

$349 RON 1,667

149.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$720 €644

$293 RON 1,398

145.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,737 €1,556

$1,825 RON 8,721

-4.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,427 €1,278

$1,347 RON 6,438

5.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,704 €1,526

$707 RON 3,380

140.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.06

7.02

-42.17%

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

Last update for Cartagena: October 25, 2026

Last update for Campina: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cartagena

$490 34.4%

Campina

$181 19.6% 63.1% $309

Groceries & Markets

Cartagena

$269 18.9%

Campina

$200 21.6% 25.8% $70

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cartagena

$260 18.2%

Campina

$134 14.5% 48.6% $126

Eating Out

Cartagena

$207 14.5%

Campina

$176 19.1% 14.9% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Cartagena

$109 7.7%

Campina

$136 14.8% 24.7% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Cartagena

$57 4%

Campina

$67 7.2% 17.8% $10

Getting Around

Cartagena

$34 2.4%

Campina

$30 3.2% 11.5% $3.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $596 in Cartagena and $237 in Campina. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cartagena pays about 2.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $56 in Cartagena vs $42 in Campina for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $200 per month, with Campina cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Cartagena

🇷🇴 Campina

🕒 Local time

14:33 2:33 PM

15:33 3:33 PM

1 h ahead of Cartagena

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

218,050

41,554

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 RON = 0.209 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cartagena Campina 2,370 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Cartagena
Campina

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

Cartagena vs Campina: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Campina wins on cost – living expenses run 35% lower than in Cartagena. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Campina the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Cartagena is about 2.4 times higher, 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: $596 in Cartagena versus $237 in Campina. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Campina – a meal for two runs $42 versus $56 in Cartagena. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,425 per month in Cartagena versus $923 in Campina – Campina is about 35% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Campina is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Safety-wise, Cartagena and Campina are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Campina wins on affordability, Cartagena on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.