Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cartagena and London

For one person, living is cheaper in Cartagena: $1,427 a month against $3,986 in London, rent and utilities included – about $30,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

69

Cost of Living Index in Cartagena
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Cartagena Living Index
194

Cost of Living Index in London
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London Living Index

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Cartagena

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,427

/mo nomad

London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$3,986

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cartagena and in London

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 London actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,427 in Cartagena versus $3,986 in London.

Cartagena $1,427
London $3,986

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,095 in Cartagena versus $5,791 in London.

Cartagena $2,095
London $5,791

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,762 in Cartagena versus $7,595 in London.

Cartagena $2,762
London $7,595

Living in Cartagena costs roughly 64% less than in London, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Cartagena 6% above, London 195% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.84 €12.31

$25.93 £19.45

-46.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.0 €48.90

$107 £79.9

-48.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.60 €6.76

$10.71 £8.03

-29.04%

Cappuccino

$2.56 €2.27

$5.47 £4.11

-53.20%

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

$2.45 €2.18

$2.97 £2.23

-17.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.84 €1.64

$2.20 £1.65

-16.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.43 €3.05

$9.13 £6.85

-62.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.98 €3.54

$7.94 £5.96

-49.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 €1.07

$1.86 £1.40

-34.95%

White Bread (500g)

$1.18 €1.05

$2.07 £1.55

-43.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.55 €2.26

$2.42 £1.81

5.37%

Eggs

$3.96 €3.52

$5.09 £3.82

-22.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.91 €11.48

$12.87 £9.66

0.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.94 €6.18

$10.43 £7.82

-33.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.67 €16.60

$16.87 £12.66

10.67%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 €2.13

$3.11 £2.33

-23.15%

Banana (1kg)

$2.52 €2.24

$1.40 £1.05

80.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.61 €1.43

$3.08 £2.31

-47.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.09 €2.75

$3.27 £2.45

-5.50%

Potato (1kg)

$1.25 €1.11

$1.58 £1.19

-20.89%

Onion (1kg)

$1.24 €1.10

$1.74 £1.31

-28.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.57 €1.40

$1.40 £1.05

12.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.69 €0.62

$1.80 £1.35

-61.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.64 €5.02

$23.28 £17.46

-75.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.24 €5.55

$13.03 £9.77

-52.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 €1.11

$3.17 £2.38

-60.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.13 €1.00

$4.42 £3.32

-74.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.43 €1.27

$4.07 £3.05

-64.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.14 €9.91

$247 £185

-95.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.50 €4.90

$5.58 £4.18

-1.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.25 €2.00

$3.36 £2.52

-33.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.49 €24.45

$56.8 £42.57

-51.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.77 €1.58

$2.13 £1.60

-16.90%

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

$35.1K €31.2K

$38.2K £28.6K

-8.06%

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

$30.2K €26.8K

$40.9K £30.7K

-26.26%

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

$210 €187

$372 £279

-43.56%

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

$19.74 €17.56

$17.82 £13.37

10.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.70 €25.53

$40.37 £30.29

-28.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.14 €36.59

$60.0 £44.99

-31.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.80 €11.39

$21.29 £15.97

-39.88%

Cinema Ticket

$7.70 €6.85

$17.74 £13.31

-56.60%

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

$416 €370

$2,864 £2,149

-85.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,726 €2,425

$35.3K £26.5K

-92.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.17 €41.96

$114 £85.5

-58.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.38 €31.47

$54.3 £40.71

-34.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$61.1 €54.3

$124 £93.2

-50.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 €89.7

$163 £122

-38.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$591 €525

$2,869 £2,152

-79.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$492 €438

$2,233 £1,675

-77.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$836 €743

$5,266 £3,950

-84.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$708 €630

$3,778 £2,834

-81.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,770 €1,574

$18.3K £13.8K

-90.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,433 €1,275

$8,024 £6,019

-82.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,720 €1,530

$5,037 £3,778

-65.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.06

4.74

-14.35%

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

Last update for Cartagena: October 10, 2026

Last update for London: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cartagena

$492 34.5%

London

$2.2K 56% 354% $1.7K

Groceries & Markets

Cartagena

$270 18.9%

London

$349 8.8% 29.4% $79

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cartagena

$258 18.1%

London

$430 10.8% 66.5% $172

Eating Out

Cartagena

$206 14.5%

London

$388 9.7% 87.7% $181

Clothing & Footwear

Cartagena

$110 7.7%

London

$205 5.1% 86.3% $95

Sport & Entertainment

Cartagena

$57 4%

London

$95 2.4% 68.8% $39

Getting Around

Cartagena

$34 2.4%

London

$285 7.2% 750% $252

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $591 in Cartagena and $2,869 in London. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

London pays 193% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $55.0 in Cartagena vs $107 in London for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $270 vs $349 per month, with Cartagena cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Cartagena

🇬🇧 London

🕒 Local time

01:12 1:12 AM

00:12 12:12 AM

1 h behind Cartagena

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

218,050

8,908,083 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Cartagena London 1,550 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Cartagena
London

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 London: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cartagena wins on cost – living expenses run 179% lower than in London. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Cartagena the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 193% lower in London. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $591 in Cartagena versus $2,869 in London. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Cartagena – a meal for two runs $55.0 versus $107 in London. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,427 per month in Cartagena versus $3,986 in London – a 179% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,427 in Cartagena versus $3,986 in London, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Cartagena but tight or insufficient in London. The gap between the two cities makes Cartagena the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Cartagena delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,427 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Cartagena hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Cartagena and London are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Cartagena gentler on the wallet – expenses run 179% less than in London. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.