Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cartagena, Spain and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Cartagena: $1,425 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

68

Cost of Living Index in Cartagena
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Cartagena Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Cartagena

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,425

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cartagena and in Medellin

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,425 in Cartagena versus $1,639 in Medellin.

Cartagena $1,425
Medellin $1,639

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,101 in Cartagena versus $2,413 in Medellin.

Cartagena $2,101
Medellin $2,413

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,778 in Cartagena versus $3,186 in Medellin.

Cartagena $2,778
Medellin $3,186

Living in Cartagena costs roughly 13% less than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Cartagena 5% above, Medellin 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.84 €12.40

$8.09 COP 26.1K

71.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.2 €50.3

$47.05 COP 151.7K

19.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.95 €7.12

$9.50 COP 30.6K

-16.32%

Cappuccino

$2.47 €2.21

$3.01 COP 9,722

-17.94%

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

$2.56 €2.30

$1.80 COP 5,801

42.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.82 €1.63

$1.41 COP 4,554

29.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 €3.06

$3.18 COP 10.2K

7.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.86 €3.46

$5.75 COP 18.5K

-32.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.22 €1.09

$1.51 COP 4,869

-19.21%

White Bread (500g)

$1.19 €1.06

$2.38 COP 7,667

-50.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.63 €2.35

$1.77 COP 5,712

48.59%

Eggs

$3.96 €3.54

$2.89 COP 9,320

37.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.82 €11.48

$10.19 COP 32.9K

25.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.71 €6.01

$9.87 COP 31.8K

-32.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.75 €16.79

$13.99 COP 45.1K

34.02%

Apples (1kg)

$2.37 €2.12

$3.97 COP 12.8K

-40.30%

Banana (1kg)

$2.45 €2.19

$1.55 COP 5,005

58.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.58 €1.42

$2.18 COP 7,039

-27.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.20 €2.87

$2.18 COP 7,041

46.79%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 €1.14

$1.96 COP 6,328

-34.69%

Onion (1kg)

$1.26 €1.13

$1.59 COP 5,125

-20.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 €1.37

$1.15 COP 3,694

33.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.69 €0.62

$1.24 COP 4,009

-44.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.71 €5.11

$3.96 COP 12.8K

44.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.30 €5.64

$13.68 COP 44.1K

-53.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 €1.08

$1.66 COP 5,352

-27.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.17 €1.05

$2.26 COP 7,281

-48.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.48 €1.32

$1.17 COP 3,766

26.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.08 €9.93

$77.4 COP 249.5K

-85.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.65 €5.06

$1.27 COP 4,089

344.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.23 €2.00

$2.05 COP 6,603

8.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.72 €24.83

$8.55 COP 27.6K

224.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.77 €1.59

$1.35 COP 4,343

31.11%

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

$34.6K €30.9K

$34.1K COP 109.8M

1.43%

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

$29.9K €26.7K

$34.7K COP 111.8M

-13.89%

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

$211 €189

$170 COP 547.0K

24.42%

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

$19.43 €17.40

$13.55 COP 43.7K

43.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.27 €26.21

$28.07 COP 90.5K

4.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.23 €36.92

$43.70 COP 140.9K

-5.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.81 €11.47

$17.19 COP 55.4K

-25.48%

Cinema Ticket

$7.72 €6.91

$6.91 COP 22.3K

11.72%

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

$406 €364

$797 COP 2.6M

-49.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,651 €2,374

$9,112 COP 29.4M

-70.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.46 €41.61

$84.7 COP 273.2K

-45.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.88 €31.24

$58.0 COP 186.9K

-39.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$60.6 €54.2

$135 COP 435.2K

-55.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 €90.5

$97.9 COP 315.6K

3.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$596 €534

$1,208 COP 3.9M

-50.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$490 €439

$642 COP 2.1M

-23.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$872 €781

$2,028 COP 6.5M

-57.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$720 €644

$1,012 COP 3.3M

-28.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,737 €1,556

$4,170 COP 13.4M

-58.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,427 €1,278

$1,910 COP 6.2M

-25.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,704 €1,526

$657 COP 2.1M

159.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.06

10.94

-62.89%

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

Last update for Cartagena: October 25, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cartagena

$490 34.4%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 31% $152

Groceries & Markets

Cartagena

$269 18.9%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 10.3% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cartagena

$260 18.2%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 18.7% $49

Eating Out

Cartagena

$207 14.5%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 17.9% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Cartagena

$109 7.7%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 54.6% $60

Sport & Entertainment

Cartagena

$57 4%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 1.5% $0.9

Getting Around

Cartagena

$34 2.4%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 177% $60

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $596 in Cartagena and $1,208 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cartagena pays about 2.6 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $56 in Cartagena vs $47 in Medellin. Groceries flip the comparison at $269 vs $297, with Cartagena cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Cartagena

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

09:57 9:57 AM

03:57 3:57 AM

6 h behind Cartagena

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

218,050

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 3,224 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,600 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cartagena Medellin 8,230 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Cartagena
Medellin

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 Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cartagena wins on cost – living expenses run 13% lower than in Medellin. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Cartagena the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Cartagena is about 2.6 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 $1,208 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Medellin – a meal for two runs $47 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 $1,639 in Medellin – Cartagena is about 13% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Cartagena is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.