Cost of Living Comparison Between Cartagena and Bucaramanga Cost of Living Comparison Between Cartagena and Bucaramanga

šŸ˜ Solo nomad: Cartagena is 32.5% more expensive than Bucaramanga without rent, and 42.1% more expensive with rent.
šŸ˜ Family of 3: Cartagena is 56.2% more expensive than Bucaramanga without rent, and 42.1% more expensive with rent.
Currency
šŸ½ Eating Out
Cartagena
Bucaramanga
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$5.89 COPĀ 22.3K
$3.07 COPĀ 11.6K
91.86%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$46.55 COPĀ 176.3K
$19.31 COPĀ 73.1K
141.07%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.47 COPĀ 35.8K
$6.63 COPĀ 25.1K
42.84%
Cappuccino
$1.64 COPĀ 6,207
$1.35 COPĀ 5,104
21.48%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.86 COPĀ 3,253
$0.72 COPĀ 2,717
19.44%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.66 COPĀ 2,497
$0.56 COPĀ 2,103
17.86%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.24 COPĀ 4,711
$1.40 COPĀ 5,317
-11.43%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.95 COPĀ 11.2K
$2.03 COPĀ 7,676
45.32%
šŸ›’ Groceries & Markets
Cartagena
Bucaramanga
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.14 COPĀ 4,308
$1.23 COPĀ 4,644
-7.32%
White Bread (500g)
$1.93 COPĀ 7,294
$1.11 COPĀ 4,190
73.87%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.33 COPĀ 5,031
$1.25 COPĀ 4,717
6.40%
Eggs
$2.13 COPĀ 8,058
$2.26 COPĀ 8,544
-5.75%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$6.78 COPĀ 25.7K
$4.22 COPĀ 16.0K
60.66%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.11 COPĀ 23.1K
$5.83 COPĀ 22.1K
4.80%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$8.05 COPĀ 30.5K
$7.29 COPĀ 27.6K
10.43%
Apples (1kg)
$3.30 COPĀ 12.5K
$2.59 COPĀ 9,792
27.41%
Banana (1kg)
$1.91 COPĀ 7,242
$1.18 COPĀ 4,457
61.86%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.44 COPĀ 5,469
$0.89 COPĀ 3,376
61.80%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.65 COPĀ 6,257
$0.91 COPĀ 3,453
81.32%
Potato (1kg)
$1.53 COPĀ 5,789
$1.18 COPĀ 4,482
29.66%
Onion (1kg)
$1.12 COPĀ 4,234
$0.95 COPĀ 3,596
17.89%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.01 COPĀ 3,832
$0.92 COPĀ 3,470
9.78%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.60 COPĀ 2,271
$0.79 COPĀ 2,991
-24.05%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.35 COPĀ 8,896
$1.74 COPĀ 6,600
35.06%
Wine (Bottle)
$17.67 COPĀ 66.9K
$7.71 COPĀ 29.2K
129.18%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.93 COPĀ 3,537
$0.78 COPĀ 2,954
19.23%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.98 COPĀ 3,697
$1.57 COPĀ 5,927
-37.58%
šŸšŒ Getting Around
Cartagena
Bucaramanga
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.06 COPĀ 4,018
$0.69 COPĀ 2,609
53.62%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$28.38 COPĀ 107.4K
$38.35 COPĀ 145.2K
-26.00%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.36 COPĀ 8,953
$1.76 COPĀ 6,679
34.09%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.47 COPĀ 9,352
$1.54 COPĀ 5,815
60.39%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$4.70 COPĀ 17.8K
$5.93 COPĀ 22.4K
-20.74%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.03 COPĀ 3,918
$1.01 COPĀ 3,807
1.98%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.6K COPĀ 81.7M
$19.3K COPĀ 73.3M
11.55%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.8K COPĀ 90.0M
$28.1K COPĀ 106.6M
-15.58%
šŸ§¾ Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cartagena
Bucaramanga
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$140 COPĀ 531.3K
$74.4 COPĀ 281.8K
88.51%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$10.86 COPĀ 41.1K
$8.96 COPĀ 33.9K
21.21%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$25.12 COPĀ 95.1K
$20.58 COPĀ 77.9K
22.06%
šŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Cartagena
Bucaramanga
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$34.78 COPĀ 131.7K
$23.37 COPĀ 88.5K
48.82%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$8.55 COPĀ 32.4K
$15.97 COPĀ 60.5K
-46.46%
Cinema Ticket
$2.94 COPĀ 11.1K
$3.79 COPĀ 14.4K
-22.43%
šŸ§ø Childcare & Education
Cartagena
Bucaramanga
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$140 COPĀ 529.9K
$236 COPĀ 893.0K
-40.66%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,849 COPĀ 22.1M
$2,405 COPĀ 9.1M
143.19%
šŸ‘•šŸ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Cartagena
Bucaramanga
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$48.55 COPĀ 183.8K
$63.9 COPĀ 242.0K
-24.03%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$38.87 COPĀ 147.2K
$32.17 COPĀ 121.8K
20.83%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$126 COPĀ 478.4K
$84.7 COPĀ 320.5K
49.24%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$113 COPĀ 427.0K
$38.67 COPĀ 146.4K
191.65%
šŸ  Accommodation & Living
Cartagena
Bucaramanga
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$735 COPĀ 2.8M
$291 COPĀ 1.1M
152.63%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$330 COPĀ 1.2M
$235 COPĀ 889.4K
40.35%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,266 COPĀ 4.8M
$481 COPĀ 1.8M
163.29%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$476 COPĀ 1.8M
$378 COPĀ 1.4M
25.87%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,950 COPĀ 11.2M
$1,263 COPĀ 4.8M
133.68%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,914 COPĀ 7.2M
$1,369 COPĀ 5.2M
39.82%
šŸ’µ Salaries & Financials
Cartagena
Bucaramanga
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$393 COPĀ 1.5M
$479 COPĀ 1.8M
-17.98%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
15
15.25
-1.64%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input ā€“ minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Cartagena: February 28, 2026

Last update for Bucaramanga: March 2, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)
The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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