Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cartagena and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Cartagena: $1,292 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

54

Cost of Living Index in Cartagena
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Cartagena Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Cartagena

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,292

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cartagena and in Budapest

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

A single person spends $1,292 per month in Cartagena vs $1,619 in Budapest, rent included.

Cartagena $1,292
Budapest $1,619

A couple spends around $2,165 per month in Cartagena vs $2,524 in Budapest, rent included.

Cartagena $2,165
Budapest $2,524

A family of three spends $3,039 per month in Cartagena vs $3,429 in Budapest, rent included.

Cartagena $3,039
Budapest $3,429

Cartagena is about 20% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Cartagena sits 4% below the global median, while Budapest is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.87 COP 18.6K

$13.94 Ft 4,503

-57.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$143 COP 453.5K

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

133.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.37 COP 32.9K

$10.19 Ft 3,291

1.77%

Cappuccino

$4.26 COP 13.5K

$3.26 Ft 1,055

30.67%

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

$2.54 COP 8,063

$2.14 Ft 690

18.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 COP 7,478

$1.78 Ft 577

32.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.26 COP 10.3K

$3.71 Ft 1,198

-12.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.96 COP 15.7K

$3.77 Ft 1,217

31.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.91 COP 6,053

$1.15 Ft 371

66.09%

White Bread (500g)

$2.74 COP 8,692

$1.79 Ft 578

53.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.45 COP 4,610

$2.49 Ft 804

-41.77%

Eggs

$5.06 COP 16.0K

$3.90 Ft 1,261

29.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.13 COP 41.6K

$11.10 Ft 3,587

18.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.37 COP 55.1K

$6.62 Ft 2,139

162.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.99 COP 6,304

$0.67 Ft 216

197.01%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

Wine (Bottle)

$14.64 COP 46.4K

$6.22 Ft 2,009

135.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.40 COP 4,436

$1.27 Ft 411

10.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.25 COP 3,972

$1.52 Ft 490

-17.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$58.4 COP 185.2K

$28.02 Ft 9,053

108.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.74 COP 15.0K

$3.31 Ft 1,070

43.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.68 COP 11.7K

$1.37 Ft 442

168.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.49 COP 30.1K

$19.83 Ft 6,406

-52.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 COP 4,251

$1.82 Ft 589

-26.37%

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

$23.4K COP 74.1M

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

-21.57%

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

$34.4K COP 109.2M

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

1.86%

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

$78.4 COP 248.6K

$171 Ft 55.3K

-54.17%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$91.7 COP 290.8K

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

35.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

Cinema Ticket

$8.02 COP 25.4K

$9.30 Ft 3,004

-13.76%

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

$630 COP 2.0M

$533 Ft 172.3K

18.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,818 COP 18.4M

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

-65.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,035 COP 3.3M

$830 Ft 268.3K

24.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$585 COP 1.9M

$622 Ft 200.9K

-5.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,287 COP 7.3M

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

43.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$944 COP 3.0M

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

-19.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$924 COP 2.9M

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

-76.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$467 COP 1.5M

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

-71.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

132.56%

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

Last update for Cartagena: October 11, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cartagena

$585 45.3%

Budapest

$622 38.4% 6.3% $37

Groceries & Markets

Cartagena

$259 * 20%

Budapest

$258 15.9% 0.4% $1

Eating Out

Cartagena

$175 13.5%

Budapest

$223 13.8% 27.5% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Cartagena

$108 8.3%

Budapest

$86 5.3% 20.1% $22

Getting Around

Cartagena

$87 6.7%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 48.9% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cartagena

$78 * 6.1%

Budapest

$218 13.5% 178% $140

Clothing & Footwear

Cartagena

- * 0%

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,035 in Cartagena versus $830 in Budapest. 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 254% higher in Budapest, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $143 in Cartagena versus $61.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $259 vs $258 – making Budapest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Cartagena

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

07:31 7:31 AM

14:31 2:31 PM

7 h ahead of Cartagena

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,028,736

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cartagena Budapest 9,500 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Cartagena
Budapest

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 Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 25%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,938 per month in Cartagena and $2,428 in Budapest. 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 108% less in Cartagena. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $630 per month in Cartagena and $533 in Budapest. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Cartagena, where all-in costs run around $1,292, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Cartagena it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Cartagena – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Cartagena. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Budapest makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.