Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cartagena and Buenos Aires

For one person, living is cheaper in Cartagena: $1,292 a month against $1,656 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 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
80

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index

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Cartagena

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,292

/mo nomad

Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,656

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cartagena and in Buenos Aires

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,292 in Cartagena versus $1,656 in Buenos Aires.

Cartagena $1,292
Buenos Aires $1,656

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,165 in Cartagena versus $2,697 in Buenos Aires.

Cartagena $2,165
Buenos Aires $2,697

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,039 in Cartagena versus $3,737 in Buenos Aires.

Cartagena $3,039
Buenos Aires $3,737

Living in Cartagena costs roughly 22% less than in Buenos Aires, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cartagena is 4% below, Buenos Aires is 23% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.87 COP 18.6K

$19.09 ARS 29.0K

-69.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$143 COP 453.5K

$65.8 ARS 99.9K

117.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.37 COP 32.9K

$13.20 ARS 20.0K

-21.44%

Cappuccino

$4.26 COP 13.5K

$3.85 ARS 5,841

10.65%

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

$2.54 COP 8,063

$1.99 ARS 3,020

27.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 COP 7,478

$1.60 ARS 2,430

47.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.26 COP 10.3K

$3.93 ARS 5,959

-17.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.96 COP 15.7K

$4.61 ARS 7,003

7.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.91 COP 6,053

$1.50 ARS 2,272

27.33%

White Bread (500g)

$2.74 COP 8,692

$2.53 ARS 3,837

8.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.45 COP 4,610

$1.61 ARS 2,445

-9.94%

Eggs

$5.06 COP 16.0K

$2.84 ARS 4,316

78.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.13 COP 41.6K

$10.30 ARS 15.6K

27.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.37 COP 55.1K

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

73.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.30 ARS 20.2K

Apples (1kg)

$2.88 ARS 4,366

Banana (1kg)

$2.20 ARS 3,334

Oranges (1kg)

$1.40 ARS 2,120

Tomato (1kg)

$1.98 ARS 3,004

Potato (1kg)

$1.21 ARS 1,835

Onion (1kg)

$1.26 ARS 1,910

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.71 ARS 2,592

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.99 COP 6,304

$1.72 ARS 2,603

15.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.29 ARS 6,505

Wine (Bottle)

$14.64 COP 46.4K

$5.70 ARS 8,645

156.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.40 COP 4,436

$2.17 ARS 3,288

-35.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 ARS 4,188

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.25 COP 3,972

$0.75 ARS 1,141

66.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$58.4 COP 185.2K

$27.27 ARS 41.4K

114.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.74 COP 15.0K

$1.57 ARS 2,375

201.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.68 COP 11.7K

$1.03 ARS 1,558

257.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.49 COP 30.1K

$7.90 ARS 12.0K

20.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 COP 4,251

$1.42 ARS 2,160

-5.63%

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

$23.4K COP 74.1M

$27.9K ARS 42.4M

-16.38%

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

$34.4K COP 109.2M

$35.0K ARS 53.1M

-1.51%

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

$78.4 COP 248.6K

$195 ARS 296.2K

-59.83%

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

$25.16 ARS 38.2K

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.54 ARS 47.9K

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$91.7 COP 290.8K

$50.9 ARS 77.3K

80.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.73 ARS 25.4K

Cinema Ticket

$8.02 COP 25.4K

$10.34 ARS 15.7K

-22.44%

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

$630 COP 2.0M

$463 ARS 703.2K

36.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,818 COP 18.4M

$8,793 ARS 13.3M

-33.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$120 ARS 181.8K

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$95.5 ARS 144.9K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 ARS 173.1K

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 ARS 211.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,035 COP 3.3M

$756 ARS 1.1M

36.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$585 COP 1.9M

$520 ARS 788.8K

12.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,287 COP 7.3M

$1,590 ARS 2.4M

43.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$944 COP 3.0M

$1,198 ARS 1.8M

-21.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,713 ARS 4.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$924 COP 2.9M

$1,901 ARS 2.9M

-51.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$467 COP 1.5M

$938 ARS 1.4M

-50.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

-73.80%

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

Last update for Cartagena: October 11, 2026

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cartagena

$585 45.3%

Buenos Aires

$520 31.4% 11.2% $65

Groceries & Markets

Cartagena

$259 * 20%

Buenos Aires

$283 17.1% 9.4% $24

Eating Out

Cartagena

$175 13.5%

Buenos Aires

$282 17% 61.1% $107

Sport & Entertainment

Cartagena

$108 8.3%

Buenos Aires

$72 4.3% 33.5% $36

Getting Around

Cartagena

$87 6.7%

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2% 57.3% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cartagena

$78 * 6.1%

Buenos Aires

$252 15.2% 221% $173

Clothing & Footwear

Cartagena

- * 0%

Buenos Aires

$211 12.7%

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,035 in Cartagena and $756 in Buenos Aires. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Buenos Aires pays 101% 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: $143 in Cartagena vs $66.0 in Buenos Aires. Groceries flip the comparison at $259 vs $283, with Cartagena cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Cartagena

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🕒 Local time

09:43 9:43 AM

11:43 11:43 AM

2 h ahead of Cartagena

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,028,736

2,891,082 Capital

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ARS, 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).

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,706 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cartagena Buenos Aires 5,320 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Cartagena
Buenos Aires

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 Buenos Aires: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cartagena and Buenos Aires differ by about 28% in total monthly costs ($1,292 vs $1,656 including rent). Cartagena is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 101% lower in Buenos Aires. 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: $1,035 in Cartagena versus $756 in Buenos Aires. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $630 in Cartagena versus $463 in Buenos Aires. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 9% higher in Buenos Aires. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,292 in Cartagena versus $1,656 in Buenos Aires, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Cartagena but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Cartagena the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Safety-wise, Cartagena and Buenos Aires 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 28% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.