Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cartagena and Louvain-la-Neuve

For one person, living is cheaper in Cartagena: $1,436 a month against $2,209 in Louvain-la-Neuve, rent and utilities included – about $9,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Louvain-la-Neuve
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Louvain-la-Neuve Living Index

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Cartagena

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,436

/mo nomad

Louvain-la-Neuve

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,209

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cartagena and in Louvain-la-Neuve

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 Louvain-la-Neuve actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,436 per month in Cartagena vs $2,209 in Louvain-la-Neuve, rent included.

Cartagena $1,436
Louvain-la-Neuve $2,209

A couple spends around $2,531 per month in Cartagena vs $3,348 in Louvain-la-Neuve, rent included.

Cartagena $2,531
Louvain-la-Neuve $3,348

A family of three spends $3,626 per month in Cartagena vs $4,487 in Louvain-la-Neuve, rent included.

Cartagena $3,626
Louvain-la-Neuve $4,487

Cartagena is about 35% cheaper than Louvain-la-Neuve, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Cartagena and Louvain-la-Neuve sit above the global median – Cartagena by 6%, Louvain-la-Neuve by 62%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.80 COP 18.3K

$19.23 €17.28

-69.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$139 COP 437.1K

$88.7 €79.7

56.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.04 COP 31.6K

$13.79 €12.38

-27.19%

Cappuccino

$4.36 COP 13.7K

$4.30 €3.86

1.40%

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

$2.55 COP 8,035

$3.64 €3.27

-29.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 COP 7,434

$3.08 €2.77

-23.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 COP 10.2K

$5.53 €4.97

-41.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.92 COP 15.5K

$4.36 €3.91

12.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 COP 6,053

$1.18 €1.06

62.71%

White Bread (500g)

$2.86 COP 9,004

$2.70 €2.42

5.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.49 COP 4,673

$2.83 €2.55

-47.35%

Eggs

$5.02 COP 15.8K

$3.79 €3.40

32.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.24 COP 41.7K

$18.46 €16.58

-28.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.33 COP 54.5K

$11.57 €10.40

49.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.31 €17.35

Apples (1kg)

$3.13 €2.81

Banana (1kg)

$2.37 €2.13

Oranges (1kg)

$2.85 €2.56

Tomato (1kg)

$4.01 €3.60

Potato (1kg)

$2.31 €2.08

Onion (1kg)

$2.17 €1.95

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.72 €1.54

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.05 COP 6,453

$1.09 €0.98

88.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.40 €8.44

Wine (Bottle)

$14.43 COP 45.4K

$7.96 €7.15

81.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,424

$2.47 €2.22

-42.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.13 €2.81

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.24 COP 3,906

$5.96 €5.36

-79.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 COP 207.9K

$55.3 €49.71

19.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.74 COP 14.9K

$2.86 €2.57

65.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.75 COP 11.8K

$2.35 €2.11

59.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.54 COP 30.0K

$16.55 €14.87

-42.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 COP 4,221

$1.97 €1.77

-31.98%

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

$34.2K COP 107.5M

$35.2K €31.6K

-2.91%

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

$35.0K COP 110.1M

$36.7K €33.0K

-4.72%

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

$79.2 COP 249.3K

$283 €254

-71.98%

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

$21.01 €18.87

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.7 €53.6

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.3 COP 177.2K

$28.31 €25.43

98.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.11 €15.37

Cinema Ticket

$7.98 COP 25.1K

$14.07 €12.64

-43.28%

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

$625 COP 2.0M

$847 €761

-26.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,818 COP 18.3M

$37.4K €33.6K

-84.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$103 €92.5

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.16 €41.46

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 €99.9

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 €119

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,374 COP 4.3M

$987 €886

39.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$755 COP 2.4M

$845 €759

-10.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,402 COP 7.6M

$1,705 €1,531

40.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,602 COP 5.0M

$1,465 €1,316

9.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,582 €3,218

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$955 COP 3.0M

$3,142 €2,822

-69.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$466 COP 1.5M

$2,622 €2,356

-82.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.65

310.96%

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

Last update for Cartagena: October 25, 2026

Last update for Louvain-la-Neuve: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cartagena

–

Louvain-la-Neuve

$845 38.2%

Groceries & Markets

Cartagena

–

Louvain-la-Neuve

$364 16.5%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cartagena

–

Louvain-la-Neuve

$363 16.5%

Eating Out

Cartagena

–

Louvain-la-Neuve

$310 14%

Clothing & Footwear

Cartagena

–

Louvain-la-Neuve

$177 8%

Getting Around

Cartagena

–

Louvain-la-Neuve

$94 4.3%

Sport & Entertainment

Cartagena

–

Louvain-la-Neuve

$56 2.6%

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,374 in Cartagena versus $987 in Louvain-la-Neuve. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Louvain-la-Neuve are about 5.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $139 in Cartagena versus $89 in Louvain-la-Neuve. Groceries tell a different story – $261 in Cartagena vs $364 in Louvain-la-Neuve – so Cartagena wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Cartagena

🇧🇪 Louvain-la-Neuve

🕒 Local time

15:01 3:01 PM

21:01 9:01 PM

6 h ahead of Cartagena

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,028,736

29,521

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,502 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Cartagena Louvain-la-Neuve 8,420 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Cartagena
Louvain-la-Neuve

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 Louvain-la-Neuve: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Louvain-la-Neuve costs about 54% more than Cartagena, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,154 per month in Cartagena and $3,313 in Louvain-la-Neuve. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Louvain-la-Neuve, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $987 there versus $1,374 in Cartagena.

Kindergarten costs $625 per month in Cartagena and $847 in Louvain-la-Neuve. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 39% more in Louvain-la-Neuve, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,436 in Cartagena and $2,209 in Louvain-la-Neuve. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Cartagena has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,436 in Cartagena to $2,209 in Louvain-la-Neuve. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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