Cost of Living Comparison Between Cartagena and Medellin Cost of Living Comparison Between Cartagena and Medellin

😐 Solo nomad: Cartagena is 6.8% more expensive than Medellin without rent, and 5.9% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Cartagena is 18.2% more expensive than Medellin without rent, and 0.4% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.99 COP 22.0K

$5.97 COP 21.9K

0.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.65 COP 171.3K

$32.40 COP 119.0K

43.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.77 COP 35.9K

$7.13 COP 26.2K

37.03%

Cappuccino

$1.58 COP 5,796

$1.65 COP 6,043

-4.24%

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

$0.86 COP 3,172

$1.06 COP 3,882

-18.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.72 COP 2,658

$0.77 COP 2,839

-6.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.24 COP 4,562

$1.75 COP 6,418

-29.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.86 COP 10.5K

$3.06 COP 11.2K

-6.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 COP 4,175

$1.10 COP 4,026

3.64%

White Bread (500g)

$1.85 COP 6,775

$1.30 COP 4,771

42.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.32 COP 4,842

$1.34 COP 4,905

-1.49%

Eggs

$2.12 COP 7,785

$2.26 COP 8,299

-6.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.07 COP 26.0K

$4.50 COP 16.5K

57.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.11 COP 22.4K

$5.80 COP 21.3K

5.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.90 COP 29.0K

$8.96 COP 32.9K

-11.83%

Apples (1kg)

$3.15 COP 11.6K

$2.37 COP 8,691

32.91%

Banana (1kg)

$2.00 COP 7,328

$1.07 COP 3,939

86.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.44 COP 5,297

$1.48 COP 5,418

-2.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.60 COP 5,863

$1.36 COP 5,011

17.65%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 COP 5,625

$1.13 COP 4,135

35.40%

Onion (1kg)

$1.06 COP 3,884

$1.13 COP 4,161

-6.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.05 COP 3,872

$0.89 COP 3,274

17.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 COP 2,194

$0.85 COP 3,114

-29.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.24 COP 8,214

$2.28 COP 8,361

-1.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$24.08 COP 88.4K

$10.15 COP 37.3K

137.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 COP 3,443

$1.19 COP 4,359

-21.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.02 COP 3,731

$2.40 COP 8,828

-57.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.06 COP 3,908

$0.84 COP 3,074

26.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.72 COP 105.4K

$40.85 COP 150.0K

-29.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.49 COP 9,145

$1.48 COP 5,417

68.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.35 COP 8,623

$1.89 COP 6,949

24.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.89 COP 18.0K

$8.05 COP 29.5K

-39.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.03 COP 3,789

$0.94 COP 3,455

9.57%

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

$21.6K COP 79.3M

$17.7K COP 65.1M

21.66%

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

$23.3K COP 85.5M

$26.4K COP 96.8M

-11.65%

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

$144 COP 527.3K

$81.9 COP 300.7K

75.36%

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

$10.78 COP 39.6K

$9.54 COP 35.0K

13.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.52 COP 90.0K

$23.68 COP 87.0K

3.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.66 COP 127.3K

$25.85 COP 94.9K

34.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.77 COP 32.2K

$18.72 COP 68.7K

-53.15%

Cinema Ticket

$2.96 COP 10.9K

$4.05 COP 14.9K

-26.91%

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

$143 COP 523.5K

$316 COP 1.2M

-54.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,863 COP 21.5M

$5,971 COP 21.9M

-1.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.68 COP 175.1K

$59.0 COP 216.4K

-19.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.05 COP 143.4K

$32.49 COP 119.3K

20.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$124 COP 453.5K

$99.9 COP 366.7K

23.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 COP 413.2K

$108 COP 394.9K

4.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$718 COP 2.6M

$491 COP 1.8M

45.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$331 COP 1.2M

$371 COP 1.4M

-10.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,278 COP 4.7M

$821 COP 3.0M

55.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$467 COP 1.7M

$731 COP 2.7M

-36.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,007 COP 11.0M

$3,019 COP 11.1M

-0.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,920 COP 7.0M

$1,332 COP 4.9M

44.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$423 COP 1.6M

$517 COP 1.9M

-18.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.43

11.69%

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

Last update for Cartagena: January 12, 2026

Last update for Medellin: January 12, 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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