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

😐 Solo nomad: Cartagena is 7.1% more expensive than Medellin without rent, and 5.7% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Cartagena is 22.3% more expensive than Medellin without rent, and 0.7% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.89 COP 22.1K

$6.03 COP 22.7K

-2.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.55 COP 175.0K

$33.17 COP 124.7K

40.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 35.6K

$7.29 COP 27.4K

29.90%

Cappuccino

$1.64 COP 6,164

$1.63 COP 6,128

0.61%

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

$0.86 COP 3,230

$1.05 COP 3,944

-18.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.66 COP 2,480

$0.77 COP 2,896

-14.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.24 COP 4,679

$1.73 COP 6,505

-28.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.95 COP 11.1K

$3.18 COP 12.0K

-7.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 COP 4,278

$1.07 COP 4,012

6.54%

White Bread (500g)

$1.93 COP 7,244

$1.31 COP 4,931

47.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 COP 4,996

$1.38 COP 5,191

-3.62%

Eggs

$2.13 COP 8,002

$2.25 COP 8,450

-5.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.78 COP 25.5K

$4.48 COP 16.9K

51.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.11 COP 23.0K

$5.74 COP 21.6K

6.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.05 COP 30.3K

$8.86 COP 33.3K

-9.14%

Apples (1kg)

$3.30 COP 12.4K

$2.24 COP 8,431

47.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.91 COP 7,192

$1.06 COP 3,985

80.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.44 COP 5,431

$1.51 COP 5,693

-4.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.65 COP 6,214

$1.36 COP 5,115

21.32%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 COP 5,749

$1.12 COP 4,215

36.61%

Onion (1kg)

$1.12 COP 4,205

$1.17 COP 4,397

-4.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.01 COP 3,806

$0.90 COP 3,392

12.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 COP 2,255

$0.84 COP 3,147

-28.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.35 COP 8,835

$2.26 COP 8,494

3.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.67 COP 66.5K

$9.97 COP 37.5K

77.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 COP 3,512

$1.18 COP 4,448

-21.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 COP 3,672

$2.39 COP 8,986

-59.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.06 COP 3,991

$0.86 COP 3,230

23.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.38 COP 106.7K

$41.45 COP 155.9K

-31.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.36 COP 8,891

$1.47 COP 5,517

60.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.47 COP 9,287

$1.95 COP 7,317

26.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.70 COP 17.7K

$7.76 COP 29.2K

-39.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.03 COP 3,891

$0.97 COP 3,637

6.19%

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

$21.6K COP 81.1M

$17.9K COP 67.5M

20.23%

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

$23.8K COP 89.3M

$26.7K COP 100.5M

-11.08%

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

$140 COP 527.6K

$81.1 COP 305.0K

73.01%

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

$10.86 COP 40.8K

$9.40 COP 35.4K

15.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.12 COP 94.5K

$23.61 COP 88.8K

6.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.78 COP 130.8K

$25.55 COP 96.0K

36.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.55 COP 32.2K

$19.29 COP 72.5K

-55.68%

Cinema Ticket

$2.94 COP 11.1K

$4.10 COP 15.4K

-28.29%

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

$140 COP 526.3K

$306 COP 1.2M

-54.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,849 COP 22.0M

$5,899 COP 22.2M

-0.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.55 COP 182.5K

$59.8 COP 224.9K

-18.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.87 COP 146.2K

$31.96 COP 120.2K

21.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$126 COP 475.1K

$103 COP 386.2K

23.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 COP 424.0K

$108 COP 405.6K

4.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$735 COP 2.8M

$483 COP 1.8M

52.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$330 COP 1.2M

$377 COP 1.4M

-12.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,266 COP 4.8M

$822 COP 3.1M

54.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$476 COP 1.8M

$721 COP 2.7M

-34.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,950 COP 11.1M

$2,784 COP 10.5M

5.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,914 COP 7.2M

$1,320 COP 5.0M

45.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$393 COP 1.5M

$538 COP 2.0M

-26.92%

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: February 28, 2026

Last update for Medellin: March 3, 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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