Cost of Living Comparison Between Cartagena and Mexico City Cost of Living Comparison Between Cartagena and Mexico City

🙂 Solo nomad: Cartagena is 23.5% cheaper than Mexico City without rent, and 25.3% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Cartagena is 13.3% cheaper than Mexico City without rent, and 32.4% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Cartagena
Mexico City
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$5.89 COP 22.3K
$13.12 MX$235
-55.11%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$46.55 COP 176.3K
$53.8 MX$963
-13.49%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.47 COP 35.8K
$9.40 MX$168
0.74%
Cappuccino
$1.64 COP 6,207
$3.56 MX$63.8
-53.93%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.86 COP 3,253
$1.60 MX$28.69
-46.25%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.66 COP 2,497
$1.15 MX$20.67
-42.61%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.24 COP 4,711
$3.16 MX$56.5
-60.76%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.95 COP 11.2K
$4.85 MX$86.7
-39.18%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Cartagena
Mexico City
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.14 COP 4,308
$1.63 MX$29.25
-30.06%
White Bread (500g)
$1.93 COP 7,294
$2.73 MX$48.94
-29.30%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.33 COP 5,031
$1.88 MX$33.63
-29.26%
Eggs
$2.13 COP 8,058
$2.63 MX$47.10
-19.01%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$6.78 COP 25.7K
$9.89 MX$177
-31.45%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.11 COP 23.1K
$8.40 MX$150
-27.26%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$8.05 COP 30.5K
$11.63 MX$208
-30.78%
Apples (1kg)
$3.30 COP 12.5K
$2.97 MX$53.2
11.11%
Banana (1kg)
$1.91 COP 7,242
$1.78 MX$31.94
7.30%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.44 COP 5,469
$2.06 MX$36.79
-30.10%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.65 COP 6,257
$1.97 MX$35.35
-16.24%
Potato (1kg)
$1.53 COP 5,789
$2.09 MX$37.34
-26.79%
Onion (1kg)
$1.12 COP 4,234
$2.26 MX$40.44
-50.44%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.01 COP 3,832
$1.46 MX$26.10
-30.82%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.60 COP 2,271
$1.09 MX$19.51
-44.95%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.35 COP 8,896
$4.34 MX$77.7
-45.85%
Wine (Bottle)
$17.67 COP 66.9K
$13.62 MX$244
29.74%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.93 COP 3,537
$1.67 MX$29.96
-44.31%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.98 COP 3,697
$3.54 MX$63.4
-72.32%
🚌 Getting Around
Cartagena
Mexico City
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.06 COP 4,018
$0.36 MX$6.44
194.44%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$28.38 COP 107.4K
$18.96 MX$339
49.68%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.36 COP 8,953
$1.32 MX$23.69
78.79%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.47 COP 9,352
$0.30 MX$5.39
723.33%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$4.70 COP 17.8K
$5.49 MX$98.2
-14.39%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.03 COP 3,918
$1.34 MX$23.93
-23.13%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.6K COP 81.7M
$19.1K MX$342.2K
12.91%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.8K COP 90.0M
$23.8K MX$425.4K
-0.01%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cartagena
Mexico City
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$140 COP 531.3K
$41.11 MX$736
241.35%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$10.86 COP 41.1K
$27.78 MX$497
-60.91%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$25.12 COP 95.1K
$30.00 MX$537
-16.27%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Cartagena
Mexico City
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$34.78 COP 131.7K
$53.5 MX$958
-35.03%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$8.55 COP 32.4K
$26.13 MX$468
-67.28%
Cinema Ticket
$2.94 COP 11.1K
$6.28 MX$112
-53.18%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Cartagena
Mexico City
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$140 COP 529.9K
$439 MX$7,865
-68.14%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,849 COP 22.1M
$10.7K MX$192.3K
-45.54%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Cartagena
Mexico City
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$48.55 COP 183.8K
$57.1 MX$1,022
-15.00%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$38.87 COP 147.2K
$45.30 MX$811
-14.19%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$126 COP 478.4K
$104 MX$1,866
21.22%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$113 COP 427.0K
$108 MX$1,938
4.18%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Cartagena
Mexico City
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$735 COP 2.8M
$996 MX$17.8K
-26.23%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$330 COP 1.2M
$624 MX$11.2K
-47.13%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,266 COP 4.8M
$2,106 MX$37.7K
-39.89%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$476 COP 1.8M
$1,218 MX$21.8K
-60.95%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,950 COP 11.2M
$3,799 MX$68.0K
-22.33%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,914 COP 7.2M
$2,230 MX$39.9K
-14.16%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Cartagena
Mexico City
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$393 COP 1.5M
$1,096 MX$19.6K
-64.17%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
15
11.34
32.28%

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

Last update for Cartagena: February 28, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: March 1, 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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