Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cartagena and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Cartagena: $1,292 a month against $1,567 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 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
76

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Cartagena

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,292

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,567

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cartagena and in Mexico City

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 Mexico City actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,292 per month in Cartagena vs $1,567 in Mexico City, rent included.

Cartagena $1,292
Mexico City $1,567

A couple spends around $2,165 per month in Cartagena vs $2,450 in Mexico City, rent included.

Cartagena $2,165
Mexico City $2,450

A family of three spends $3,039 per month in Cartagena vs $3,333 in Mexico City, rent included.

Cartagena $3,039
Mexico City $3,333

Cartagena is about 18% cheaper than Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Cartagena sits 4% below the global median, while Mexico City is 16% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.87 COP 18.6K

$10.75 MX$199

-45.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$143 COP 453.5K

$50.3 MX$929

184.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.37 COP 32.9K

$11.10 MX$205

-6.58%

Cappuccino

$4.26 COP 13.5K

$3.68 MX$68.1

15.76%

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

$2.54 COP 8,063

$1.65 MX$30.42

53.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 COP 7,478

$1.30 MX$24.08

81.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.26 COP 10.3K

$3.32 MX$61.3

-1.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.96 COP 15.7K

$5.54 MX$102

-10.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.91 COP 6,053

$1.77 MX$32.68

7.91%

White Bread (500g)

$2.74 COP 8,692

$3.05 MX$56.4

-10.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.45 COP 4,610

$2.01 MX$37.20

-27.86%

Eggs

$5.06 COP 16.0K

$2.77 MX$51.1

82.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.13 COP 41.6K

$11.91 MX$220

10.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.37 COP 55.1K

$9.33 MX$172

86.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.02 MX$278

Apples (1kg)

$3.08 MX$56.8

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 MX$35.97

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.54

Tomato (1kg)

$2.21 MX$40.92

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.41

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$33.67

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 MX$28.07

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.99 COP 6,304

$1.28 MX$23.65

55.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.27 MX$97.4

Wine (Bottle)

$14.64 COP 46.4K

$16.12 MX$298

-9.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.40 COP 4,436

$1.95 MX$36.05

-28.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$78.6

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.25 COP 3,972

$0.31 MX$5.82

303.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$58.4 COP 185.2K

$19.85 MX$367

194.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.74 COP 15.0K

$2.00 MX$36.93

137.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.68 COP 11.7K

$0.53 MX$9.86

594.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.49 COP 30.1K

$5.62 MX$104

68.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 COP 4,251

$1.52 MX$28.07

-11.84%

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

$23.4K COP 74.1M

$21.0K MX$388.7K

11.12%

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

$34.4K COP 109.2M

$25.2K MX$465.3K

36.78%

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

$78.4 COP 248.6K

$62.5 MX$1,155

25.49%

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

$28.77 MX$532

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.45 MX$637

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$91.7 COP 290.8K

$57.1 MX$1,055

60.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.81 MX$458

Cinema Ticket

$8.02 COP 25.4K

$6.67 MX$123

20.24%

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

$630 COP 2.0M

$431 MX$7,964

46.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,818 COP 18.4M

$11.7K MX$216.9K

-50.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.8 MX$1,308

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.8 MX$958

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 MX$2,011

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 MX$2,076

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,035 COP 3.3M

$1,051 MX$19.4K

-1.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$585 COP 1.9M

$665 MX$12.3K

-12.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,287 COP 7.3M

$2,346 MX$43.3K

-2.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$944 COP 3.0M

$1,227 MX$22.7K

-23.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,554 MX$65.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$924 COP 2.9M

$1,977 MX$36.5K

-53.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$467 COP 1.5M

$975 MX$18.0K

-52.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

32.74%

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

Last update for Cartagena: October 11, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cartagena

$585 45.3%

Mexico City

$665 42.4% 13.6% $80

Groceries & Markets

Cartagena

$259 * 20%

Mexico City

$323 20.6% 24.6% $64

Eating Out

Cartagena

$175 13.5%

Mexico City

$203 13% 16% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Cartagena

$108 8.3%

Mexico City

$70 4.5% 34.6% $37

Getting Around

Cartagena

$87 6.7%

Mexico City

$26 1.6% 70.2% $61

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cartagena

$78 * 6.1%

Mexico City

$126 8% 60.3% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Cartagena

- * 0%

Mexico City

$155 9.9%

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,035 in Cartagena versus $1,051 in Mexico City. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 109% higher in Mexico City, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $143 in Cartagena versus $50.0 in Mexico City. Groceries tell a different story – $259 in Cartagena vs $323 in Mexico City – so Cartagena wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Cartagena

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

07:34 7:34 AM

06:34 6:34 AM

1 h behind Cartagena

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,028,736

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, 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).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.78 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cartagena Mexico City 2,720 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Cartagena
Mexico City

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 Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City costs about 21% 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 $1,938 per month in Cartagena and $2,351 in Mexico City. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cartagena, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $630 per month in Cartagena and $431 in Mexico City. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 25% more in Mexico City, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Cartagena, where all-in costs run around $1,292, than in Mexico City at $1,567. In Cartagena it covers expenses comfortably, while in Mexico City it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Cartagena costs $1,292 versus $1,567 in Mexico City. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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