Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cartagena and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Cartagena: $1,292 a month against $1,608 in Monterrey, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 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
79

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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Cartagena

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,292

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cartagena and in Monterrey

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

A single person spends $1,292 per month in Cartagena vs $1,608 in Monterrey, rent included.

Cartagena $1,292
Monterrey $1,608

A couple spends around $2,165 per month in Cartagena vs $2,521 in Monterrey, rent included.

Cartagena $2,165
Monterrey $2,521

A family of three spends $3,039 per month in Cartagena vs $3,433 in Monterrey, rent included.

Cartagena $3,039
Monterrey $3,433

Cartagena is about 20% cheaper than Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Cartagena sits 4% below the global median, while Monterrey is 19% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.87 COP 18.6K

$13.85 MX$256

-57.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$143 COP 453.5K

$49.70 MX$918

187.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.37 COP 32.9K

$11.05 MX$204

-6.15%

Cappuccino

$4.26 COP 13.5K

$4.09 MX$75.6

4.16%

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

$2.54 COP 8,063

$1.68 MX$30.97

51.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 COP 7,478

$1.03 MX$18.98

129.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.26 COP 10.3K

$2.40 MX$44.28

35.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.96 COP 15.7K

$4.35 MX$80.3

14.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.91 COP 6,053

$1.92 MX$35.55

-0.52%

White Bread (500g)

$2.74 COP 8,692

$2.94 MX$54.2

-6.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.45 COP 4,610

$1.88 MX$34.66

-22.87%

Eggs

$5.06 COP 16.0K

$2.55 MX$47.06

98.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.13 COP 41.6K

$11.84 MX$219

10.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.37 COP 55.1K

$9.36 MX$173

85.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.10 MX$242

Apples (1kg)

$3.38 MX$62.5

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 MX$28.13

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 MX$40.51

Tomato (1kg)

$2.36 MX$43.63

Potato (1kg)

$2.26 MX$41.76

Onion (1kg)

$2.73 MX$50.5

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 MX$28.17

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.99 COP 6,304

$1.24 MX$22.90

60.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.75 MX$87.8

Wine (Bottle)

$14.64 COP 46.4K

$13.66 MX$252

7.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.40 COP 4,436

$1.89 MX$34.95

-25.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.99 MX$55.2

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.25 COP 3,972

$0.85 MX$15.78

47.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$58.4 COP 185.2K

$30.95 MX$572

88.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.74 COP 15.0K

$1.68 MX$30.98

182.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.68 COP 11.7K

$1.13 MX$20.87

225.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.49 COP 30.1K

$11.15 MX$206

-14.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 COP 4,251

$1.56 MX$28.91

-14.10%

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

$23.4K COP 74.1M

$21.4K MX$395.8K

9.11%

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

$34.4K COP 109.2M

$25.1K MX$463.2K

37.40%

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

$78.4 COP 248.6K

$119 MX$2,206

-34.32%

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

$26.21 MX$484

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.78 MX$495

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$91.7 COP 290.8K

$31.03 MX$573

195.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.43 MX$396

Cinema Ticket

$8.02 COP 25.4K

$5.29 MX$97.7

51.61%

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

$630 COP 2.0M

$691 MX$12.8K

-8.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,818 COP 18.4M

$11.5K MX$212.1K

-49.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.3 MX$1,335

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.72 MX$789

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 MX$2,024

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,158

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,035 COP 3.3M

$970 MX$17.9K

6.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$585 COP 1.9M

$664 MX$12.3K

-11.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,287 COP 7.3M

$1,857 MX$34.3K

23.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$944 COP 3.0M

$1,287 MX$23.8K

-26.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,162 MX$76.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$924 COP 2.9M

$2,349 MX$43.4K

-60.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$467 COP 1.5M

$1,146 MX$21.2K

-59.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.79

27.23%

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

Last update for Cartagena: October 11, 2026

Last update for Monterrey: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cartagena

$585 45.3%

Monterrey

$664 41.3% 13.4% $79

Groceries & Markets

Cartagena

$259 * 20%

Monterrey

$310 19.3% 19.9% $52

Eating Out

Cartagena

$175 13.5%

Monterrey

$225 14% 28.4% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Cartagena

$108 8.3%

Monterrey

$42 2.6% 61.4% $66

Getting Around

Cartagena

$87 6.7%

Monterrey

$42 2.6% 51.8% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cartagena

$78 * 6.1%

Monterrey

$172 10.7% 120% $94

Clothing & Footwear

Cartagena

- * 0%

Monterrey

$154 9.6%

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 $970 in Monterrey. 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 146% higher in Monterrey, 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 Monterrey. Groceries tell a different story – $259 in Cartagena vs $310 in Monterrey – so Cartagena wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Cartagena

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

09:43 9:43 AM

08:43 8:43 AM

1 h behind Cartagena

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,028,736

1,142,994

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cartagena Monterrey 3,110 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Cartagena
Monterrey

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 Monterrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monterrey costs about 24% 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 $2,412 in Monterrey. 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 $691 in Monterrey. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 20% more in Monterrey, 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 Monterrey at $1,608. In Cartagena it covers expenses comfortably, while in Monterrey it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Cartagena costs $1,292 versus $1,608 in Monterrey. 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, Monterrey makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.