Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cartagena and Montreal

For one person, living is cheaper in Cartagena: $1,292 a month against $2,018 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $8,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

54

Cost of Living Index in Cartagena
Learn more

Cartagena Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
Learn more

Montreal Living Index

Jump to prices

Cartagena

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,292

/mo nomad

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,018

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cartagena and in Montreal

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

A single person spends $1,292 per month in Cartagena vs $2,018 in Montreal, rent included.

Cartagena $1,292
Montreal $2,018

A couple spends around $2,165 per month in Cartagena vs $3,085 in Montreal, rent included.

Cartagena $2,165
Montreal $3,085

A family of three spends $3,039 per month in Cartagena vs $4,152 in Montreal, rent included.

Cartagena $3,039
Montreal $4,152

Cartagena is about 36% cheaper than Montreal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Cartagena sits 4% below the global median, while Montreal is 49% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.87 COP 18.6K

$18.82 CA$26.61

-68.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$143 COP 453.5K

$70.3 CA$99.4

103.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.37 COP 32.9K

$10.66 CA$15.06

-2.72%

Cappuccino

$4.26 COP 13.5K

$3.84 CA$5.43

10.94%

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

$2.54 COP 8,063

$1.92 CA$2.71

32.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 COP 7,478

$1.54 CA$2.18

53.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.26 COP 10.3K

$6.23 CA$8.81

-47.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.96 COP 15.7K

$7.10 CA$10.03

-30.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.91 COP 6,053

$2.31 CA$3.27

-17.32%

White Bread (500g)

$2.74 COP 8,692

$3.14 CA$4.44

-12.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.45 COP 4,610

$3.21 CA$4.54

-54.83%

Eggs

$5.06 COP 16.0K

$3.52 CA$4.97

43.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.13 COP 41.6K

$12.81 CA$18.11

2.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.37 COP 55.1K

$11.46 CA$16.20

51.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.39 CA$18.92

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 CA$4.43

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 CA$2.03

Oranges (1kg)

$3.47 CA$4.91

Tomato (1kg)

$3.07 CA$4.34

Potato (1kg)

$1.90 CA$2.69

Onion (1kg)

$1.77 CA$2.50

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 CA$3.31

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.99 COP 6,304

$1.55 CA$2.19

28.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.38 CA$16.09

Wine (Bottle)

$14.64 COP 46.4K

$10.63 CA$15.03

37.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.40 COP 4,436

$2.27 CA$3.21

-38.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 CA$3.99

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.25 COP 3,972

$2.66 CA$3.76

-53.01%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$58.4 COP 185.2K

$77.3 CA$109

-24.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.74 COP 15.0K

$3.20 CA$4.53

48.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.68 COP 11.7K

$1.48 CA$2.09

148.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.49 COP 30.1K

$32.88 CA$46.48

-71.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 COP 4,251

$1.34 CA$1.90

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

$23.4K COP 74.1M

$28.2K CA$39.8K

-16.99%

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

$34.4K COP 109.2M

$19.6K CA$27.8K

75.45%

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

$78.4 COP 248.6K

$76.0 CA$107

3.24%

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

$33.95 CA$48.00

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.31 CA$59.8

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$91.7 COP 290.8K

$29.76 CA$42.07

208.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.28 CA$28.67

Cinema Ticket

$8.02 COP 25.4K

$11.15 CA$15.77

-28.07%

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

$630 COP 2.0M

$507 CA$717

24.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,818 COP 18.4M

$16.1K CA$22.7K

-63.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.6 CA$81.4

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.58 CA$53.1

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.9 CA$130

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$155

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,035 COP 3.3M

$1,260 CA$1,782

-17.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$585 COP 1.9M

$948 CA$1,340

-38.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,287 COP 7.3M

$2,137 CA$3,021

7.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$944 COP 3.0M

$1,614 CA$2,281

-41.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,960 CA$7,011

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$924 COP 2.9M

$3,838 CA$5,425

-75.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$467 COP 1.5M

$2,827 CA$3,997

-83.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

234.82%

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

Last update for Cartagena: October 11, 2026

Last update for Montreal: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cartagena

$585 45.3%

Montreal

$948 47% 61.9% $362

Groceries & Markets

Cartagena

$259 * 20%

Montreal

$346 17.2% 33.8% $88

Eating Out

Cartagena

$175 13.5%

Montreal

$288 14.3% 64.6% $113

Sport & Entertainment

Cartagena

$108 8.3%

Montreal

$52 2.6% 51.7% $56

Getting Around

Cartagena

$87 6.7%

Montreal

$99 4.9% 13.9% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cartagena

$78 * 6.1%

Montreal

$152 7.5% 94.1% $74

Clothing & Footwear

Cartagena

- * 0%

Montreal

$133 6.6%

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 $1,260 in Montreal. 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 506% higher in Montreal, 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 $70.0 in Montreal. Groceries tell a different story – $259 in Cartagena vs $346 in Montreal – so Cartagena wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Cartagena

🇨🇦 Montreal

🕒 Local time

10:43 10:43 AM

11:43 11:43 AM

1 h ahead of Cartagena

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,028,736

1,762,949

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, 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).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cartagena Montreal 3,900 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Cartagena
Montreal

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 Montreal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montreal costs about 56% 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 $3,027 in Montreal. 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 $507 in Montreal. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 34% more in Montreal, 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 Montreal at $2,018. In Cartagena it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montreal it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Cartagena costs $1,292 versus $2,018 in Montreal. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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