Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cartagena and Ocho Rios

For one person, living is cheaper in Ocho Rios: $1,092 a month against $1,520 in Cartagena, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Cartagena outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

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Cost of Living Index in Ocho Rios
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Ocho Rios Living Index

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Cartagena

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,520

/mo nomad

Ocho Rios

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,092

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cartagena and in Ocho Rios

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

A single person spends $1,520 per month in Cartagena vs $1,092 in Ocho Rios, rent included.

Cartagena $1,520
Ocho Rios $1,092

A couple spends around $2,565 per month in Cartagena vs $1,574 in Ocho Rios, rent included.

Cartagena $2,565
Ocho Rios $1,574

A family of three spends $3,610 per month in Cartagena vs $2,057 in Ocho Rios, rent included.

Cartagena $3,610
Ocho Rios $2,057

Cartagena costs about 39% more than Ocho Rios, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Cartagena sits 12% above the global median, while Ocho Rios is 19% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.63 COP 18.2K

$9.36 JMD 1,476

-39.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$142 COP 457.5K

$64.0 JMD 10.1K

121.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$6.78 JMD 1,070

50.29%

Cappuccino

$4.44 COP 14.3K

$3.10 JMD 488

43.23%

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

$2.44 COP 7,876

$1.14 JMD 179

114.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.23 COP 7,198

$0.69 JMD 108

223.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.3K

$2.26 JMD 356

40.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.06 COP 16.3K

$3.18 JMD 502

59.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.90 COP 6,121

$3.82 JMD 603

-50.26%

White Bread (500g)

$2.78 COP 8,970

$2.65 JMD 418

4.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.43 COP 4,615

$1.63 JMD 258

-12.27%

Eggs

$4.96 COP 16.0K

$3.55 JMD 560

39.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.42 COP 43.3K

$11.55 JMD 1,822

16.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.30 COP 55.9K

$6.33 JMD 999

173.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.43 JMD 1,645

Apples (1kg)

$6.15 JMD 970

Banana (1kg)

$3.22 JMD 508

Oranges (1kg)

$6.47 JMD 1,021

Tomato (1kg)

$2.53 JMD 400

Potato (1kg)

$3.31 JMD 522

Onion (1kg)

$2.58 JMD 406

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.88 JMD 454

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.06 COP 6,639

$1.46 JMD 230

41.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.05 JMD 1,427

Wine (Bottle)

$14.10 COP 45.5K

$9.73 JMD 1,535

44.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 COP 4,503

$2.80 JMD 442

-50.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 JMD 617

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.25 COP 4,027

$0.91 JMD 144

37.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.0 COP 216.1K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.65 COP 15.0K

$1.28 JMD 201

263.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.69 COP 11.9K

$3.21 JMD 507

14.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.53 COP 30.8K

$6.20 JMD 978

53.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 COP 4,341

$1.44 JMD 227

-6.94%

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

$33.9K COP 109.5M

$43.3K JMD 6.8M

-21.75%

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

$35.0K COP 113.1M

$32.2K JMD 5.1M

8.78%

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

$79.0 COP 254.9K

$170 JMD 26.7K

-53.43%

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

$19.81 JMD 3,124

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.8 JMD 8,319

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.8 COP 177.0K

Cinema Ticket

$8.10 COP 26.1K

$11.13 JMD 1,755

-27.22%

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

$630 COP 2.0M

$357 JMD 56.4K

76.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.0K COP 38.6M

$8,211 JMD 1.3M

45.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.76 JMD 3,747

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.05 JMD 5,055

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.4 JMD 12.2K

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 JMD 16.5K

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,347 COP 4.3M

$374 JMD 59.0K

260.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$842 COP 2.7M

$185 JMD 29.2K

354.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,468 COP 8.0M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,580 COP 5.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$921 COP 3.0M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$464 COP 1.5M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.45

58.73%

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

Last update for Cartagena: November 2, 2026

Last update for Ocho Rios: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Cartagena

–

Ocho Rios

$357 32.7%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cartagena

–

Ocho Rios

$242 22.2%

Accommodation & Living

Cartagena

–

Ocho Rios

$185 17%

Eating Out

Cartagena

–

Ocho Rios

$157 14.4%

Clothing & Footwear

Cartagena

–

Ocho Rios

$107 9.8%

Sport & Entertainment

Cartagena

–

Ocho Rios

$22 * 2%

Getting Around

Cartagena

–

Ocho Rios

$21 * 1.9%

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,347 in Cartagena versus $374 in Ocho Rios. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $142 in Cartagena versus $64 in Ocho Rios. Groceries tell a different story – $259 in Cartagena vs $357 in Ocho Rios – so Cartagena wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Cartagena

🇯🇲 Ocho Rios

🕒 Local time

17:43 5:43 PM

Same time as Cartagena

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,028,736

26,503

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

1,000 JMD = 6.34 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.67 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JMD, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,610 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

Jamaican Dollar exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JMD (1,000 JMD = 6.34 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JMD (1,000 JMD = 5.67 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cartagena Ocho Rios 900 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Cartagena
Ocho Rios

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 Ocho Rios: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cartagena costs about 39% more than Ocho Rios, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,279 per month in Cartagena and $1,638 in Ocho Rios. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ocho Rios, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $374 there versus $1,347 in Cartagena.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $142 in Cartagena and $64 in Ocho Rios. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 28% cheaper in Cartagena – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Ocho Rios, where all-in costs run around $1,092, than in Cartagena at $1,520. In Ocho Rios it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cartagena it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Ocho Rios – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.