Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cartagena and Rio de Janeiro

For one person, living costs are similar in Cartagena and in Rio de Janeiro: $1,292 and $1,289 a month, rent and utilities included.

54

Cost of Living Index in Cartagena
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Cartagena Living Index
63

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
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Rio de Janeiro Living Index

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Cartagena

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,292

/mo nomad

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,289

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cartagena and in Rio de Janeiro

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 Rio de Janeiro actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,292 per month in Cartagena vs $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro, rent included.

Cartagena $1,292
Rio de Janeiro $1,289

A couple spends around $2,165 per month in Cartagena vs $1,868 in Rio de Janeiro, rent included.

Cartagena $2,165
Rio de Janeiro $1,868

A family of three spends $3,039 per month in Cartagena vs $2,448 in Rio de Janeiro, rent included.

Cartagena $3,039
Rio de Janeiro $2,448

Cartagena and Rio de Janeiro have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

Both Cartagena and Rio de Janeiro are more affordable than the global median – Cartagena 4% lower, Rio de Janeiro 5% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.87 COP 18.6K

$10.06 R$51.0

-41.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$143 COP 453.5K

$40.44 R$205

253.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.37 COP 32.9K

$8.55 R$43.35

21.29%

Cappuccino

$4.26 COP 13.5K

$2.38 R$12.04

78.99%

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

$2.54 COP 8,063

$1.61 R$8.18

57.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 COP 7,478

$1.03 R$5.22

129.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.26 COP 10.3K

$2.47 R$12.54

31.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.96 COP 15.7K

$3.70 R$18.77

34.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.91 COP 6,053

$1.19 R$6.05

60.50%

White Bread (500g)

$2.74 COP 8,692

$2.05 R$10.38

33.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.45 COP 4,610

$1.28 R$6.49

13.28%

Eggs

$5.06 COP 16.0K

$2.29 R$11.60

120.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.13 COP 41.6K

$10.76 R$54.5

22.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.37 COP 55.1K

$4.41 R$22.36

293.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.84 R$49.86

Apples (1kg)

$2.81 R$14.25

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 R$9.03

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 R$8.13

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 R$9.11

Potato (1kg)

$1.22 R$6.17

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 R$5.26

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.77 R$3.92

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.99 COP 6,304

$0.67 R$3.38

197.01%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.01 R$15.27

Wine (Bottle)

$14.64 COP 46.4K

$8.08 R$40.94

81.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.40 COP 4,436

$1.19 R$6.03

17.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 R$12.73

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.25 COP 3,972

$0.99 R$5.00

26.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$58.4 COP 185.2K

$50.1 R$254

16.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.74 COP 15.0K

$1.22 R$6.20

288.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.68 COP 11.7K

$0.92 R$4.66

300.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.49 COP 30.1K

$8.97 R$45.45

5.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 COP 4,251

$1.30 R$6.57

3.08%

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

$23.4K COP 74.1M

$23.9K R$121.0K

-2.11%

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

$34.4K COP 109.2M

$32.9K R$166.6K

4.80%

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

$78.4 COP 248.6K

$133 R$676

-41.21%

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

$10.82 R$54.8

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.90 R$116

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$91.7 COP 290.8K

$30.79 R$156

197.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.85 R$161

Cinema Ticket

$8.02 COP 25.4K

$8.05 R$40.83

-0.37%

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

$630 COP 2.0M

$598 R$3,029

5.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,818 COP 18.4M

$13.4K R$68.0K

-56.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.04 R$213

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.68 R$252

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.5 R$378

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.7 R$348

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,035 COP 3.3M

$903 R$4,578

14.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$585 COP 1.9M

$529 R$2,684

10.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,287 COP 7.3M

$1,326 R$6,724

72.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$944 COP 3.0M

$756 R$3,831

24.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,010 R$20.3K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$924 COP 2.9M

$1,560 R$7,910

-40.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$467 COP 1.5M

$640 R$3,242

-27.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

25.73%

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

Last update for Cartagena: October 11, 2026

Last update for Rio de Janeiro: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cartagena

$585 45.3%

Rio de Janeiro

$529 41.1% 9.5% $56

Groceries & Markets

Cartagena

$259 * 20%

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7% 17.1% $44

Eating Out

Cartagena

$175 13.5%

Rio de Janeiro

$165 12.8% 5.7% $9.9

Sport & Entertainment

Cartagena

$108 8.3%

Rio de Janeiro

$47 3.6% 56.5% $61

Getting Around

Cartagena

$87 6.7%

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7% 30.8% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cartagena

$78 * 6.1%

Rio de Janeiro

$167 13% 113% $89

Clothing & Footwear

Cartagena

- * 0%

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2%

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 $903 in Rio de Janeiro. 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 37% higher in Rio de Janeiro. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $143 in Cartagena versus $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $259 vs $215 – making Rio de Janeiro the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Cartagena

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🕒 Local time

09:46 9:46 AM

11:46 11:46 AM

2 h ahead of Cartagena

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,028,736

6,211,223

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, 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).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cartagena Rio de Janeiro 5,110 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Cartagena
Rio de Janeiro

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 Rio de Janeiro: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,938 per month in Cartagena and $1,933 in Rio de Janeiro. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $143 in Cartagena and $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Public transport costs about 17% less in Rio de Janeiro. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Rio de Janeiro, where all-in costs run around $1,289, than in Cartagena at $1,292. In Rio de Janeiro it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cartagena it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Rio de Janeiro costs $1,289 versus $1,292 in Cartagena. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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