Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cartagena and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in Cartagena: $1,292 a month against $1,938 in San Jose, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

54

Cost of Living Index in Cartagena
Learn more

Cartagena Living Index
94

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
Learn more

San Jose Living Index

Jump to prices

Cartagena

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,292

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cartagena and in San Jose

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

A single person spends $1,292 per month in Cartagena vs $1,938 in San Jose, rent included.

Cartagena $1,292
San Jose $1,938

A couple spends around $2,165 per month in Cartagena vs $2,936 in San Jose, rent included.

Cartagena $2,165
San Jose $2,936

A family of three spends $3,039 per month in Cartagena vs $3,934 in San Jose, rent included.

Cartagena $3,039
San Jose $3,934

Cartagena is about 33% cheaper than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Cartagena sits 4% below the global median, while San Jose is 44% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.87 COP 18.6K

$12.38 ₡5,551

-52.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$143 COP 453.5K

$60.9 ₡27.3K

134.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.37 COP 32.9K

$11.45 ₡5,135

-9.43%

Cappuccino

$4.26 COP 13.5K

$4.39 ₡1,967

-2.96%

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

$2.54 COP 8,063

$2.70 ₡1,211

-5.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 COP 7,478

$1.93 ₡864

22.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.26 COP 10.3K

$3.20 ₡1,433

1.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.96 COP 15.7K

$4.41 ₡1,979

12.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.91 COP 6,053

$2.44 ₡1,093

-21.72%

White Bread (500g)

$2.74 COP 8,692

$3.05 ₡1,369

-10.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.45 COP 4,610

$2.41 ₡1,081

-39.83%

Eggs

$5.06 COP 16.0K

$3.40 ₡1,523

48.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.13 COP 41.6K

$10.75 ₡4,823

22.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.37 COP 55.1K

$10.43 ₡4,679

66.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 ₡6,273

Apples (1kg)

$5.25 ₡2,353

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 ₡712

Oranges (1kg)

$4.69 ₡2,103

Tomato (1kg)

$3.95 ₡1,770

Potato (1kg)

$3.92 ₡1,760

Onion (1kg)

$3.68 ₡1,651

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ₡503

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.99 COP 6,304

$3.19 ₡1,429

-37.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.00 ₡2,692

Wine (Bottle)

$14.64 COP 46.4K

$19.56 ₡8,771

-25.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.40 COP 4,436

$2.82 ₡1,263

-50.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.59 ₡1,611

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.25 COP 3,972

$1.12 ₡503

11.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$58.4 COP 185.2K

$66.8 ₡30.0K

-12.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.74 COP 15.0K

$2.50 ₡1,119

89.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.68 COP 11.7K

$1.63 ₡733

125.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.49 COP 30.1K

$8.50 ₡3,812

11.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 COP 4,251

$1.56 ₡701

-14.10%

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

$23.4K COP 74.1M

$22.4K ₡10.0M

4.29%

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

$34.4K COP 109.2M

$35.6K ₡16.0M

-3.21%

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

$78.4 COP 248.6K

$95.2 ₡42.7K

-17.64%

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

$35.58 ₡16.0K

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.6 ₡26.3K

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$91.7 COP 290.8K

$72.7 ₡32.6K

26.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.85 ₡11.1K

Cinema Ticket

$8.02 COP 25.4K

$7.58 ₡3,401

5.80%

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

$630 COP 2.0M

$1,001 ₡449.0K

-37.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,818 COP 18.4M

$17.1K ₡7.7M

-66.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.5 ₡31.6K

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₡25.0K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$130 ₡58.2K

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 ₡58.7K

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,035 COP 3.3M

$927 ₡415.8K

11.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$585 COP 1.9M

$774 ₡347.2K

-24.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,287 COP 7.3M

$1,967 ₡882.0K

16.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$944 COP 3.0M

$1,288 ₡577.6K

-26.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,274 ₡1.0M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$924 COP 2.9M

$1,831 ₡821.0K

-49.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$467 COP 1.5M

$1,016 ₡455.8K

-54.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

74.01%

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

Last update for Cartagena: October 11, 2026

Last update for San Jose: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cartagena

$585 45.3%

San Jose

$774 40% 32.3% $189

Groceries & Markets

Cartagena

$259 * 20%

San Jose

$401 20.7% 54.9% $142

Eating Out

Cartagena

$175 13.5%

San Jose

$229 11.8% 31.1% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Cartagena

$108 8.3%

San Jose

$88 4.5% 18.5% $20

Getting Around

Cartagena

$87 6.7%

San Jose

$82 4.2% 5.3% $4.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cartagena

$78 * 6.1%

San Jose

$189 9.8% 142% $111

Clothing & Footwear

Cartagena

- * 0%

San Jose

$174 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 $927 in San Jose. 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 118% higher in San Jose, 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 $61.0 in San Jose. Groceries tell a different story – $259 in Cartagena vs $401 in San Jose – so Cartagena wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Cartagena

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

12:38 12:38 PM

11:38 11:38 AM

1 h behind Cartagena

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,028,736

342,188 Capital

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, 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).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cartagena San Jose 940 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Cartagena
San Jose

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 San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Jose costs about 50% 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 $2,907 in San Jose. 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 $1,001 in San Jose. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 55% more in San Jose, 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 San Jose at $1,938. In Cartagena it covers expenses comfortably, while in San Jose it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Cartagena costs $1,292 versus $1,938 in San Jose. 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, San Jose makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.