Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cartagena and Sao Paulo

For one person, living costs are similar in Cartagena and in Sao Paulo: $1,292 and $1,235 a month, rent and utilities included.

54

Cost of Living Index in Cartagena
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Cartagena Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Sao Paulo
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Sao Paulo Living Index

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Cartagena

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,292

/mo nomad

Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,235

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cartagena and in Sao Paulo

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

A single person spends $1,292 per month in Cartagena vs $1,235 in Sao Paulo, rent included.

Cartagena $1,292
Sao Paulo $1,235

A couple spends around $2,165 per month in Cartagena vs $2,073 in Sao Paulo, rent included.

Cartagena $2,165
Sao Paulo $2,073

A family of three spends $3,039 per month in Cartagena vs $2,911 in Sao Paulo, rent included.

Cartagena $3,039
Sao Paulo $2,911

Cartagena costs about 5% more than Sao Paulo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Cartagena and Sao Paulo are more affordable than the global median – Cartagena 4% lower, Sao Paulo 9% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.87 COP 18.6K

$8.81 R$44.68

-33.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$143 COP 453.5K

$49.37 R$250

189.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.37 COP 32.9K

$8.80 R$44.63

17.84%

Cappuccino

$4.26 COP 13.5K

$2.49 R$12.63

71.08%

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

$2.54 COP 8,063

$1.42 R$7.19

78.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 COP 7,478

$0.85 R$4.31

177.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.26 COP 10.3K

$2.98 R$15.11

9.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.96 COP 15.7K

$4.34 R$22.02

14.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.91 COP 6,053

$1.24 R$6.28

54.03%

White Bread (500g)

$2.74 COP 8,692

$1.91 R$9.66

43.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.45 COP 4,610

$1.43 R$7.25

1.40%

Eggs

$5.06 COP 16.0K

$2.81 R$14.23

80.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.13 COP 41.6K

$12.74 R$64.6

3.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.37 COP 55.1K

$5.41 R$27.44

221.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.64 R$54.0

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 R$13.95

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 R$9.19

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 R$8.27

Tomato (1kg)

$2.00 R$10.16

Potato (1kg)

$1.40 R$7.10

Onion (1kg)

$1.27 R$6.43

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 R$6.47

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.99 COP 6,304

$0.95 R$4.83

109.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.99 R$15.15

Wine (Bottle)

$14.64 COP 46.4K

$9.96 R$50.5

46.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.40 COP 4,436

$1.85 R$9.37

-24.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 R$12.90

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.25 COP 3,972

$1.09 R$5.50

14.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$58.4 COP 185.2K

$48.78 R$247

19.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.74 COP 15.0K

$1.85 R$9.39

156.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.68 COP 11.7K

$0.99 R$4.99

271.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.49 COP 30.1K

$10.29 R$52.2

-7.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 COP 4,251

$1.34 R$6.78

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

$23.4K COP 74.1M

$24.4K R$123.8K

-4.27%

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

$34.4K COP 109.2M

$33.9K R$172.1K

1.46%

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

$78.4 COP 248.6K

$104 R$529

-24.92%

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

$16.71 R$84.7

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.18 R$112

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$91.7 COP 290.8K

$35.82 R$182

156.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$47.28 R$240

Cinema Ticket

$8.02 COP 25.4K

$10.06 R$51.0

-20.28%

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

$630 COP 2.0M

$579 R$2,936

8.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,818 COP 18.4M

$17.1K R$86.6K

-65.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.7 R$333

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.0 R$309

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 R$509

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.1 R$467

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,035 COP 3.3M

$659 R$3,341

57.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$585 COP 1.9M

$428 R$2,170

36.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,287 COP 7.3M

$1,515 R$7,678

51.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$944 COP 3.0M

$1,026 R$5,201

-7.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,773 R$14.1K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$924 COP 2.9M

$2,007 R$10.2K

-53.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$467 COP 1.5M

$909 R$4,609

-48.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.68

28.42%

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

Last update for Cartagena: October 11, 2026

Last update for Sao Paulo: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cartagena

$585 45.3%

Sao Paulo

$428 34.7% 26.9% $157

Groceries & Markets

Cartagena

$259 * 20%

Sao Paulo

$244 19.8% 5.7% $15

Eating Out

Cartagena

$175 13.5%

Sao Paulo

$159 12.9% 8.8% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Cartagena

$108 8.3%

Sao Paulo

$56 4.5% 48.1% $52

Getting Around

Cartagena

$87 6.7%

Sao Paulo

$60 4.9% 30.8% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cartagena

$78 * 6.1%

Sao Paulo

$143 11.6% 82.8% $65

Clothing & Footwear

Cartagena

- * 0%

Sao Paulo

$144 11.6%

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 $659 in Sao Paulo. 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 95% higher in Sao Paulo, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $143 in Cartagena versus $49.00 in Sao Paulo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $259 vs $244 – making Sao Paulo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Cartagena

🇧🇷 Sao Paulo

🕒 Local time

09:47 9:47 AM

11:47 11:47 AM

2 h ahead of Cartagena

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,028,736

11,451,999

💱 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 Sao Paulo 4,910 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Cartagena
Sao Paulo

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 Sao Paulo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cartagena costs about 5% more than Sao Paulo, 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 $1,852 in Sao Paulo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sao Paulo, 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 $579 in Sao Paulo. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 6% more in Cartagena, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Sao Paulo, where all-in costs run around $1,235, than in Cartagena at $1,292. In Sao Paulo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cartagena it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Sao Paulo costs $1,235 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 Sao Paulo. 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.