Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cartagena and Vancouver

For one person, living is cheaper in Cartagena: $1,520 a month against $2,683 in Vancouver, rent and utilities included – about $14,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Vancouver
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Vancouver Living Index

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Cartagena

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,520

/mo nomad

Vancouver

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,683

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cartagena and in Vancouver

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

A single person spends $1,520 per month in Cartagena vs $2,683 in Vancouver, rent included.

Cartagena $1,520
Vancouver $2,683

A couple spends around $2,565 per month in Cartagena vs $3,963 in Vancouver, rent included.

Cartagena $2,565
Vancouver $3,963

A family of three spends $3,610 per month in Cartagena vs $5,244 in Vancouver, rent included.

Cartagena $3,610
Vancouver $5,244

Cartagena is about 43% cheaper than Vancouver, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Cartagena and Vancouver sit above the global median – Cartagena by 12%, Vancouver by 98%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.63 COP 18.2K

$18.10 CA$25.37

-68.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$142 COP 457.7K

$71.0 CA$99.5

99.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$10.57 CA$14.81

-3.60%

Cappuccino

$4.44 COP 14.3K

$3.97 CA$5.56

11.84%

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

$2.44 COP 7,880

$2.07 CA$2.90

17.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.23 COP 7,202

$1.85 CA$2.59

20.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.3K

$5.67 CA$7.95

-43.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.06 COP 16.3K

$6.61 CA$9.27

-23.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.90 COP 6,124

$2.16 CA$3.02

-12.04%

White Bread (500g)

$2.78 COP 8,974

$2.58 CA$3.62

7.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.43 COP 4,617

$4.30 CA$6.02

-66.74%

Eggs

$4.96 COP 16.0K

$4.09 CA$5.74

21.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.42 COP 43.4K

$12.12 CA$16.98

10.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.30 COP 55.9K

$13.28 CA$18.62

30.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.11 CA$28.19

Apples (1kg)

$3.96 CA$5.56

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 CA$2.00

Oranges (1kg)

$3.71 CA$5.20

Tomato (1kg)

$3.92 CA$5.50

Potato (1kg)

$2.87 CA$4.02

Onion (1kg)

$2.98 CA$4.17

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.61 CA$3.66

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.06 COP 6,642

$1.63 CA$2.29

26.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$15.94 CA$22.35

Wine (Bottle)

$14.10 COP 45.6K

$14.25 CA$19.97

-1.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 COP 4,505

$2.52 CA$3.54

-44.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.87 CA$4.03

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.25 COP 4,029

$2.57 CA$3.60

-51.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.0 COP 216.2K

$84.4 CA$118

-20.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.65 COP 15.0K

$2.74 CA$3.85

69.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.69 COP 11.9K

$1.63 CA$2.28

126.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.53 COP 30.8K

$31.90 CA$44.71

-70.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 COP 4,344

$1.46 CA$2.04

-8.22%

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

$33.9K COP 109.6M

$26.7K CA$37.4K

27.00%

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

$35.0K COP 113.1M

$21.0K CA$29.5K

66.56%

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

$79.0 COP 255.1K

$88.2 CA$124

-10.51%

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

$36.72 CA$51.5

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.81 CA$69.8

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.8 COP 177.1K

$45.34 CA$63.6

20.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.13 CA$17.00

Cinema Ticket

$8.10 COP 26.2K

$12.55 CA$17.59

-35.46%

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

$630 COP 2.0M

$1,055 CA$1,479

-40.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.0K COP 38.6M

$28.5K CA$39.9K

-58.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.4 CA$79.1

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.37 CA$48.18

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.8 CA$126

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.3 CA$132

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,347 COP 4.4M

$1,738 CA$2,436

-22.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$842 COP 2.7M

$1,528 CA$2,143

-44.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,468 COP 8.0M

$3,107 CA$4,355

-20.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,580 COP 5.1M

$2,547 CA$3,570

-37.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,540 CA$12.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$921 COP 3.0M

$6,328 CA$8,870

-85.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$464 COP 1.5M

$3,770 CA$5,284

-87.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.24

253.77%

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

Last update for Cartagena: November 2, 2026

Last update for Vancouver: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cartagena

–

Vancouver

$1.5K 57%

Groceries & Markets

Cartagena

–

Vancouver

$398 14.9%

Eating Out

Cartagena

–

Vancouver

$281 10.5%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cartagena

–

Vancouver

$175 6.5%

Clothing & Footwear

Cartagena

–

Vancouver

$124 4.6%

Getting Around

Cartagena

–

Vancouver

$106 3.9%

Sport & Entertainment

Cartagena

–

Vancouver

$70 2.6%

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,347 in Cartagena versus $1,738 in Vancouver. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Vancouver are about 8.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $142 in Cartagena versus $71 in Vancouver. Groceries tell a different story – $259 in Cartagena vs $398 in Vancouver – so Cartagena wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Cartagena

🇨🇦 Vancouver

🕒 Local time

13:00 1:00 PM

11:00 11:00 AM

2 h behind Cartagena

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,028,736

631,486

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR

1 CAD = 0.713 USD

1 CAD = 0.635 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 November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 3,230 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,628 COP (10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.713 USD). 1 EUR = 1.57 CAD (1 CAD = 0.635 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cartagena Vancouver 6,140 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Cartagena
Vancouver

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 Vancouver: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Vancouver costs about 77% more than Cartagena, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. 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 $4,024 in Vancouver. 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,347 there versus $1,738 in Vancouver.

Kindergarten costs $630 per month in Cartagena and $1,055 in Vancouver. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 54% more in Vancouver, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,520 in Cartagena and $2,683 in Vancouver. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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

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