Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cartago, Colombia and Austin, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in Cartago: $1,322 a month against $2,689 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $16,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

63

Cost of Living Index in Cartago
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Cartago Living Index
128

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index

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Cartago

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,322

/mo nomad

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,689

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cartago and in Austin, TX

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Cartago and in Austin, TX actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,322 in Cartago versus $2,689 in Austin, TX.

Cartago $1,322
Austin, TX $2,689

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,013 in Cartago versus $4,112 in Austin, TX.

Cartago $2,013
Austin, TX $4,112

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,703 in Cartago versus $5,534 in Austin, TX.

Cartago $2,703
Austin, TX $5,534

Living in Cartago costs roughly 51% less than in Austin, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cartago is 2% below, Austin, TX is 99% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.22 COP 16.8K

$21.34 $21.34

-75.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.1 COP 184.3K

$87.9 $87.9

-35.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.37 COP 20.6K

$12.44 $12.44

-48.79%

Cappuccino

$3.05 COP 9,838

$5.60 $5.60

-45.54%

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

$2.45 COP 7,908

$3.65 $3.65

-32.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 COP 7,339

$2.39 $2.39

-5.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.55 COP 11.4K

$7.82 $7.82

-54.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 COP 11.7K

$8.75 $8.75

-58.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 COP 5,408

$1.12 $1.12

49.11%

White Bread (500g)

$1.80 COP 5,799

$3.62 $3.62

-50.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 COP 5,619

$3.50 $3.50

-50.29%

Eggs

$3.16 COP 10.2K

$4.45 $4.45

-28.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.12 COP 29.5K

$13.18 $13.18

-30.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.32 COP 30.1K

$13.94 $13.94

-33.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.27 COP 36.4K

$16.46 $16.46

-31.53%

Apples (1kg)

$3.76 COP 12.1K

$4.73 $4.73

-20.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 COP 4,011

$1.50 $1.50

-17.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.38 COP 4,445

$4.64 $4.64

-70.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.91 COP 6,170

$4.52 $4.52

-57.74%

Potato (1kg)

$1.67 COP 5,405

$2.55 $2.55

-34.51%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 COP 5,292

$2.39 $2.39

-31.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.96 COP 3,084

$1.84 $1.84

-47.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 COP 2,969

$2.13 $2.13

-56.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.36 COP 14.1K

$10.05 $10.05

-56.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.90 COP 54.6K

$14.88 $14.88

13.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.52 COP 4,896

$2.82 $2.82

-46.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.91 COP 6,162

$3.29 $3.29

-41.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.11 COP 3,597

$1.23 $1.23

-9.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.8 COP 212.3K

$41.43 $41.43

58.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.14 COP 3,674

$2.68 $2.68

-57.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 COP 1,827

$1.63 $1.63

-65.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.33 COP 10.7K

$35.20 $35.20

-90.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 COP 4,378

$0.98 $0.98

38.78%

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

$34.7K COP 112.1M

$34.4K $34.4K

1.01%

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

$34.9K COP 112.8M

$26.8K $26.8K

30.30%

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

$101 COP 326.1K

$252 $252

-59.97%

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

$15.19 COP 49.1K

$59.8 $59.8

-74.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.03 COP 87.3K

$69.7 $69.7

-61.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.99 COP 122.7K

$60.4 $60.4

-37.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.14 $18.14

Cinema Ticket

$5.18 COP 16.7K

$13.75 $13.75

-62.33%

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

$416 COP 1.3M

$1,458 $1,458

-71.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K COP 37.3M

$26.6K $26.6K

-56.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$82.1 COP 265.0K

$52.6 $52.6

55.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 COP 141.5K

$45.76 $45.76

-4.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 COP 372.4K

$85.5 $85.5

34.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 COP 325.3K

$106 $106

-4.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$718 COP 2.3M

$2,195 $2,195

-67.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$490 COP 1.6M

$1,269 $1,269

-61.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,427 COP 4.6M

$4,000 $4,000

-64.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$780 COP 2.5M

$2,406 $2,406

-67.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,259 COP 7.3M

$7,381 $7,381

-69.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,786 COP 5.8M

$2,964 $2,964

-39.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,043 $5,043

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.88

6.82

103.52%

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

Last update for Cartago: November 1, 2026

Last update for Austin, TX: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cartago

$490 37%

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.2% 159% $779

Groceries & Markets

Cartago

$272 20.6%

Austin, TX

$407 15.2% 49.9% $136

Clothing & Footwear

Cartago

$154 11.6%

Austin, TX

$130 4.9% 15.3% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cartago

$143 10.8%

Austin, TX

$382 14.2% 167% $239

Eating Out

Cartago

$141 10.7%

Austin, TX

$356 13.2% 152% $215

Getting Around

Cartago

$74 5.6%

Austin, TX

$57 2.1% 22.9% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Cartago

$48 3.7%

Austin, TX

$88 3.3% 81.7% $40

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $718 in Cartago and $2,195 in Austin, TX. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $57 in Cartago vs $88 in Austin, TX for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $407 per month, with Cartago cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Cartago

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🕒 Local time

08:46 8:46 AM

07:46 7:46 AM

1 h behind Cartago

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

135,365

974,447

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,627 COP (10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cartago Austin, TX 3,650 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Cartago
Austin, TX

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

Cartago vs Austin, TX: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cartago wins on cost – living expenses run 51% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Cartago the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $1,983 in Cartago and $4,034 in Austin, TX to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $718 in Cartago versus $2,195 in Austin, TX. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,322 per month in Cartago versus $2,689 in Austin, TX – Cartago is about 51% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Austin, TX runs roughly 37% less than in Cartago. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $1,322 in Cartago versus $2,689 in Austin, TX, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cartago but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Cartago the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.