Cost of Living Comparison Between Cartago and Bucaramanga Cost of Living Comparison Between Cartago and Bucaramanga

🙂 Solo nomad: Cartago is 8.9% cheaper than Bucaramanga without rent, and 5.3% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Cartago is 17.9% more expensive than Bucaramanga without rent, and 7.1% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Cartago
Bucaramanga
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.70 COP 13.9K
$3.07 COP 11.5K
20.52%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$28.90 COP 108.7K
$19.31 COP 72.6K
49.66%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.42 COP 27.9K
$6.63 COP 24.9K
11.92%
Cappuccino
$1.55 COP 5,838
$1.35 COP 5,069
14.81%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.87 COP 3,288
$0.72 COP 2,698
20.83%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.55 COP 2,085
$0.56 COP 2,088
-1.79%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.04 COP 3,924
$1.40 COP 5,280
-25.71%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.47 COP 9,286
$2.03 COP 7,624
21.67%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Cartago
Bucaramanga
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.23 COP 4,612
$1.23 COP 4,612
-
White Bread (500g)
$1.46 COP 5,495
$1.11 COP 4,161
31.53%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.21 COP 4,548
$1.25 COP 4,685
-3.20%
Eggs
$2.48 COP 9,321
$2.26 COP 8,485
9.73%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$4.19 COP 15.8K
$4.22 COP 15.9K
-0.71%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.45 COP 20.5K
$5.83 COP 21.9K
-6.52%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$7.41 COP 27.9K
$7.29 COP 27.4K
1.65%
Apples (1kg)
$2.40 COP 9,018
$2.59 COP 9,724
-7.34%
Banana (1kg)
$0.98 COP 3,696
$1.18 COP 4,426
-16.95%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.20 COP 4,516
$0.89 COP 3,353
34.83%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.27 COP 4,772
$0.91 COP 3,429
39.56%
Potato (1kg)
$0.83 COP 3,107
$1.18 COP 4,451
-29.66%
Onion (1kg)
$1.11 COP 4,156
$0.95 COP 3,572
16.84%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.76 COP 2,850
$0.92 COP 3,446
-17.39%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.65 COP 2,461
$0.79 COP 2,970
-17.72%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.89 COP 10.9K
$1.74 COP 6,555
66.09%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.83 COP 40.7K
$7.71 COP 29.0K
40.47%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.11 COP 4,182
$0.78 COP 2,933
42.31%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.85 COP 6,960
$1.57 COP 5,886
17.83%
🚌 Getting Around
Cartago
Bucaramanga
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.69 COP 2,587
$0.69 COP 2,591
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$38.35 COP 144.2K
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.54 COP 5,775
$1.76 COP 6,633
-12.50%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.96 COP 7,359
$1.54 COP 5,775
27.27%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$9.96 COP 37.4K
$5.93 COP 22.3K
67.96%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.95 COP 3,567
$1.01 COP 3,781
-5.94%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.7K COP 81.7M
$19.3K COP 72.7M
12.31%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$29.7K COP 111.8M
$28.1K COP 105.8M
5.63%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cartago
Bucaramanga
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$83.0 COP 312.2K
$74.4 COP 279.9K
11.54%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$8.88 COP 33.4K
$8.96 COP 33.7K
-0.89%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$24.19 COP 91.0K
$20.58 COP 77.4K
17.54%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Cartago
Bucaramanga
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$23.62 COP 88.8K
$23.37 COP 87.9K
1.07%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$15.97 COP 60.0K
-
Cinema Ticket
$4.94 COP 18.6K
$3.79 COP 14.3K
30.34%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Cartago
Bucaramanga
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$228 COP 858.2K
$236 COP 886.8K
-3.23%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,962 COP 22.4M
$2,405 COP 9.0M
147.89%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Cartago
Bucaramanga
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$63.8 COP 239.8K
$63.9 COP 240.3K
-0.20%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$44.68 COP 168.0K
$32.17 COP 121.0K
38.89%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$76.4 COP 287.2K
$84.7 COP 318.3K
-9.79%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$91.0 COP 342.1K
$38.67 COP 145.4K
135.27%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Cartago
Bucaramanga
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$288 COP 1.1M
$291 COP 1.1M
-0.97%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$243 COP 913.1K
$235 COP 883.3K
3.37%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$537 COP 2.0M
$481 COP 1.8M
11.63%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$426 COP 1.6M
$378 COP 1.4M
12.64%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,495 COP 5.6M
$1,263 COP 4.7M
18.44%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,363 COP 5.1M
$1,369 COP 5.1M
-0.43%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Cartago
Bucaramanga
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$310 COP 1.2M
$479 COP 1.8M
-35.39%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.58
15.25
-24.07%

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

Last update for Cartago: March 3, 2026

Last update for Bucaramanga: March 2, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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