Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cartago, Colombia and Calgary

For one person, living is cheaper in Cartago: $1,322 a month against $2,297 in Calgary, rent and utilities included – about $11,700 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
110

Cost of Living Index in Calgary
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Calgary Living Index

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Cartago

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,322

/mo nomad

Calgary

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,297

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cartago and in Calgary

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,322 in Cartago versus $2,297 in Calgary.

Cartago $1,322
Calgary $2,297

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,013 in Cartago versus $3,378 in Calgary.

Cartago $2,013
Calgary $3,378

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,703 in Cartago versus $4,459 in Calgary.

Cartago $2,703
Calgary $4,459

Living in Cartago costs roughly 42% less than in Calgary, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cartago is 2% below, Calgary is 70% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.22 COP 16.8K

$17.94 CA$25.23

-70.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.1 COP 184.3K

$68.9 CA$96.9

-17.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.37 COP 20.6K

$10.94 CA$15.38

-41.77%

Cappuccino

$3.05 COP 9,838

$3.70 CA$5.21

-17.57%

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

$2.45 COP 7,908

$2.07 CA$2.91

18.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 COP 7,339

$2.04 CA$2.87

11.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.55 COP 11.4K

$5.74 CA$8.08

-38.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 COP 11.7K

$5.70 CA$8.02

-36.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 COP 5,408

$1.98 CA$2.78

-15.66%

White Bread (500g)

$1.80 COP 5,799

$2.65 CA$3.72

-32.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 COP 5,619

$5.84 CA$8.21

-70.21%

Eggs

$3.16 COP 10.2K

$3.81 CA$5.36

-17.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.12 COP 29.5K

$10.81 CA$15.20

-15.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.32 COP 30.1K

$11.02 CA$15.50

-15.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.27 COP 36.4K

$17.87 CA$25.14

-36.93%

Apples (1kg)

$3.76 COP 12.1K

$4.88 CA$6.87

-22.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 COP 4,011

$1.45 CA$2.04

-14.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.38 COP 4,445

$4.15 CA$5.84

-66.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.91 COP 6,170

$3.99 CA$5.61

-52.13%

Potato (1kg)

$1.67 COP 5,405

$2.93 CA$4.12

-43.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 COP 5,292

$3.02 CA$4.25

-45.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.96 COP 3,084

$2.67 CA$3.75

-64.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 COP 2,969

$1.57 CA$2.21

-41.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.36 COP 14.1K

$14.11 CA$19.84

-69.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.90 COP 54.6K

$15.45 CA$21.73

9.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.52 COP 4,896

$2.50 CA$3.52

-39.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.91 COP 6,162

$3.18 CA$4.47

-39.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.11 COP 3,597

$2.85 CA$4.00

-61.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.8 COP 212.3K

$90.2 CA$127

-27.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.14 COP 3,674

$3.16 CA$4.45

-63.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 COP 1,827

$1.41 CA$1.98

-59.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.33 COP 10.7K

$27.46 CA$38.62

-87.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 COP 4,378

$1.18 CA$1.66

15.25%

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

$34.7K COP 112.1M

$27.9K CA$39.2K

24.65%

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

$34.9K COP 112.8M

$21.1K CA$29.6K

65.95%

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

$101 COP 326.1K

$182 CA$256

-44.46%

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

$15.19 COP 49.1K

$36.01 CA$50.7

-57.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.03 COP 87.3K

$48.80 CA$68.6

-44.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.99 COP 122.7K

$48.78 CA$68.6

-22.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.15 CA$25.53

Cinema Ticket

$5.18 COP 16.7K

$14.52 CA$20.42

-64.33%

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

$416 COP 1.3M

$542 CA$762

-23.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K COP 37.3M

$21.2K CA$29.8K

-45.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$82.1 COP 265.0K

$59.1 CA$83.1

38.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 COP 141.5K

$42.34 CA$59.5

3.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 COP 372.4K

$94.2 CA$132

22.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 COP 325.3K

$109 CA$153

-7.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$718 COP 2.3M

$1,214 CA$1,707

-40.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$490 COP 1.6M

$1,036 CA$1,457

-52.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,427 COP 4.6M

$2,045 CA$2,876

-30.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$780 COP 2.5M

$1,655 CA$2,327

-52.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,259 COP 7.3M

$3,653 CA$5,137

-38.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,786 COP 5.8M

$3,183 CA$4,476

-43.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,219 CA$4,526

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.88

4.43

213.32%

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

Last update for Cartago: November 1, 2026

Last update for Calgary: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cartago

$490 37%

Calgary

$1K 45.1% 112% $547

Groceries & Markets

Cartago

$272 20.6%

Calgary

$390 17% 43.4% $118

Clothing & Footwear

Cartago

$154 11.6%

Calgary

$137 6% 11% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cartago

$143 10.8%

Calgary

$267 11.6% 86.2% $123

Eating Out

Cartago

$141 10.7%

Calgary

$277 12.1% 96.3% $136

Getting Around

Cartago

$74 5.6%

Calgary

$112 4.9% 50.7% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Cartago

$48 3.7%

Calgary

$78 3.4% 61% $29

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $718 in Cartago and $1,214 in Calgary. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $57 in Cartago vs $69 in Calgary for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $390 per month, with Cartago cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Cartago

🇨🇦 Calgary

🕒 Local time

13:55 1:55 PM

12:55 12:55 PM

1 h behind Cartago

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

135,365

1,267,344

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR

1 CAD = 0.711 USD

1 CAD = 0.633 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 = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,627 COP (10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.711 USD). 1 EUR = 1.58 CAD (1 CAD = 0.633 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

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Between locations

Cartago Calgary 6,240 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Cartago
Calgary

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 Calgary: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cartago is about 42% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,983 in Cartago and $3,445 in Calgary 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 $1,214 in Calgary. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Cartago – a meal for two runs $57 versus $69 in Calgary. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,322 per month in Cartago versus $2,297 in Calgary – Cartago is about 42% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,322 in Cartago versus $2,297 in Calgary, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cartago but tight or insufficient in Calgary. 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.

Expats usually find Cartago gentler on the wallet – expenses run 42% less than in Calgary. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.