Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cartago and Cordoba

For one person, living is cheaper in Cartago: $1,281 a month against $1,368 in Cordoba, rent and utilities included – about $1,000 less a year. The total is higher in Cordoba despite lower rent and utilities.

60

Cost of Living Index in Cartago
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Cartago Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Cordoba
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Cordoba Living Index

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Cartago

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,281

/mo nomad

Cordoba

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,368

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cartago and in Cordoba

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

A single person spends $1,281 per month in Cartago vs $1,368 in Cordoba, rent included.

Cartago $1,281
Cordoba $1,368

A couple spends around $1,972 per month in Cartago vs $2,259 in Cordoba, rent included.

Cartago $1,972
Cordoba $2,259

A family of three spends $2,663 per month in Cartago vs $3,150 in Cordoba, rent included.

Cartago $2,663
Cordoba $3,150

Cartago is about 6% cheaper than Cordoba, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Cartago sits 5% below the global median, while Cordoba is 1% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.58 COP 24.1K

$13.43 ARS 20.3K

-43.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.20 COP 118.3K

$54.9 ARS 83.0K

-32.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.47 COP 26.9K

$13.03 ARS 19.7K

-35.00%

Cappuccino

$1.54 COP 4,884

$3.59 ARS 5,431

-57.10%

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

$1.28 COP 4,063

$2.55 ARS 3,860

-49.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 COP 2,634

$2.11 ARS 3,189

-60.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.10 COP 9,869

$3.38 ARS 5,117

-8.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 COP 11.7K

$3.78 ARS 5,712

-3.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.60 COP 5,088

$1.68 ARS 2,546

-4.76%

White Bread (500g)

$1.88 COP 5,973

$2.76 ARS 4,181

-31.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.49 COP 4,751

$2.06 ARS 3,113

-27.67%

Eggs

$2.93 COP 9,334

$2.38 ARS 3,598

23.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.58 COP 20.9K

$10.06 ARS 15.2K

-34.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.11 COP 22.6K

$8.02 ARS 12.1K

-11.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.93 COP 31.6K

$11.62 ARS 17.6K

-14.54%

Apples (1kg)

$3.57 COP 11.4K

$2.44 ARS 3,693

46.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.32 COP 4,200

$2.28 ARS 3,452

-42.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.74 COP 5,530

$1.61 ARS 2,428

8.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.63 COP 5,184

$2.91 ARS 4,406

-43.99%

Potato (1kg)

$1.42 COP 4,522

$1.18 ARS 1,789

20.34%

Onion (1kg)

$1.50 COP 4,758

$1.34 ARS 2,034

11.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 COP 3,443

$1.23 ARS 1,856

-12.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 COP 3,261

$1.76 ARS 2,660

-41.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.69 COP 11.7K

$5.10 ARS 7,711

-27.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.12 COP 41.7K

$4.86 ARS 7,350

169.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 COP 4,756

$2.26 ARS 3,414

-33.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.45 COP 7,794

$3.64 ARS 5,502

-32.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.02 COP 3,244

$1.27 ARS 1,915

-19.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$55.5 ARS 83.9K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.79 COP 2,524

$1.28 ARS 1,944

-38.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.27 COP 7,230

$1.95 ARS 2,949

16.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.40 COP 26.7K

$7.18 ARS 10.9K

16.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 COP 4,211

$1.16 ARS 1,752

13.79%

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

$28.0K COP 89.1M

$35.6K ARS 53.9M

-21.33%

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

$34.6K COP 110.2M

$35.2K ARS 53.2M

-1.49%

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

$110 COP 349.3K

$162 ARS 245.0K

-32.16%

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

$13.23 COP 42.1K

$17.47 ARS 26.4K

-24.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.26 COP 96.2K

$31.87 ARS 48.2K

-5.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.32 COP 134.6K

$28.21 ARS 42.7K

50.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.72 ARS 34.4K

Cinema Ticket

$8.24 COP 26.2K

$9.91 ARS 15.0K

-16.85%

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

$701 COP 2.2M

$218 ARS 329.8K

221.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,430 COP 20.5M

$4,059 ARS 6.1M

58.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$77.8 COP 247.3K

$125 ARS 189.5K

-37.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.1 COP 175.4K

$105 ARS 158.3K

-47.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 COP 403.0K

$139 ARS 210.7K

-9.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 COP 351.7K

$134 ARS 202.7K

-17.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$645 COP 2.1M

$483 ARS 730.3K

33.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 COP 1.6M

$304 ARS 459.2K

67.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,041 COP 3.3M

$986 ARS 1.5M

5.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$970 COP 3.1M

$784 ARS 1.2M

23.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,999 COP 6.4M

$2,807 ARS 4.2M

-28.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,803 COP 5.7M

$1,613 ARS 2.4M

11.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$658 ARS 995.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.58

48.5

-76.12%

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

Last update for Cartago: October 11, 2026

Last update for Cordoba: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cartago

$509 39.7%

Cordoba

$304 22.2% 40.4% $205

Groceries & Markets

Cartago

$241 18.8%

Cordoba

$275 20.1% 14% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Cartago

$167 13%

Cordoba

$226 16.6% 35.9% $60

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cartago

$153 12%

Cordoba

$211 15.4% 37.8% $58

Eating Out

Cartago

$136 10.6%

Cordoba

$233 17% 71.5% $97

Sport & Entertainment

Cartago

$59 4.6%

Cordoba

$48 3.5% 18.3% $11

Getting Around

Cartago

$16 * 1.3%

Cordoba

$72 5.2% 341% $55

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $645 in Cartago versus $483 in Cordoba. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $37.00 in Cartago versus $55.0 in Cordoba. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $241 vs $275 – making Cartago the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Cartago

🇦🇷 Cordoba

🕒 Local time

04:35 4:35 AM

06:35 6:35 AM

2 h ahead of Cartago

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

135,365

1,655,481

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.14 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.61 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.9 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ARS, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 3,181 COP (10,000 COP = 3.14 USD). 1 EUR = 3,562 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 1,513 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.61 USD). 1 EUR = 1,694 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.9 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cartago Cordoba 4,210 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Cartago
Cordoba

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 Cordoba: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Cordoba is pricier by about 7%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,921 per month in Cartago and $2,052 in Cordoba. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cartago, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,281 in Cartago and $1,368 in Cordoba. That's a gap of about 7%.

Kindergarten costs $701 per month in Cartago and $218 in Cordoba. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Cartago, where all-in costs run around $1,281, than in Cordoba at $1,368. In Cartago it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cordoba it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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