Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cartago and Rio de Janeiro

For one person, living costs are similar in Cartago and in Rio de Janeiro: $1,281 and $1,289 a month, rent and utilities included.

60

Cost of Living Index in Cartago
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Cartago Living Index
63

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
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Rio de Janeiro Living Index

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Cartago

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,281

/mo nomad

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,289

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cartago and in Rio de Janeiro

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 Rio de Janeiro actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,281 per month in Cartago vs $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro, rent included.

Cartago $1,281
Rio de Janeiro $1,289

A couple spends around $1,972 per month in Cartago vs $1,868 in Rio de Janeiro, rent included.

Cartago $1,972
Rio de Janeiro $1,868

A family of three spends $2,663 per month in Cartago vs $2,448 in Rio de Janeiro, rent included.

Cartago $2,663
Rio de Janeiro $2,448

Cartago is about 1% cheaper than Rio de Janeiro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Cartago and Rio de Janeiro are more affordable than the global median – Cartago 5% lower, Rio de Janeiro 5% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.58 COP 24.1K

$10.06 R$50.8

-24.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.20 COP 118.3K

$40.44 R$204

-8.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.47 COP 26.9K

$8.55 R$43.16

-0.94%

Cappuccino

$1.54 COP 4,884

$2.38 R$11.99

-35.29%

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

$1.28 COP 4,063

$1.61 R$8.14

-20.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 COP 2,634

$1.03 R$5.20

-19.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.10 COP 9,869

$2.47 R$12.49

25.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 COP 11.7K

$3.70 R$18.69

-1.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.60 COP 5,088

$1.19 R$6.03

34.45%

White Bread (500g)

$1.88 COP 5,973

$2.05 R$10.34

-8.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.49 COP 4,751

$1.28 R$6.46

16.41%

Eggs

$2.93 COP 9,334

$2.29 R$11.55

27.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.58 COP 20.9K

$10.76 R$54.3

-38.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.11 COP 22.6K

$4.41 R$22.26

61.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.93 COP 31.6K

$9.84 R$49.65

0.91%

Apples (1kg)

$3.57 COP 11.4K

$2.81 R$14.19

27.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.32 COP 4,200

$1.78 R$8.99

-25.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.74 COP 5,530

$1.60 R$8.10

8.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.63 COP 5,184

$1.80 R$9.07

-9.44%

Potato (1kg)

$1.42 COP 4,522

$1.22 R$6.14

16.39%

Onion (1kg)

$1.50 COP 4,758

$1.04 R$5.24

44.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 COP 3,443

$0.77 R$3.90

40.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 COP 3,261

$0.67 R$3.36

53.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.69 COP 11.7K

$3.01 R$15.21

22.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.12 COP 41.7K

$8.08 R$40.77

62.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 COP 4,756

$1.19 R$6.00

26.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.45 COP 7,794

$2.51 R$12.67

-2.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.02 COP 3,244

$0.99 R$4.98

3.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.1 R$253

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.79 COP 2,524

$1.22 R$6.17

-35.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.27 COP 7,230

$0.92 R$4.64

146.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.40 COP 26.7K

$8.97 R$45.25

-6.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 COP 4,211

$1.30 R$6.55

1.54%

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

$28.0K COP 89.1M

$23.9K R$120.5K

17.39%

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

$34.6K COP 110.2M

$32.9K R$165.9K

5.42%

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

$110 COP 349.3K

$133 R$673

-17.66%

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

$13.23 COP 42.1K

$10.82 R$54.6

22.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.26 COP 96.2K

$22.90 R$116

32.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.32 COP 134.6K

$30.79 R$155

37.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.85 R$161

Cinema Ticket

$8.24 COP 26.2K

$8.05 R$40.65

2.36%

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

$701 COP 2.2M

$598 R$3,016

17.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,430 COP 20.5M

$13.4K R$67.7K

-52.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$77.8 COP 247.3K

$42.04 R$212

84.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.1 COP 175.4K

$49.68 R$251

10.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 COP 403.0K

$74.5 R$376

70.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 COP 351.7K

$68.7 R$347

60.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$645 COP 2.1M

$903 R$4,558

-28.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 COP 1.6M

$529 R$2,672

-3.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,041 COP 3.3M

$1,326 R$6,695

-21.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$970 COP 3.1M

$756 R$3,814

28.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,999 COP 6.4M

$4,010 R$20.2K

-50.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,803 COP 5.7M

$1,560 R$7,875

15.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$640 R$3,228

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.58

11.93

-2.93%

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

Last update for Cartago: October 11, 2026

Last update for Rio de Janeiro: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cartago

$509 39.7%

Rio de Janeiro

$529 41.1% 4% $21

Groceries & Markets

Cartago

$241 18.8%

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7% 10.9% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Cartago

$167 13%

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2% 36.5% $61

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cartago

$153 12%

Rio de Janeiro

$167 13% 9% $14

Eating Out

Cartago

$136 10.6%

Rio de Janeiro

$165 12.8% 21.6% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Cartago

$59 4.6%

Rio de Janeiro

$47 3.6% 20.3% $12

Getting Around

Cartago

$16 * 1.3%

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7% 269% $44

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 $903 in Rio de Janeiro. 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 $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro. Groceries tell a different story – $241 in Cartago vs $215 in Rio de Janeiro – so Rio de Janeiro wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Cartago

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🕒 Local time

04:34 4:34 AM

06:34 6:34 AM

2 h ahead of Cartago

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

135,365

6,211,223

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.14 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

1 BRL = 0.198 USD

1 BRL = 0.177 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, 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).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 5.05 BRL (1 BRL = 0.198 USD). 1 EUR = 5.65 BRL (1 BRL = 0.177 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cartago Rio de Janeiro 4,700 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Cartago
Rio de Janeiro

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 Rio de Janeiro: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Rio de Janeiro is pricier by about 1%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,921 per month in Cartago and $1,933 in Rio de Janeiro. 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 $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro. That's a gap of about 1%.

Kindergarten costs $701 per month in Cartago and $598 in Rio de Janeiro. 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 Rio de Janeiro at $1,289. In Cartago it covers expenses comfortably, while in Rio de Janeiro 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, Rio de Janeiro makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.