Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Cartagena

For one person, living is cheaper in Cartagena: $1,520 a month against $2,206 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $8,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,206

/mo nomad

Cartagena

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,520

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Cartagena

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

A single person spends $2,206 per month in Lisbon vs $1,520 in Cartagena, rent included.

Lisbon $2,206
Cartagena $1,520

A couple spends around $3,276 per month in Lisbon vs $2,565 in Cartagena, rent included.

Lisbon $3,276
Cartagena $2,565

A family of three spends $4,346 per month in Lisbon vs $3,610 in Cartagena, rent included.

Lisbon $4,346
Cartagena $3,610

Lisbon costs about 45% more than Cartagena, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Lisbon and Cartagena sit above the global median – Lisbon by 63%, Cartagena by 12%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.86 €15.08

$5.63 COP 18.2K

199.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.0 €54.6

$142 COP 457.5K

-56.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.98 €9.82

$10.19 COP 32.9K

7.75%

Cappuccino

$3.05 €2.73

$4.44 COP 14.3K

-31.31%

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

$2.28 €2.04

$2.44 COP 7,876

-6.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 €1.50

$2.23 COP 7,198

-24.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.44 €3.07

$3.18 COP 10.3K

8.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 €3.49

$5.06 COP 16.3K

-22.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 €1.03

$1.90 COP 6,121

-39.47%

White Bread (500g)

$1.89 €1.69

$2.78 COP 8,970

-32.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 €1.34

$1.43 COP 4,615

4.90%

Eggs

$4.12 €3.68

$4.96 COP 16.0K

-16.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.01 €11.63

$13.42 COP 43.3K

-3.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.04 €7.19

$17.30 COP 55.9K

-53.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.89 €16.00

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.03

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 €1.56

Oranges (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

Tomato (1kg)

$2.69 €2.40

Potato (1kg)

$1.77 €1.58

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 €1.73

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 €0.68

$2.06 COP 6,639

-63.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.66 €5.95

Wine (Bottle)

$5.64 €5.04

$14.10 COP 45.5K

-60.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 €1.15

$1.39 COP 4,503

-7.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.30 €2.06

$1.25 COP 4,027

84.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.02 €39.36

$67.0 COP 216.1K

-34.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.98 €3.56

$4.65 COP 15.0K

-14.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 €0.57

$3.69 COP 11.9K

-82.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.93 €16.92

$9.53 COP 30.8K

98.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$1.34 COP 4,341

70.15%

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

$33.4K €29.8K

$33.9K COP 109.5M

-1.61%

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

$38.5K €34.4K

$35.0K COP 113.1M

9.94%

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

$158 €141

$79.0 COP 254.9K

100.32%

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

$17.54 €15.68

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.18 €27.89

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.64 €39.92

$54.8 COP 177.0K

-18.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.98 €16.97

Cinema Ticket

$9.58 €8.56

$8.10 COP 26.1K

18.27%

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

$674 €602

$630 COP 2.0M

7.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.7K €16.7K

$12.0K COP 38.6M

56.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.90 €41.04

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 €91.4

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 €109

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,641 €1,467

$1,347 COP 4.3M

21.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,187 €1,062

$842 COP 2.7M

40.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,825 €2,526

$2,468 COP 8.0M

14.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,018 €1,805

$1,580 COP 5.1M

27.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,836 €7,007

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,701 €4,204

$921 COP 3.0M

410.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,687 €1,508

$464 COP 1.5M

263.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.82

-74.53%

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

Last update for Lisbon: November 1, 2026

Last update for Cartagena: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Cartagena

–

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$275 12.5%

Cartagena

–

Eating Out

Lisbon

$245 11.1%

Cartagena

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$207 9.4%

Cartagena

–

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.6%

Cartagena

–

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Cartagena

–

Getting Around

Lisbon

$60 2.7%

Cartagena

–

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,641 in Lisbon versus $1,347 in Cartagena. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Lisbon are about 3.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61 in Lisbon versus $142 in Cartagena. Groceries tell a different story – $275 in Lisbon vs $259 in Cartagena – so Cartagena wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇨🇴 Cartagena

🕒 Local time

16:54 4:54 PM

11:54 11:54 AM

5 h behind Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

1,028,736

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 0.894 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,615 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

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Between locations

Lisbon Cartagena 7,240 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

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Lisbon
Cartagena

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

Lisbon vs Cartagena: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon costs about 45% more than Cartagena, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,309 per month in Lisbon and $2,279 in Cartagena. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cartagena, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,347 there versus $1,641 in Lisbon.

Kindergarten costs $674 per month in Lisbon and $630 in Cartagena. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 6% more in Lisbon, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,206 in Lisbon and $1,520 in Cartagena. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Cartagena costs $1,520 versus $2,206 in Lisbon. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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