Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Cartagena

For one person, living is cheaper in Cartagena: $1,427 a month against $3,986 in London, rent and utilities included – about $30,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

194

Cost of Living Index in London
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London Living Index
69

Cost of Living Index in Cartagena
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Cartagena Living Index

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London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$3,986

/mo nomad

Cartagena

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,427

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in London 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 London and in Cartagena actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,986 in London versus $1,427 in Cartagena.

London $3,986
Cartagena $1,427

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,791 in London versus $2,095 in Cartagena.

London $5,791
Cartagena $2,095

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,595 in London versus $2,762 in Cartagena.

London $7,595
Cartagena $2,762

Living in London is roughly 179% more expensive than in Cartagena, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: London 195% above, Cartagena 6% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.93 £19.45

$13.84 €12.31

87.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$107 £79.9

$55.0 €48.90

93.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.71 £8.03

$7.60 €6.76

40.92%

Cappuccino

$5.47 £4.11

$2.56 €2.27

113.67%

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

$2.97 £2.23

$2.45 €2.18

21.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 £1.65

$1.84 €1.64

19.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.13 £6.85

$3.43 €3.05

166.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.94 £5.96

$3.98 €3.54

99.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 £1.40

$1.21 €1.07

53.72%

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 £1.55

$1.18 €1.05

75.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 £1.81

$2.55 €2.26

-5.10%

Eggs

$5.09 £3.82

$3.96 €3.52

28.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.87 £9.66

$12.91 €11.48

-0.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.43 £7.82

$6.94 €6.18

50.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.87 £12.66

$18.67 €16.60

-9.64%

Apples (1kg)

$3.11 £2.33

$2.39 €2.13

30.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.40 £1.05

$2.52 €2.24

-44.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.08 £2.31

$1.61 €1.43

91.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.27 £2.45

$3.09 €2.75

5.83%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 £1.19

$1.25 €1.11

26.40%

Onion (1kg)

$1.74 £1.31

$1.24 €1.10

40.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.40 £1.05

$1.57 €1.40

-10.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 £1.35

$0.69 €0.62

160.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.28 £17.46

$5.64 €5.02

312.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 £9.77

$6.24 €5.55

108.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.17 £2.38

$1.25 €1.11

153.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.42 £3.32

$1.13 €1.00

291.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.07 £3.05

$1.43 €1.27

184.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$247 £185

$11.14 €9.91

2115.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.58 £4.18

$5.50 €4.90

1.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.36 £2.52

$2.25 €2.00

49.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$56.8 £42.57

$27.49 €24.45

106.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 £1.60

$1.77 €1.58

20.34%

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

$38.2K £28.6K

$35.1K €31.2K

8.77%

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

$40.9K £30.7K

$30.2K €26.8K

35.62%

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

$372 £279

$210 €187

77.19%

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

$17.82 £13.37

$19.74 €17.56

-9.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.37 £30.29

$28.70 €25.53

40.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.0 £44.99

$41.14 €36.59

45.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.29 £15.97

$12.80 €11.39

66.33%

Cinema Ticket

$17.74 £13.31

$7.70 €6.85

130.39%

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

$2,864 £2,149

$416 €370

588.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.3K £26.5K

$2,726 €2,425

1195.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$114 £85.5

$47.17 €41.96

141.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.3 £40.71

$35.38 €31.47

53.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$124 £93.2

$61.1 €54.3

103.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$163 £122

$101 €89.7

61.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,869 £2,152

$591 €525

385.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,233 £1,675

$492 €438

353.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,266 £3,950

$836 €743

530.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,778 £2,834

$708 €630

433.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.3K £13.8K

$1,770 €1,574

935.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,024 £6,019

$1,433 €1,275

459.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,037 £3,778

$1,720 €1,530

192.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.74

4.06

16.75%

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

Last update for London: October 10, 2026

Last update for Cartagena: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

London

$2.2K 56%

Cartagena

$492 34.5% 78% $1.7K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

London

$430 10.8%

Cartagena

$258 18.1% 39.9% $172

Eating Out

London

$388 9.7%

Cartagena

$206 14.5% 46.7% $181

Groceries & Markets

London

$349 8.8%

Cartagena

$270 18.9% 22.7% $79

Getting Around

London

$285 7.2%

Cartagena

$34 2.4% 88.2% $252

Clothing & Footwear

London

$205 5.1%

Cartagena

$110 7.7% 46.3% $95

Sport & Entertainment

London

$95 2.4%

Cartagena

$57 4% 40.8% $39

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,869 in London and $591 in Cartagena. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

London pays 193% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $107 in London vs $55.0 in Cartagena for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $349 vs $270 per month, with Cartagena cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇧 London

🇪🇸 Cartagena

🕒 Local time

00:55 12:55 AM

01:55 1:55 AM

1 h ahead of London

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,908,083 Capital

218,050

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

London Cartagena 1,550 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

London
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

London vs Cartagena: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cartagena wins on cost – living expenses run 179% lower than in London. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Cartagena the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 193% higher in London, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,869 in London versus $591 in Cartagena. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Cartagena – a meal for two runs $55.0 versus $107 in London. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $3,986 per month in London versus $1,427 in Cartagena – a 179% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,427 in Cartagena versus $3,986 in London, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Cartagena but tight or insufficient in London. The gap between the two cities makes Cartagena the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Cartagena delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,427 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Cartagena hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, London and Cartagena are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Cartagena gentler on the wallet – expenses run 179% less than in London. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.