Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Louvain-la-Neuve and Cartagena

For one person, living is cheaper in Cartagena: $1,436 a month against $2,209 in Louvain-la-Neuve, rent and utilities included – about $9,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Louvain-la-Neuve
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Louvain-la-Neuve Living Index

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Louvain-la-Neuve

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,209

/mo nomad

Cartagena

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,436

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,209 per month in Louvain-la-Neuve vs $1,436 in Cartagena, rent included.

Louvain-la-Neuve $2,209
Cartagena $1,436

A couple spends around $3,348 per month in Louvain-la-Neuve vs $2,531 in Cartagena, rent included.

Louvain-la-Neuve $3,348
Cartagena $2,531

A family of three spends $4,487 per month in Louvain-la-Neuve vs $3,626 in Cartagena, rent included.

Louvain-la-Neuve $4,487
Cartagena $3,626

Louvain-la-Neuve costs about 54% more than Cartagena, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Louvain-la-Neuve and Cartagena sit above the global median – Louvain-la-Neuve by 62%, Cartagena by 6%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.23 €17.28

$5.80 COP 18.3K

231.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$88.7 €79.7

$139 COP 437.1K

-36.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.79 €12.38

$10.04 COP 31.6K

37.35%

Cappuccino

$4.30 €3.86

$4.36 COP 13.7K

-1.38%

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

$3.64 €3.27

$2.55 COP 8,035

42.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 €2.77

$2.36 COP 7,434

30.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.53 €4.97

$3.24 COP 10.2K

70.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 €3.91

$4.92 COP 15.5K

-11.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 €1.06

$1.92 COP 6,053

-38.54%

White Bread (500g)

$2.70 €2.42

$2.86 COP 9,004

-5.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.83 €2.55

$1.49 COP 4,673

89.93%

Eggs

$3.79 €3.40

$5.02 COP 15.8K

-24.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.46 €16.58

$13.24 COP 41.7K

39.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.57 €10.40

$17.33 COP 54.5K

-33.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.31 €17.35

Apples (1kg)

$3.13 €2.81

Banana (1kg)

$2.37 €2.13

Oranges (1kg)

$2.85 €2.56

Tomato (1kg)

$4.01 €3.60

Potato (1kg)

$2.31 €2.08

Onion (1kg)

$2.17 €1.95

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.72 €1.54

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 €0.98

$2.05 COP 6,453

-46.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.40 €8.44

Wine (Bottle)

$7.96 €7.15

$14.43 COP 45.4K

-44.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.47 €2.22

$1.41 COP 4,424

75.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.13 €2.81

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.96 €5.36

$1.24 COP 3,906

380.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$55.3 €49.71

$66.1 COP 207.9K

-16.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.86 €2.57

$4.74 COP 14.9K

-39.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.35 €2.11

$3.75 COP 11.8K

-37.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.55 €14.87

$9.54 COP 30.0K

73.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.97 €1.77

$1.34 COP 4,221

47.01%

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

$35.2K €31.6K

$34.2K COP 107.5M

2.99%

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

$36.7K €33.0K

$35.0K COP 110.1M

4.95%

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

$283 €254

$79.2 COP 249.3K

256.85%

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

$21.01 €18.87

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.7 €53.6

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.31 €25.43

$56.3 COP 177.2K

-49.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.11 €15.37

Cinema Ticket

$14.07 €12.64

$7.98 COP 25.1K

76.32%

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

$847 €761

$625 COP 2.0M

35.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$37.4K €33.6K

$5,818 COP 18.3M

542.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$103 €92.5

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.16 €41.46

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 €99.9

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 €119

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$987 €886

$1,374 COP 4.3M

-28.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$845 €759

$755 COP 2.4M

11.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,705 €1,531

$2,402 COP 7.6M

-29.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,465 €1,316

$1,602 COP 5.0M

-8.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,582 €3,218

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,142 €2,822

$955 COP 3.0M

228.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,622 €2,356

$466 COP 1.5M

462.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.65

-75.67%

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

Last update for Louvain-la-Neuve: October 25, 2026

Last update for Cartagena: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Louvain-la-Neuve

$845 38.2%

Cartagena

–

Groceries & Markets

Louvain-la-Neuve

$364 16.5%

Cartagena

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Louvain-la-Neuve

$363 16.5%

Cartagena

–

Eating Out

Louvain-la-Neuve

$310 14%

Cartagena

–

Clothing & Footwear

Louvain-la-Neuve

$177 8%

Cartagena

–

Getting Around

Louvain-la-Neuve

$94 4.3%

Cartagena

–

Sport & Entertainment

Louvain-la-Neuve

$56 2.6%

Cartagena

–

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $987 in Louvain-la-Neuve versus $1,374 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 Louvain-la-Neuve are about 5.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $89 in Louvain-la-Neuve versus $139 in Cartagena. Groceries tell a different story – $364 in Louvain-la-Neuve vs $261 in Cartagena – so Cartagena wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇧🇪 Louvain-la-Neuve

🇨🇴 Cartagena

🕒 Local time

23:24 11:24 PM

17:24 5:24 PM

6 h behind Louvain-la-Neuve

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

29,521

1,028,736

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,502 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Louvain-la-Neuve Cartagena 8,420 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Louvain-la-Neuve
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

Louvain-la-Neuve vs Cartagena: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Louvain-la-Neuve costs about 54% 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 $3,313 per month in Louvain-la-Neuve and $2,154 in Cartagena. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Louvain-la-Neuve, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $987 there versus $1,374 in Cartagena.

Kindergarten costs $847 per month in Louvain-la-Neuve and $625 in Cartagena. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 39% more in Louvain-la-Neuve, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,209 in Louvain-la-Neuve and $1,436 in Cartagena. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Cartagena has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,436 in Cartagena to $2,209 in Louvain-la-Neuve. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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