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Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Cartagena Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Cartagena

๐Ÿ™‚ Solo nomad: Medellin is 6.4% cheaper than Cartagena without rent, and 5.6% cheaper with rent.
๐Ÿ™‚ Family of 3: Medellin is 15.4% cheaper than Cartagena without rent, and 0.4% more expensive with rent.
Currency
๐Ÿฝ Eating Out
Medellin
Cartagena
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$5.97 COPย 21.9K
$5.99 COPย 22.0K
-0.33%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$32.40 COPย 119.0K
$46.65 COPย 171.3K
-30.55%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.13 COPย 26.2K
$9.77 COPย 35.9K
-27.02%
Cappuccino
$1.65 COPย 6,043
$1.58 COPย 5,797
4.43%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.06 COPย 3,882
$0.86 COPย 3,172
23.26%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.77 COPย 2,839
$0.72 COPย 2,658
6.94%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.75 COPย 6,419
$1.24 COPย 4,563
41.13%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.06 COPย 11.2K
$2.86 COPย 10.5K
6.99%
๐Ÿ›’ Groceries & Markets
Medellin
Cartagena
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.10 COPย 4,026
$1.14 COPย 4,175
-3.51%
White Bread (500g)
$1.30 COPย 4,771
$1.85 COPย 6,775
-29.73%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.34 COPย 4,906
$1.32 COPย 4,843
1.52%
Eggs
$2.26 COPย 8,300
$2.12 COPย 7,786
6.60%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$4.50 COPย 16.5K
$7.07 COPย 26.0K
-36.35%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.80 COPย 21.3K
$6.11 COPย 22.4K
-5.07%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$8.96 COPย 32.9K
$7.90 COPย 29.0K
13.42%
Apples (1kg)
$2.37 COPย 8,692
$3.15 COPย 11.6K
-24.76%
Banana (1kg)
$1.07 COPย 3,940
$2.00 COPย 7,328
-46.50%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.48 COPย 5,419
$1.44 COPย 5,297
2.78%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.36 COPย 5,012
$1.60 COPย 5,864
-15.00%
Potato (1kg)
$1.13 COPย 4,136
$1.53 COPย 5,625
-26.14%
Onion (1kg)
$1.13 COPย 4,161
$1.06 COPย 3,884
6.60%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.89 COPย 3,275
$1.05 COPย 3,873
-15.24%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.85 COPย 3,114
$0.60 COPย 2,194
41.67%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.28 COPย 8,361
$2.24 COPย 8,215
1.79%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.15 COPย 37.3K
$24.08 COPย 88.4K
-57.85%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.19 COPย 4,359
$0.94 COPย 3,444
26.60%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.40 COPย 8,829
$1.02 COPย 3,731
135.29%
๐ŸšŒ Getting Around
Medellin
Cartagena
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.84 COPย 3,075
$1.06 COPย 3,908
-20.75%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$40.85 COPย 150.0K
$28.72 COPย 105.4K
42.24%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.48 COPย 5,417
$2.49 COPย 9,146
-40.56%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.89 COPย 6,950
$2.35 COPย 8,624
-19.57%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.05 COPย 29.5K
$4.89 COPย 18.0K
64.62%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.94 COPย 3,455
$1.03 COPย 3,789
-8.74%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$17.7K COPย 65.2M
$21.6K COPย 79.3M
-17.81%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.4K COPย 96.8M
$23.3K COPย 85.5M
13.19%
๐Ÿงพ Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
Cartagena
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$81.9 COPย 300.7K
$144 COPย 527.3K
-42.97%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$9.54 COPย 35.0K
$10.78 COPย 39.6K
-11.50%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$23.68 COPย 87.0K
$24.52 COPย 90.0K
-3.43%
๐ŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
Cartagena
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$25.85 COPย 94.9K
$34.66 COPย 127.3K
-25.42%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.72 COPย 68.7K
$8.77 COPย 32.2K
113.45%
Cinema Ticket
$4.05 COPย 14.9K
$2.96 COPย 10.9K
36.82%
๐Ÿงธ Childcare & Education
Medellin
Cartagena
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$316 COPย 1.2M
$143 COPย 523.6K
121.56%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,971 COPย 21.9M
$5,863 COPย 21.5M
1.85%
๐Ÿ‘•๐Ÿ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
Cartagena
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$59.0 COPย 216.5K
$47.68 COPย 175.1K
23.64%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$32.49 COPย 119.3K
$39.05 COPย 143.4K
-16.80%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$99.9 COPย 366.7K
$124 COPย 453.6K
-19.14%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$108 COPย 394.9K
$113 COPย 413.3K
-4.44%
๐Ÿ  Accommodation & Living
Medellin
Cartagena
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$491 COPย 1.8M
$718 COPย 2.6M
-31.50%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$371 COPย 1.4M
$331 COPย 1.2M
12.18%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$821 COPย 3.0M
$1,278 COPย 4.7M
-35.75%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$731 COPย 2.7M
$467 COPย 1.7M
56.52%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,019 COPย 11.1M
$3,007 COPย 11.0M
0.41%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,332 COPย 4.9M
$1,920 COPย 7.1M
-30.62%
๐Ÿ’ต Salaries & Financials
Medellin
Cartagena
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$517 COPย 1.9M
$423 COPย 1.6M
22.17%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
13.43
15
-10.47%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input โ€“ minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Medellin: January 12, 2026

Last update for Cartagena: January 12, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index
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