Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Cartagena, Spain

For one person, living is cheaper in Cartagena: $1,425 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
68

Cost of Living Index in Cartagena
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Cartagena Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Cartagena

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,425

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $1,425 in Cartagena.

Medellin $1,639
Cartagena $1,425

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $2,101 in Cartagena.

Medellin $2,413
Cartagena $2,101

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $2,778 in Cartagena.

Medellin $3,186
Cartagena $2,778

Living in Medellin is roughly 15% more expensive than in Cartagena, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Medellin 20% above, Cartagena 5% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$13.84 €12.40

-41.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.7K

$56.2 €50.3

-16.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.6K

$7.95 €7.12

19.50%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,722

$2.47 €2.21

21.86%

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

$1.80 COP 5,801

$2.56 €2.30

-29.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,554

$1.82 €1.63

-22.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.2K

$3.42 €3.06

-7.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.5K

$3.86 €3.46

48.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,869

$1.22 €1.09

23.77%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,667

$1.19 €1.06

100.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,712

$2.63 €2.35

-32.70%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,320

$3.96 €3.54

-27.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$12.82 €11.48

-20.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.8K

$6.71 €6.01

47.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.1K

$18.75 €16.79

-25.39%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$2.37 €2.12

67.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,005

$2.45 €2.19

-36.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,039

$1.58 €1.42

37.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,041

$3.20 €2.87

-31.87%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,328

$1.28 €1.14

53.12%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,125

$1.26 €1.13

26.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,694

$1.53 €1.37

-24.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,009

$0.69 €0.62

79.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$5.71 €5.11

-30.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.1K

$6.30 €5.64

117.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,352

$1.21 €1.08

37.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,281

$1.17 €1.05

93.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,766

$1.48 €1.32

-20.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.5K

$11.08 €9.93

598.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,089

$5.65 €5.06

-77.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,603

$2.23 €2.00

-8.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$27.72 €24.83

-69.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,343

$1.77 €1.59

-23.73%

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

$34.1K COP 109.8M

$34.6K €30.9K

-1.41%

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

$34.7K COP 111.8M

$29.9K €26.7K

16.13%

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

$170 COP 547.0K

$211 €189

-19.63%

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

$13.55 COP 43.7K

$19.43 €17.40

-30.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.5K

$29.27 €26.21

-4.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 140.9K

$41.23 €36.92

5.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.4K

$12.81 €11.47

34.19%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$7.72 €6.91

-10.49%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$406 €364

96.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$2,651 €2,374

243.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.2K

$46.46 €41.61

82.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 186.9K

$34.88 €31.24

66.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.2K

$60.6 €54.2

122.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 315.6K

$101 €90.5

-3.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$596 €534

102.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$490 €439

31.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$872 €781

132.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$720 €644

40.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.4M

$1,737 €1,556

140.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$1,427 €1,278

33.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$1,704 €1,526

-61.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

4.06

169.46%

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

Last update for Medellin: 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

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Cartagena

$490 34.4% 23.7% $152

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Cartagena

$269 18.9% 9.4% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Cartagena

$260 18.2% 23% $49

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Cartagena

$207 14.5% 21.8% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Cartagena

$109 7.7% 35.3% $60

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Cartagena

$34 2.4% 63.9% $60

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Cartagena

$57 4% 1.5% $0.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,208 in Medellin and $596 in Cartagena. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cartagena pays about 2.6 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $56 in Cartagena. Groceries flip the comparison at $297 vs $269, with Cartagena cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇪🇸 Cartagena

🕒 Local time

10:50 10:50 AM

16:50 4:50 PM

6 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

218,050

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 3,224 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,600 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Medellin Cartagena 8,230 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
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

Medellin vs Cartagena: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cartagena wins on cost – living expenses run 13% lower than in Medellin. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Cartagena the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 61% lower in Medellin. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,208 in Medellin versus $596 in Cartagena. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Medellin – a meal for two runs $47 versus $56 in Cartagena. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,639 per month in Medellin versus $1,425 in Cartagena – Cartagena is about 13% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Cartagena is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.