Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Cartagena Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Cartagena

😐 Solo nomad: Mexico City is 30.7% more expensive than Cartagena without rent, and 33.8% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Mexico City is 15.3% more expensive than Cartagena without rent, and 47.8% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Mexico City
Cartagena
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$13.12 MX$235
$5.89 COP 22.3K
122.75%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$53.8 MX$963
$46.55 COP 176.3K
15.60%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.40 MX$168
$9.47 COP 35.8K
-0.74%
Cappuccino
$3.56 MX$63.8
$1.64 COP 6,207
117.07%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.60 MX$28.69
$0.86 COP 3,253
86.05%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.15 MX$20.67
$0.66 COP 2,497
74.24%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.16 MX$56.5
$1.24 COP 4,711
154.84%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.85 MX$86.7
$2.95 COP 11.2K
64.41%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Mexico City
Cartagena
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.63 MX$29.25
$1.14 COP 4,308
42.98%
White Bread (500g)
$2.73 MX$48.94
$1.93 COP 7,294
41.45%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.88 MX$33.63
$1.33 COP 5,031
41.35%
Eggs
$2.63 MX$47.10
$2.13 COP 8,058
23.47%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.89 MX$177
$6.78 COP 25.7K
45.87%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.40 MX$150
$6.11 COP 23.1K
37.48%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.63 MX$208
$8.05 COP 30.5K
44.47%
Apples (1kg)
$2.97 MX$53.2
$3.30 COP 12.5K
-10.00%
Banana (1kg)
$1.78 MX$31.94
$1.91 COP 7,242
-6.81%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.06 MX$36.79
$1.44 COP 5,469
43.06%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.97 MX$35.35
$1.65 COP 6,257
19.39%
Potato (1kg)
$2.09 MX$37.34
$1.53 COP 5,789
36.60%
Onion (1kg)
$2.26 MX$40.44
$1.12 COP 4,234
101.79%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.46 MX$26.10
$1.01 COP 3,832
44.55%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.09 MX$19.51
$0.60 COP 2,271
81.67%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.34 MX$77.7
$2.35 COP 8,896
84.68%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.62 MX$244
$17.67 COP 66.9K
-22.92%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.67 MX$29.96
$0.93 COP 3,537
79.57%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.54 MX$63.4
$0.98 COP 3,697
261.22%
🚌 Getting Around
Mexico City
Cartagena
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.36 MX$6.44
$1.06 COP 4,018
-66.04%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$18.96 MX$339
$28.38 COP 107.4K
-33.19%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.32 MX$23.69
$2.36 COP 8,953
-44.07%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.30 MX$5.39
$2.47 COP 9,352
-87.85%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.49 MX$98.2
$4.70 COP 17.8K
16.81%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.34 MX$23.93
$1.03 COP 3,918
30.10%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$19.1K MX$342.2K
$21.6K COP 81.7M
-11.43%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.8K MX$425.4K
$23.8K COP 90.0M
0.01%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mexico City
Cartagena
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$41.11 MX$736
$140 COP 531.3K
-70.70%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$27.78 MX$497
$10.86 COP 41.1K
155.80%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.00 MX$537
$25.12 COP 95.1K
19.43%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Mexico City
Cartagena
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$53.5 MX$958
$34.78 COP 131.7K
53.91%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$26.13 MX$468
$8.55 COP 32.4K
205.61%
Cinema Ticket
$6.28 MX$112
$2.94 COP 11.1K
113.61%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Mexico City
Cartagena
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$439 MX$7,865
$140 COP 529.9K
213.91%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$10.7K MX$192.3K
$5,849 COP 22.1M
83.63%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Mexico City
Cartagena
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$57.1 MX$1,022
$48.55 COP 183.8K
17.65%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$45.30 MX$811
$38.87 COP 147.2K
16.54%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$104 MX$1,866
$126 COP 478.4K
-17.51%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$108 MX$1,938
$113 COP 427.0K
-4.02%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Mexico City
Cartagena
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$996 MX$17.8K
$735 COP 2.8M
35.55%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$624 MX$11.2K
$330 COP 1.2M
89.16%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,106 MX$37.7K
$1,266 COP 4.8M
66.37%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,218 MX$21.8K
$476 COP 1.8M
156.07%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,799 MX$68.0K
$2,950 COP 11.2M
28.75%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,230 MX$39.9K
$1,914 COP 7.2M
16.50%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Mexico City
Cartagena
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,096 MX$19.6K
$393 COP 1.5M
179.07%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.34
15
-24.40%

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

Last update for Mexico City: March 1, 2026

Last update for Cartagena: February 28, 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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