Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Cartagena

For one person, living is cheaper in Cartagena: $1,292 a month against $1,567 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

76

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in Cartagena
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Cartagena Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,567

/mo nomad

Cartagena

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,292

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,567 per month in Mexico City vs $1,292 in Cartagena, rent included.

Mexico City $1,567
Cartagena $1,292

A couple spends around $2,450 per month in Mexico City vs $2,165 in Cartagena, rent included.

Mexico City $2,450
Cartagena $2,165

A family of three spends $3,333 per month in Mexico City vs $3,039 in Cartagena, rent included.

Mexico City $3,333
Cartagena $3,039

Mexico City costs about 21% more than Cartagena, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Mexico City sits 16% above the global median, while Cartagena is 4% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.75 MX$199

$5.87 COP 18.6K

83.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.3 MX$929

$143 COP 453.5K

-64.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.10 MX$205

$10.37 COP 32.9K

7.04%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.1

$4.26 COP 13.5K

-13.62%

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

$1.65 MX$30.42

$2.54 COP 8,063

-35.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.30 MX$24.08

$2.36 COP 7,478

-44.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.32 MX$61.3

$3.26 COP 10.3K

1.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.54 MX$102

$4.96 COP 15.7K

11.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.77 MX$32.68

$1.91 COP 6,053

-7.33%

White Bread (500g)

$3.05 MX$56.4

$2.74 COP 8,692

11.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.01 MX$37.20

$1.45 COP 4,610

38.62%

Eggs

$2.77 MX$51.1

$5.06 COP 16.0K

-45.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.91 MX$220

$13.13 COP 41.6K

-9.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.33 MX$172

$17.37 COP 55.1K

-46.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.02 MX$278

Apples (1kg)

$3.08 MX$56.8

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 MX$35.97

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.54

Tomato (1kg)

$2.21 MX$40.92

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.41

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$33.67

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 MX$28.07

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 MX$23.65

$1.99 COP 6,304

-35.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.27 MX$97.4

Wine (Bottle)

$16.12 MX$298

$14.64 COP 46.4K

10.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 MX$36.05

$1.40 COP 4,436

39.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$78.6

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.82

$1.25 COP 3,972

-75.20%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.85 MX$367

$58.4 COP 185.2K

-66.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 MX$36.93

$4.74 COP 15.0K

-57.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.86

$3.68 COP 11.7K

-85.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.62 MX$104

$9.49 COP 30.1K

-40.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$28.07

$1.34 COP 4,251

13.43%

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

$21.0K MX$388.7K

$23.4K COP 74.1M

-10.00%

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

$25.2K MX$465.3K

$34.4K COP 109.2M

-26.89%

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

$62.5 MX$1,155

$78.4 COP 248.6K

-20.31%

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

$28.77 MX$532

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.45 MX$637

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,055

$91.7 COP 290.8K

-37.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.81 MX$458

Cinema Ticket

$6.67 MX$123

$8.02 COP 25.4K

-16.83%

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

$431 MX$7,964

$630 COP 2.0M

-31.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.7K MX$216.9K

$5,818 COP 18.4M

101.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.8 MX$1,308

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.8 MX$958

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 MX$2,011

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 MX$2,076

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,051 MX$19.4K

$1,035 COP 3.3M

1.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$665 MX$12.3K

$585 COP 1.9M

13.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,346 MX$43.3K

$2,287 COP 7.3M

2.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,227 MX$22.7K

$944 COP 3.0M

29.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,554 MX$65.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,977 MX$36.5K

$924 COP 2.9M

113.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$975 MX$18.0K

$467 COP 1.5M

108.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

-24.67%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 11, 2026

Last update for Cartagena: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$665 42.4%

Cartagena

$585 45.3% 12% $80

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$323 20.6%

Cartagena

$259 * 20% 19.8% $64

Eating Out

Mexico City

$203 13%

Cartagena

$175 13.5% 13.8% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$155 9.9%

Cartagena

- * 0% 100%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 8%

Cartagena

$78 * 6.1% 37.6% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$70 4.5%

Cartagena

$108 8.3% 53% $37

Getting Around

Mexico City

$26 1.6%

Cartagena

$87 6.7% 236% $61

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,051 in Mexico City versus $1,035 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 run about 109% higher in Mexico City, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $50.0 in Mexico City versus $143 in Cartagena. Groceries tell a different story – $323 in Mexico City vs $259 in Cartagena – so Cartagena wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇨🇴 Cartagena

🕒 Local time

07:41 7:41 AM

08:41 8:41 AM

1 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

1,028,736

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.78 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Cartagena 2,720 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
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

Mexico City vs Cartagena: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City costs about 21% 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 $2,351 per month in Mexico City and $1,938 in Cartagena. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cartagena, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $431 per month in Mexico City and $630 in Cartagena. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 25% more in Mexico City, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Cartagena, where all-in costs run around $1,292, than in Mexico City at $1,567. In Cartagena it covers expenses comfortably, while in Mexico City it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Cartagena costs $1,292 versus $1,567 in Mexico City. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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