Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Cartagena

For one person, living is cheaper in Cartagena: $1,292 a month against $2,018 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $8,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in Cartagena
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Cartagena Living Index

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Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,018

/mo nomad

Cartagena

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,292

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,018 per month in Montreal vs $1,292 in Cartagena, rent included.

Montreal $2,018
Cartagena $1,292

A couple spends around $3,085 per month in Montreal vs $2,165 in Cartagena, rent included.

Montreal $3,085
Cartagena $2,165

A family of three spends $4,152 per month in Montreal vs $3,039 in Cartagena, rent included.

Montreal $4,152
Cartagena $3,039

Montreal costs about 56% more than Cartagena, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Montreal sits 49% above the global median, while Cartagena is 4% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.82 CA$26.61

$5.87 COP 18.6K

220.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.3 CA$99.4

$143 COP 453.5K

-50.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.66 CA$15.06

$10.37 COP 32.9K

2.80%

Cappuccino

$3.84 CA$5.43

$4.26 COP 13.5K

-9.86%

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

$1.92 CA$2.71

$2.54 COP 8,063

-24.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 CA$2.18

$2.36 COP 7,478

-34.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.23 CA$8.81

$3.26 COP 10.3K

91.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.10 CA$10.03

$4.96 COP 15.7K

43.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.31 CA$3.27

$1.91 COP 6,053

20.94%

White Bread (500g)

$3.14 CA$4.44

$2.74 COP 8,692

14.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.21 CA$4.54

$1.45 COP 4,610

121.38%

Eggs

$3.52 CA$4.97

$5.06 COP 16.0K

-30.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.81 CA$18.11

$13.13 COP 41.6K

-2.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.46 CA$16.20

$17.37 COP 55.1K

-34.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.39 CA$18.92

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 CA$4.43

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 CA$2.03

Oranges (1kg)

$3.47 CA$4.91

Tomato (1kg)

$3.07 CA$4.34

Potato (1kg)

$1.90 CA$2.69

Onion (1kg)

$1.77 CA$2.50

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 CA$3.31

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 CA$2.19

$1.99 COP 6,304

-22.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.38 CA$16.09

Wine (Bottle)

$10.63 CA$15.03

$14.64 COP 46.4K

-27.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.27 CA$3.21

$1.40 COP 4,436

62.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 CA$3.99

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.66 CA$3.76

$1.25 COP 3,972

112.80%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.3 CA$109

$58.4 COP 185.2K

32.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.20 CA$4.53

$4.74 COP 15.0K

-32.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 CA$2.09

$3.68 COP 11.7K

-59.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.88 CA$46.48

$9.49 COP 30.1K

246.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 CA$1.90

$1.34 COP 4,251

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

$28.2K CA$39.8K

$23.4K COP 74.1M

20.46%

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

$19.6K CA$27.8K

$34.4K COP 109.2M

-43.00%

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

$76.0 CA$107

$78.4 COP 248.6K

-3.14%

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

$33.95 CA$48.00

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.31 CA$59.8

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.76 CA$42.07

$91.7 COP 290.8K

-67.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.28 CA$28.67

Cinema Ticket

$11.15 CA$15.77

$8.02 COP 25.4K

39.03%

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

$507 CA$717

$630 COP 2.0M

-19.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.1K CA$22.7K

$5,818 COP 18.4M

175.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.6 CA$81.4

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.58 CA$53.1

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.9 CA$130

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$155

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,260 CA$1,782

$1,035 COP 3.3M

21.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$948 CA$1,340

$585 COP 1.9M

61.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,137 CA$3,021

$2,287 COP 7.3M

-6.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 CA$2,281

$944 COP 3.0M

70.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,960 CA$7,011

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,838 CA$5,425

$924 COP 2.9M

315.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,827 CA$3,997

$467 COP 1.5M

505.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

-70.13%

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

Last update for Montreal: October 12, 2026

Last update for Cartagena: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$948 47%

Cartagena

$585 45.3% 38.2% $362

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$346 17.2%

Cartagena

$259 * 20% 25.3% $88

Eating Out

Montreal

$288 14.3%

Cartagena

$175 13.5% 39.2% $113

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$152 7.5%

Cartagena

$78 * 6.1% 48.5% $74

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$133 6.6%

Cartagena

- * 0% 100%

Getting Around

Montreal

$99 4.9%

Cartagena

$87 6.7% 12.2% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$52 2.6%

Cartagena

$108 8.3% 107% $56

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,260 in Montreal 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 506% higher in Montreal, 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 $70.0 in Montreal versus $143 in Cartagena. Groceries tell a different story – $346 in Montreal vs $259 in Cartagena – so Cartagena wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇨🇴 Cartagena

🕒 Local time

12:43 12:43 PM

11:43 11:43 AM

1 h behind Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

1,028,736

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 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 CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Montreal Cartagena 3,900 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Montreal
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

Montreal vs Cartagena: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montreal costs about 56% 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 $3,027 per month in Montreal 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 $507 per month in Montreal 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 34% more in Montreal, 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 Montreal at $2,018. In Cartagena it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montreal it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Cartagena costs $1,292 versus $2,018 in Montreal. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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