Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between New York, NY and Cartagena

For one person, living is cheaper in Cartagena: $1,292 a month against $4,950 in New York, NY, rent and utilities included – about $43,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

239

Cost of Living Index in New York, NY
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New York, NY Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in Cartagena
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Cartagena Living Index

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New York, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$4,950

/mo nomad

Cartagena

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,292

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $4,950 per month in New York, NY vs $1,292 in Cartagena, rent included.

New York, NY $4,950
Cartagena $1,292

A couple spends around $7,265 per month in New York, NY vs $2,165 in Cartagena, rent included.

New York, NY $7,265
Cartagena $2,165

A family of three spends $9,581 per month in New York, NY vs $3,039 in Cartagena, rent included.

New York, NY $9,581
Cartagena $3,039

New York, NY costs about 283% more than Cartagena, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

New York, NY sits 267% above the global median, while Cartagena is 4% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.65 $24.65

$5.87 COP 18.6K

319.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$122 $122

$143 COP 453.5K

-15.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.91 $13.91

$10.37 COP 32.9K

34.14%

Cappuccino

$6.59 $6.59

$4.26 COP 13.5K

54.69%

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

$3.84 $3.84

$2.54 COP 8,063

51.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.87 $2.87

$2.36 COP 7,478

21.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.79 $7.79

$3.26 COP 10.3K

138.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.85 $9.85

$4.96 COP 15.7K

98.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 $1.38

$1.91 COP 6,053

-27.75%

White Bread (500g)

$4.68 $4.68

$2.74 COP 8,692

70.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.54 $7.54

$1.45 COP 4,610

420.00%

Eggs

$5.93 $5.93

$5.06 COP 16.0K

17.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.83 $18.83

$13.13 COP 41.6K

43.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.36 $17.36

$17.37 COP 55.1K

-0.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.51 $18.51

Apples (1kg)

$6.74 $6.74

Banana (1kg)

$2.09 $2.09

Oranges (1kg)

$6.07 $6.07

Tomato (1kg)

$6.74 $6.74

Potato (1kg)

$4.05 $4.05

Onion (1kg)

$4.37 $4.37

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.89 $2.89

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.60 $2.60

$1.99 COP 6,304

30.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$18.72 $18.72

Wine (Bottle)

$20.06 $20.06

$14.64 COP 46.4K

37.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.25 $3.25

$1.40 COP 4,436

132.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.73 $3.73

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.06 $3.06

$1.25 COP 3,972

144.80%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$140 $140

$58.4 COP 185.2K

140.55%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.04 $3.04

$4.74 COP 15.0K

-35.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.15 $2.15

$3.68 COP 11.7K

-41.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.82 $41.82

$9.49 COP 30.1K

340.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.34 COP 4,251

-16.42%

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

$35.5K $35.5K

$23.4K COP 74.1M

51.69%

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

$26.0K $26.0K

$34.4K COP 109.2M

-24.40%

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

$219 $219

$78.4 COP 248.6K

179.28%

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

$73.2 $73.2

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$72.0 $72.0

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$123 $123

$91.7 COP 290.8K

33.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$67.7 $67.7

Cinema Ticket

$22.85 $22.85

$8.02 COP 25.4K

184.91%

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

$3,333 $3,333

$630 COP 2.0M

428.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$60.0K $60.0K

$5,818 COP 18.4M

931.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$75.2 $75.2

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.4 $52.4

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$122 $122

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 $133

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,389 $4,389

$1,035 COP 3.3M

323.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,130 $3,130

$585 COP 1.9M

434.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$8,918 $8,918

$2,287 COP 7.3M

289.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$5,354 $5,354

$944 COP 3.0M

467.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$19.4K $19.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,806 $6,806

$924 COP 2.9M

636.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,343 $5,343

$467 COP 1.5M

1044.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.82

-54.53%

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

Last update for New York, NY: October 13, 2026

Last update for Cartagena: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

New York, NY

$3.1K 63.2%

Cartagena

$585 45.3% 81.3% $2.5K

Groceries & Markets

New York, NY

$545 11%

Cartagena

$259 * 20% 52.5% $286

Eating Out

New York, NY

$404 8.2%

Cartagena

$175 13.5% 56.7% $229

Monthly Utilities & Internet

New York, NY

$364 7.4%

Cartagena

$78 * 6.1% 78.5% $286

Clothing & Footwear

New York, NY

$172 3.5%

Cartagena

- * 0% 100%

Sport & Entertainment

New York, NY

$168 3.4%

Cartagena

$108 8.3% 36% $61

Getting Around

New York, NY

$167 3.4%

Cartagena

$87 6.7% 48% $80

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $4,389 in New York, NY 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 1044% higher in New York, NY, 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 $122 in New York, NY versus $143 in Cartagena. Groceries tell a different story – $545 in New York, NY vs $259 in Cartagena – so Cartagena wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 New York, NY

🇨🇴 Cartagena

🕒 Local time

14:32 2:32 PM

13:32 1:32 PM

1 h behind New York, NY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,804,190

1,028,736

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.889 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.889 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).

COP to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

New York, NY Cartagena 3,360 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

New York, NY
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

New York, NY vs Cartagena: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

New York, NY costs about 283% more than Cartagena, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $7,424 per month in New York, NY 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 $3,333 per month in New York, NY 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 110% more in New York, NY, 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 New York, NY at $4,950. In Cartagena it covers expenses comfortably, while in New York, NY it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Cartagena costs $1,292 versus $4,950 in New York, NY. 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, New York, NY makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.