Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Cartagena

For one person, living costs are similar in Rio de Janeiro and in Cartagena: $1,289 and $1,292 a month, rent and utilities included.

63

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
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Rio de Janeiro Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in Cartagena
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Cartagena Living Index

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Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,289

/mo nomad

Cartagena

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,292

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,289 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $1,292 in Cartagena, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,289
Cartagena $1,292

A couple spends around $1,868 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $2,165 in Cartagena, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,868
Cartagena $2,165

A family of three spends $2,448 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $3,039 in Cartagena, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $2,448
Cartagena $3,039

Rio de Janeiro and Cartagena have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

Both Rio de Janeiro and Cartagena are more affordable than the global median – Rio de Janeiro 5% lower, Cartagena 4% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.06 R$51.0

$5.87 COP 18.6K

71.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.44 R$205

$143 COP 453.5K

-71.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 R$43.35

$10.37 COP 32.9K

-17.55%

Cappuccino

$2.38 R$12.04

$4.26 COP 13.5K

-44.13%

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

$1.61 R$8.18

$2.54 COP 8,063

-36.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 R$5.22

$2.36 COP 7,478

-56.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.47 R$12.54

$3.26 COP 10.3K

-24.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 R$18.77

$4.96 COP 15.7K

-25.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 R$6.05

$1.91 COP 6,053

-37.70%

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 R$10.38

$2.74 COP 8,692

-25.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 R$6.49

$1.45 COP 4,610

-11.72%

Eggs

$2.29 R$11.60

$5.06 COP 16.0K

-54.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.76 R$54.5

$13.13 COP 41.6K

-18.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.41 R$22.36

$17.37 COP 55.1K

-74.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.84 R$49.86

Apples (1kg)

$2.81 R$14.25

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 R$9.03

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 R$8.13

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 R$9.11

Potato (1kg)

$1.22 R$6.17

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 R$5.26

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.77 R$3.92

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 R$3.38

$1.99 COP 6,304

-66.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.01 R$15.27

Wine (Bottle)

$8.08 R$40.94

$14.64 COP 46.4K

-44.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R$6.03

$1.40 COP 4,436

-15.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 R$12.73

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.99 R$5.00

$1.25 COP 3,972

-20.80%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.1 R$254

$58.4 COP 185.2K

-14.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.22 R$6.20

$4.74 COP 15.0K

-74.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 R$4.66

$3.68 COP 11.7K

-75.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.97 R$45.45

$9.49 COP 30.1K

-5.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 R$6.57

$1.34 COP 4,251

-2.99%

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

$23.9K R$121.0K

$23.4K COP 74.1M

2.16%

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

$32.9K R$166.6K

$34.4K COP 109.2M

-4.58%

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

$133 R$676

$78.4 COP 248.6K

70.11%

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

$10.82 R$54.8

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.90 R$116

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.79 R$156

$91.7 COP 290.8K

-66.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.85 R$161

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 R$40.83

$8.02 COP 25.4K

0.37%

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

$598 R$3,029

$630 COP 2.0M

-5.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.4K R$68.0K

$5,818 COP 18.4M

130.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.04 R$213

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.68 R$252

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.5 R$378

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.7 R$348

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$903 R$4,578

$1,035 COP 3.3M

-12.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$529 R$2,684

$585 COP 1.9M

-9.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,326 R$6,724

$2,287 COP 7.3M

-42.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$756 R$3,831

$944 COP 3.0M

-19.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,010 R$20.3K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,560 R$7,910

$924 COP 2.9M

68.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$640 R$3,242

$467 COP 1.5M

36.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

-20.47%

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

Last update for Rio de Janeiro: October 10, 2026

Last update for Cartagena: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$529 41.1%

Cartagena

$585 45.3% 10.5% $56

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7%

Cartagena

$259 * 20% 20.6% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$167 13%

Cartagena

$78 * 6.1% 53.1% $89

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$165 12.8%

Cartagena

$175 13.5% 6% $9.9

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2%

Cartagena

- * 0% 100%

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7%

Cartagena

$87 6.7% 44.5% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$47 3.6%

Cartagena

$108 8.3% 130% $61

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $903 in Rio de Janeiro 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 37% higher in Rio de Janeiro. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro versus $143 in Cartagena. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $215 vs $259 – making Rio de Janeiro the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇨🇴 Cartagena

🕒 Local time

12:44 12:44 PM

10:44 10:44 AM

2 h behind Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

1,028,736

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 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 BRL in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Rio de Janeiro Cartagena 5,110 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
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

Rio de Janeiro vs Cartagena: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,933 per month in Rio de Janeiro 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 Rio de Janeiro, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro and $143 in Cartagena. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Public transport costs about 17% less in Rio de Janeiro. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Rio de Janeiro, where all-in costs run around $1,289, than in Cartagena at $1,292. In Rio de Janeiro it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cartagena it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Rio de Janeiro costs $1,289 versus $1,292 in Cartagena. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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