Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Paulo and Cartagena

For one person, living costs are similar in Sao Paulo and in Cartagena: $1,235 and $1,292 a month, rent and utilities included.

60

Cost of Living Index in Sao Paulo
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Sao Paulo Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in Cartagena
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Cartagena Living Index

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Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,235

/mo nomad

Cartagena

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,292

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,235 per month in Sao Paulo vs $1,292 in Cartagena, rent included.

Sao Paulo $1,235
Cartagena $1,292

A couple spends around $2,073 per month in Sao Paulo vs $2,165 in Cartagena, rent included.

Sao Paulo $2,073
Cartagena $2,165

A family of three spends $2,911 per month in Sao Paulo vs $3,039 in Cartagena, rent included.

Sao Paulo $2,911
Cartagena $3,039

Sao Paulo is about 4% cheaper than Cartagena, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Sao Paulo and Cartagena are more affordable than the global median – Sao Paulo 9% lower, Cartagena 4% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.81 R$44.68

$5.87 COP 18.6K

50.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.37 R$250

$143 COP 453.5K

-65.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.80 R$44.63

$10.37 COP 32.9K

-15.14%

Cappuccino

$2.49 R$12.63

$4.26 COP 13.5K

-41.55%

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

$1.42 R$7.19

$2.54 COP 8,063

-44.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.85 R$4.31

$2.36 COP 7,478

-63.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.98 R$15.11

$3.26 COP 10.3K

-8.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.34 R$22.02

$4.96 COP 15.7K

-12.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 R$6.28

$1.91 COP 6,053

-35.08%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 R$9.66

$2.74 COP 8,692

-30.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.43 R$7.25

$1.45 COP 4,610

-1.38%

Eggs

$2.81 R$14.23

$5.06 COP 16.0K

-44.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.74 R$64.6

$13.13 COP 41.6K

-2.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.41 R$27.44

$17.37 COP 55.1K

-68.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.64 R$54.0

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 R$13.95

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 R$9.19

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 R$8.27

Tomato (1kg)

$2.00 R$10.16

Potato (1kg)

$1.40 R$7.10

Onion (1kg)

$1.27 R$6.43

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 R$6.47

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 R$4.83

$1.99 COP 6,304

-52.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.99 R$15.15

Wine (Bottle)

$9.96 R$50.5

$14.64 COP 46.4K

-31.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 R$9.37

$1.40 COP 4,436

32.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 R$12.90

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.09 R$5.50

$1.25 COP 3,972

-12.80%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.78 R$247

$58.4 COP 185.2K

-16.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.85 R$9.39

$4.74 COP 15.0K

-60.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 R$4.99

$3.68 COP 11.7K

-73.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.29 R$52.2

$9.49 COP 30.1K

8.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 R$6.78

$1.34 COP 4,251

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

$24.4K R$123.8K

$23.4K COP 74.1M

4.46%

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

$33.9K R$172.1K

$34.4K COP 109.2M

-1.44%

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

$104 R$529

$78.4 COP 248.6K

33.19%

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

$16.71 R$84.7

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.18 R$112

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.82 R$182

$91.7 COP 290.8K

-60.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$47.28 R$240

Cinema Ticket

$10.06 R$51.0

$8.02 COP 25.4K

25.44%

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

$579 R$2,936

$630 COP 2.0M

-8.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.1K R$86.6K

$5,818 COP 18.4M

193.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.7 R$333

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.0 R$309

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 R$509

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.1 R$467

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$659 R$3,341

$1,035 COP 3.3M

-36.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$428 R$2,170

$585 COP 1.9M

-26.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,515 R$7,678

$2,287 COP 7.3M

-33.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,026 R$5,201

$944 COP 3.0M

8.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,773 R$14.1K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,007 R$10.2K

$924 COP 2.9M

117.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$909 R$4,609

$467 COP 1.5M

94.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.68

-22.13%

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

Last update for Sao Paulo: 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

Sao Paulo

$428 34.7%

Cartagena

$585 45.3% 36.7% $157

Groceries & Markets

Sao Paulo

$244 19.8%

Cartagena

$259 * 20% 6% $15

Eating Out

Sao Paulo

$159 12.9%

Cartagena

$175 13.5% 9.7% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Sao Paulo

$144 11.6%

Cartagena

- * 0% 100%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sao Paulo

$143 11.6%

Cartagena

$78 * 6.1% 45.3% $65

Getting Around

Sao Paulo

$60 4.9%

Cartagena

$87 6.7% 44.5% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Sao Paulo

$56 4.5%

Cartagena

$108 8.3% 92.7% $52

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $659 in Sao Paulo 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 95% higher in Sao Paulo, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $49.00 in Sao Paulo versus $143 in Cartagena. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $244 vs $259 – making Sao Paulo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Sao Paulo

🇨🇴 Cartagena

🕒 Local time

13:47 1:47 PM

11:47 11:47 AM

2 h behind Sao Paulo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,451,999

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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Between locations

Sao Paulo Cartagena 4,910 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Sao Paulo
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

Sao Paulo vs Cartagena: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cartagena costs about 5% more than Sao Paulo, 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 $1,852 per month in Sao Paulo 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 Sao Paulo, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $579 per month in Sao Paulo 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 6% more in Cartagena, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Sao Paulo, where all-in costs run around $1,235, than in Cartagena at $1,292. In Sao Paulo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cartagena it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Sao Paulo costs $1,235 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 Sao Paulo. 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.