Cost of Living in Cartagena, 🇨🇴 Colombia - For Locals, Nomads, and Tourists

Researched Updated Oct 25, 2026 Last changed Oct 31, 2026 About costs

Cost breakdown

Digital nomad: short-term stay (1-3 months). Furnished Airbnb or coliving near center, coworking, eating out ~3x/day, travel health insurance.

Expat: long-term resident (1+ years). Renting apartment in center, mix of cooking and dining out, local health insurance, settled lifestyle.

Family: middle-class 4-person family. 2-3 bedroom in suburbs, groceries for 4, international school, car/transport, family health plan.

Local: budget-conscious local resident. Renting outside center, cooking at home, public transport, local phone plan.

Tourist: short-stay visitor (1-14 days). Hotel/Airbnb nightly, all meals at restaurants, taxis, sightseeing.

CategoryCost

Housing 1 2 6 $1,680 $850 $1,010 $520 $110

Utilities 34 14 1 — $140 $200 $118 —

Internet & Mobile 1 3 14 $44 $50 $75 $44 $0

Groceries 17 18 19 20 21 22 24 25 1 $63 $125 $279 $115 $8

Transportation 11 12 13 30 $146 $158 $262 $69 $25

Dining Out 27 26 28 1 $568 $249 $516 $136 $35

Leisure Activities 15 16 31 40 1 $51 $95 $1,900 $28 $45

Health Insurance 5 $63 $95 $280 $35 $4

Visa & Legal Fees 7 8 $8 $5 $15 — —

Total $2,623 $1,767 $4,537 $1,065 $227

Itemized prices

Local prices converted to the selected currency.

Housing

Apartment (1 bedroom) 1 2 $547.00 $441 – $725 per month

Coworking Space 10 $220.00 per month

Airbnb (1 month) 2 6 $1,680.00 $1,323 – $2,047 per month

Coliving Space 6 $1,100.00 per month

Food & Dining

Coffee 28 1 $3.53 per cup

Beer 23 1 $1.89 per pint

Meal (Inexpensive) 27 1 $4.72 per meal

Fast Food Combo 26 1 $11.50 per meal

Apples 22 1 $4.94 per kg

Bread 21 1 $2.86 per loaf

Milk 17 1 $2.33 per liter

Rice 18 1 $1.54 per kg

Chicken Fillets 19 1 $11.90 per kg

Beef 20 1 $7.55 per kg

Wine (Mid-range) 24 1 $12.60 per bottle

Meal (Mid-range, 2 people) 27 1 $12.60 per meal

Water (1.5L bottle) 25 1 $1.99 per bottle

Transportation

Taxi Start 13 $3.86 per trip

Taxi per km 9 13 $1.96 per km

Monthly Transport Pass 11 12 $49.14 per month

Gasoline 29 $1.33 per liter

Ride-hailing (5km) 30 13 $9.71 per trip

Scooter Rental 35 36 $126.00 per month

Services

Mobile Plan 3 $11.03 per month

Internet (60 Mbps+) 1 14 $32.44 per month

Gym Membership 16 15 $25.17 per month

Tennis Court (Weekend) 40 1 $18.90 per hour

SIM Card (Tourist, prepaid) 3 $3.47 one-time

Entertainment

Cinema Ticket 31 1 $3.15 per ticket

Clothing

Jeans 37 1 $61.72 per pair

Summer Dress 37 1 $50.40 per dress

Running Shoes 37 1 $162.75 per pair

Personal Care

Haircut 38 $7.87 per visit

Laundry 39 $3.31 per kg

Healthcare

Doctor Visit (GP) 33 $18.90 per visit

Pharmacy (basic meds) 32 $2.82 per purchase

About these costs

Method: Researched
Last updated: Oct 25, 2026
Last changed: Oct 31, 2026
Exchange rate: 1 USD = 3,174.67 COP on Oct 19, 2026

Checked against the sources below and compared with similar cities. Numbers in the list point to these sources.

Compared with Hanoi, Buenos Aires, Medellín, Bogotá

Numbeo Cartagena (Wayback Nov 2025; lb→kg, mi→km)Index
Finca Raíz apartment rentals, CartagenaListings
Claro prepago Todo incluido COP 11,000–49,000Official
Colombia Octane-95 gasoline COP 4,241.81/LIndex
SafetyWing Essential USD 62.72 per 4 weeksOfficial
Airbnb monthly 1-bedroom entire-home searchListings
Visa V digital nomads programmeOfficial
Resolución 3969 de 2026 tipo V fees USD 56 study + USD 138 issuanceOfficial
Livingcost Cartagena (haircut, doctor, taxi ride)Index
Regus Bocagrande open-space desk from COP 699,000/monthListings
TransCaribe user fare COP 3,900 per trip (Decreto 017, Jan 2026)Official
TransCaribe COP 156,000/month Mon–Fri commute (40 trips × 3,900)Secondary
Taxi carrera mínima COP 12,250 (Decreto 0051, 2026)Official
Claro internet hogar fibre plans (60–100 Mbps tier)Official
Smart Fit Colombia Fit plan COP 99,900/month (sedes API)Official
Smart Fit Cartagena Makro Fit COP 79,900/month (2026 tariff table)Official
Jumbo Alquería leche 1 L COP 7,390Listings
Jumbo Arroz Roa 1 kg COP 4,890Listings
Jumbo filete pechuga pollo 900 g COP 33,980Listings
Jumbo carne molida ternera 500 g COP 11,992Listings
Jumbo pan tajado Bimbo blanco 730 g COP 9,090Listings
Jumbo manzana Anna COP 15,680/kgListings
Jumbo Cerveza Poker lata 330 mL COP 3,590Listings
Jumbo vino Fuzion Malbec 750 mL COP 39,990Listings
Jumbo agua Manantial 1.5 L COP 6,330Listings
McDonalds Castillo Cartagena McCombo mediano Big Mac COP 36,500Listings
Restaurante La Llamita lunch COP 10,000–20,000 per personSecondary
Juan Valdez Castellana Cartagena cappuccino/latte menu COP 11,200–16,500Listings
CREG Cartagena gasolina COP 15,967/gal (Oct 2026)Official
Decreto 0051 airport–city taxi zone fares (Getsemaní COP 20,200; La Quinta COP 30,800)Official
Cine Colombia Paseo La Castellana 2D general COP 10,000 (weekend matinée)Official
Farmatodo acetaminofén 20 tabletas COP 8,950Listings
Doctoralia Cartagena GP visit from COP 60,000 (Dr. Juan Carlos Gómez Piñeres)Listings
Afinia Cartagena costo unitario COP 1,033.32/kWh (estrato 4)Secondary
MotoTour Colombia Honda XR190L COP 150,000/day; week COP 1,050,000Listings
Cartagena e-scooter hire COP 30,000–150,000/day (DATT press)Secondary
Jumbo Levis 501 jeans COP 195,930Listings
Romar Barber Shop Cartagena corte clásico COP 25,000Secondary
Lavatú Getsemaní laundry COP 10,500/kg add-on; 3 kg self-service COP 33,000Official
Cartagena Tennis Club court hire COP 60,000/hour (visitor review)Secondary

Change history

Oct 31, 2026
- Method Generated Researched
- Airbnb (1 month) 1757.86 1680
- Apartment (1 bedroom) 757.23 547
- Apples 3.25 4.94
- Beef 10.28 7.55
- Beer 2.43 1.89
40 more changes
- Bread 1.76 2.86
- Chicken Fillets 6.49 11.9
- Cinema Ticket 6.49 3.15
- Coffee 2.03 3.53
- Coliving Space 946.54 1100
- Coworking Space 229.87 220
- Dining Out local 67.61, nomad 567.93, expat 243.4, family 486.79, tourist 59.5 local 136, nomad 568, expat 249, family 516, tourist 35
- Doctor Visit (GP) 48.68 18.9
- Fast Food Combo 8.65 11.5
- Gasoline 4.46 1.33
- Groceries local 229.87, nomad 108.18, expat 324.53, family 757.23, tourist 9.47 local 115, nomad 63, expat 125, family 279, tourist 8
- Gym Membership 37.86 25.17
- Haircut 12.17 7.87
- Health Insurance local 32.45, nomad 86.54, expat 121.7, family 351.57, tourist 6.76 local 35, nomad 63, expat 95, family 280, tourist 4
- Housing local 324.53, nomad 1027.67, expat 594.97, family 1216.98, tourist 121.7 local 520, nomad 1680, expat 850, family 1010, tourist 110
- Internet & Mobile local 21.64, nomad 67.61, expat 40.57, family 67.61, tourist 4.06 local 44, expat 50, family 75, tourist 0.4
- Internet (60 Mbps+) 29.75 32.44
- Jeans 62.2 61.72
- Laundry 2.16 3.31
- Leisure Activities local 40.57, nomad 229.87, expat 162.26, family 324.53 local 28, nomad 51, expat 95, family 1900, tourist 45
- Meal (Inexpensive) 5.95 4.72
- Meal (Mid-range, 2 people) 48.68 12.6
- Milk 1.57 2.33
- Mobile Plan 13.52 11.03
- Monthly Transport Pass 36.51 49.14
- Pharmacy (basic meds) 6.76 2.82
- Rice 1.22 1.54
- Ride-hailing (5km) 4.06 9.71
- Running Shoes 113.59 162.75
- SIM Card (Tourist, prepaid) 8.11 3.47
- Scooter Rental 16.23 126
- Summer Dress 48.68 50.4
- Taxi Start 2.7 3.86
- Taxi per km 1.62 1.96
- Tennis Court (Weekend) 17.58 18.9
- Transportation local 48.68, nomad 121.7, expat 94.65, family 324.53, tourist 21.64 local 69, nomad 146, expat 158, family 262, tourist 25
- Utilities local 94.65, nomad 0, expat 175.79, family 297.48, tourist 0 local 118, nomad 0, expat 140, family 200, tourist 0
- Visa & Legal Fees local 0, nomad 40.57, expat 27.04, family 94.65 local 0, nomad 8, expat 5, family 15
- Water (1.5L bottle) 1.22 1.99
- Wine (Mid-range) 14.87 12.6
Taxi per km repriced from Livingcost 8 km taxi USD 16.42 minus carrera mínima COP 12,250 (livingcost.org, cartagena.gov.co).

Cartagena cost of living