Cartagena at a glance
- Cartagena ranks 7th of 8 priced cities in Colombia on cost: $1,110 a month in essentials, 57% above Cali, the cheapest.
- The average net salary of $462 covers that 0.4×.
- 96.8 men per 100 women aged 20–39, measured at municipality level.
- PM2.5 averages 10.3 µg/m³ a year, 2× the WHO guideline of 5.
Green is the better side of each figure. Every line is computed from the tables below.
Monthly cost breakdown
Rent outside centre plus utilities, groceries, dining and local transport make up the essentials figure. Not a full lifestyle budget. The middle column is the median across the 8 Colombia cities we track, so every row says whether Cartagena is the cheap side of its own market or the dear one. Green is the better side of each row.
| Essentials, monthlyrent outside centre + bills + food + transit | $1,110 | $894 | $216 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rent, 1-bed outside centremonthly, USD | $505 | $416 | $90 |
| Rent, 1-bed city centremonthly, USD | $1,068 | $496 | 2.15× as much |
| Groceriesmonthly, one person | $163 | $130 | $32 |
| Dining outmonthly, one person | $213 | $162 | 1.32× as much |
| Utilitiesmonthly: power, water, heating, internet | $192 | $146 | 1.32× as much |
| Local transportmonthly pass or fare equivalent | $37 | $41 | $4 |
| Average net salarymonthly, after tax; average, not median | $462 | $570 | $109 |
| Rent, 3-bed outside centremonthly, USD | $923 | $806 | $118 |
| Rent, 3-bed city centremonthly, USD | $1,805 | $1,076 | 1.68× as much |
Single person, USD. Data updated August 6, 2026.
Everyday prices
What single items cost in Cartagena, in USD. The monthly figures above are built from these. Cheaper side of each row in green.
Eating out
| Meal, inexpensive restaurant | $7.75 | $7.75 | same |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meal for 2, mid-range, three courses | $64.36 | $41.10 | 1.57× as much |
| McMeal at McDonald's | $12.41 | $9.31 | 1.33× as much |
| Cappuccino, regular | $2.36 | $2.25 | $0.11 |
| Domestic beer, 0.5 L draught | $1.09 | $1.71 | 1.56× as much |
| Imported beer, 0.33 L bottle | $3.41 | $3.57 | $0.16 |
| Coke/Pepsi, 0.33 L | $1.24 | $1.30 | $0.06 |
| Water, 0.33 L bottle | $1.03 | $0.80 | 1.28× as much |
Groceries
| Milk, 1 L | $1.41 | $1.42 | $0.01 |
|---|---|---|---|
| White bread, 500 g | $2.35 | $1.79 | 1.31× as much |
| White rice, 1 kg | $1.47 | $1.49 | $0.02 |
| Eggs, 12 | $3.06 | $2.88 | $0.18 |
| Local cheese, 1 kg | $9.99 | $6.28 | 1.59× as much |
| Chicken fillets, 1 kg | $10.96 | $8.01 | 1.37× as much |
| Apples, 1 kg | $4.13 | $3.43 | $0.70 |
| Bananas, 1 kg | $2.48 | $1.46 | 1.70× as much |
| Tomatoes, 1 kg | $2.07 | $1.69 | $0.38 |
| Potatoes, 1 kg | $2.02 | $1.56 | 1.29× as much |
| Onions, 1 kg | $1.40 | $1.44 | $0.04 |
| Water, 1.5 L bottle | $1.28 | $1.05 | $0.23 |
Transport & bills
| One-way ticket, local transport | $1.12 | $1.02 | $0.10 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly transit pass | $36.60 | $41.10 | $4.50 |
| Taxi start | $3.10 | $2.23 | 1.39× as much |
| Taxi, 1 km | $1.93 | $2.20 | $0.27 |
| Gasoline, 1 L | $1.29 | $1.29 | same |
| Basic utilities, 85 m² flat | $159.97 | $116.06 | 1.38× as much |
| Internet, 60 Mbps+ | $31.95 | $29.79 | $2.16 |
| Mobile plan, monthly | $13.87 | $12.52 | $1.35 |
Leisure
| Gym, monthly | $44.39 | $33.55 | 1.32× as much |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cinema, one seat | $6.20 | $5.58 | $0.62 |
Dating-age sex ratio
Cartagena has 96.8 men per 100 women aged 20–39 (municipality level). That is the 6th-highest of 8 Colombia cities we track. Colombia's national figure is 100.5, so Cartagena runs 4 below the country as a whole.
Every Colombia region by male-to-female ratio →
A supply figure, 20–39. The dating-pool model is in Pro.
How Cartagena ranks against every city we track
Cartagena sits ahead of 71% of the 892 cities we track on women aged 20–39. On clean air it is ahead of 55% of 898. Its weakest measure is salary against local costs, ahead of only 4% of 534.
Longer is better on every row: bar length is where Cartagena sits among all the cities carrying that measure, which is why the count differs by row.
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Photo: Sgonzalezb, CC BY-SA 3.0.
