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Cartagena vs Medellín cost of living 2026
Which is cheaper, what exactly is cheaper, and how it feels on your money · Updated October 2026
🇨🇴 Cartagena
🇨🇴 Medellín
At a glance
- Where Medellín is clearly cheaper: Hotel night (43%↓), Restaurant dinner (24%↓), Massage (20%↓)
- Where Cartagena is clearly cheaper: Scooter rental (56%↓), Street food (44%↓), Tuk-tuk / moto taxi (33%↓)
By category
Salary equivalence
Travel difficulty
Medellín is easier to travel (3.0 vs 3.2). Biggest gap: rip-offs & haggling — Cartagena 4 vs Medellín 3. Closer to 1 is easier. Difficulty ranking ›
Item by item
| Item | Cartagena | Medellín | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local mealper person | COL$ 20,000$4.88 | COL$ 16,000$3.9 | Medellín −20% |
| Street food1 item | COL$ 4,000$0.98 | COL$ 7,200$1.76 | Cartagena −44% |
| Restaurant dinnerper person | COL$ 75,000$18.3 | COL$ 57,000$13.9 | Medellín −24% |
| Coffeeone cup | COL$ 9,000$2.2 | COL$ 8,200$2 | Medellín −9% |
| Beerone bottle | COL$ 8,000$1.95 | COL$ 6,500$1.59 | Medellín −19% |
| Cocktail & wineone cup | COL$ 30,000$7.32 | COL$ 30,000$7.32 | similar |
| Bottled water | COL$ 2,500$0.61 | COL$ 2,500$0.61 | similar |
| Convenience store1 snack or drink | COL$ 4,000$0.98 | COL$ 3,500$0.85 | Medellín −12% |
| Taxi5 km in town | COL$ 15,000$3.66 | COL$ 14,000$3.41 | Medellín −7% |
| Tuk-tuk / moto taxishort hop | COL$ 6,000$1.46 | COL$ 9,000$2.2 | Cartagena −33% |
| Transitone ride | COL$ 3,900$0.95 | COL$ 4,400$1.07 | Cartagena −11% |
| Scooter rentalper day | COL$ 40,000$9.76 | COL$ 90,000$22 | Cartagena −56% |
| Hotel night3-star | COL$ 350,000$85.4 | COL$ 200,000$48.8 | Medellín −43% |
| Studio rent (month) | COL$ 2,200,000$537 | COL$ 2,200,000$537 | similar |
| Laundry | COL$ 8,000$1.95 | COL$ 7,000$1.71 | Medellín −12% |
| SIM card1 week data | COL$ 30,000$7.32 | COL$ 33,000$8.05 | Cartagena −9% |
| Haircutcut | COL$ 20,000$4.88 | COL$ 25,000$6.1 | Cartagena −20% |
| Massage1 hour | COL$ 100,000$24.4 | COL$ 80,000$19.5 | Medellín −20% |
| Half-day tourper person | COL$ 120,000$29.3 | COL$ 100,000$24.4 | Medellín −17% |
| Entry ticketTourist town | COL$ 30,000$7.32 | COL$ 33,000$8.05 | Cartagena −9% |
Reference prices start as estimates from published price levels; items with 3+ traveler reports use the median of real reports. Hostels and local eateries cut both by 30%+.
FAQ
Which is cheaper, Cartagena or Medellín?
Medellín is 25% cheaper than Cartagena. Daily budget $136 vs $89.6; a month $2,150 vs $1,812.
Which is easier to travel, Cartagena or Medellín?
Medellín is easier: Medellín 3.0/5 vs Cartagena 3.2/5 (average of rip-offs, language, transport, payments and safety).
How do monthly costs compare between Cartagena and Medellín?
With a short-term studio and living costs, Cartagena is about $2,150 and Medellín about $1,812 per month.
Where do the numbers come from?
They start as estimates informed by published price levels; any item with 3+ traveler reports switches to the median of real reports. Live reports are in the app.