Cost of living comparison
compared to
Quito vs. Cartagena Cost of Living Summary
Quito is 10.4% more expensive than Cartagena.
- Restaurants
-
pay 2.9% less in Quito
- Groceries
-
pay 14.6% less in Quito
- Transportation
-
pay 17.5% less in Quito
- Housing
-
pay 35.9% less in Quito
- Childcare
-
pay 45.2% more in Quito
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 2.0 times more in Quito
- Clothing
-
pay 3.8% less in Quito
The cost of entertainment and sports and childcare in Quito are more expensive than in Cartagena. Expenses including housing, transportation, groceries, clothing, and restaurants are lower in Quito. Notably, entertainment and sports is significantly more expensive in Quito.
Quito vs. Cartagena Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Quito instead of Cartagena, you would:
pay 2.9% less for restaurants
|
Cartagena
|
Quito
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$6.08
COP23,106.09
|
$5.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$9.99
COP37,949.89
|
$7.38
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$0.88
COP3,360.84
|
$1.13
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.70
COP2,670.02
|
$0.73
|
|
Cartagena vs. Quito - Cost of restaurants
pay 14.6% less for groceries
|
Cartagena
|
Quito
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.01
COP7,651.68
|
$1.62
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$3.71
COP14,093.07
|
$4.18
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.75
COP18,051.51
|
$4.06
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$2.30
COP8,750.82
|
$2.43
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$2.95
COP11,194.34
|
$3.52
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.56
COP5,942.07
|
$0.98
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.94
COP3,567.92
|
$0.51
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$0.72
COP2,720.54
|
$0.48
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.78
COP2,973.26
|
$0.59
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.76
COP2,898.93
|
$0.68
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.53
COP2,006.95
|
$0.47
|
|
Cartagena vs. Quito - Cost of groceries
pay 17.5% less for transportation
|
Cartagena
|
Quito
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.99
COP15,160.48
|
$2.63
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$30.54
COP116,022.06
|
$27.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$22,645.31
COP86,033,306.54
|
$20,000.00
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$15.45
COP58,708.83
|
$13.50
|
|
Cartagena vs. Quito - Cost of transportation
pay 35.9% less for housing
|
Cartagena
|
Quito
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$26.66
COP101,273.49
|
$28.44
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$776.41
COP2,949,713.37
|
$448.12
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$451.77
COP1,716,359.12
|
$317.19
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$115.21
COP437,706.07
|
$25.07
|
|
Cartagena vs. Quito - Cost of housing
pay 45.2% more for childcare
|
Cartagena
|
Quito
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$151.40
COP575,194.11
|
$283.25
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$9,058.12
COP34,413,322.61
|
$9,360.00
|
|
Cartagena vs. Quito - Cost of childcare
pay 2.0 times more for entertainment and sports
|
Cartagena
|
Quito
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$0.91
COP3,441.33
|
$2.38
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$1.68
COP6,391.05
|
$2.96
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$2.46
COP9,340.76
|
$6.00
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$37.46
COP142,323.67
|
$38.55
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$3.11
COP11,798.85
|
$7.00
|
|
Cartagena vs. Quito - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 3.8% less for clothing
|
Cartagena
|
Quito
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$51.76
COP196,647.56
|
$60.15
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$41.41
COP157,318.05
|
$46.83
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$133.72
COP508,006.19
|
$105.42
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$120.77
COP458,844.30
|
$92.78
|
|
Cartagena vs. Quito - Cost of clothing
The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you.
We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world.
Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: December 2025
Change currency:
Compare countries by overall cost of living
See the
cost of living in Colombia vs. Ecuador.
This provides a comparison of the average cost of living from cities within Colombia and Ecuador.
Help us improve these prices
MyLifeElsewhere is a collaborative project. Please enter price information for your location to help assist us in making these comparisons more accurate.
Learn more
ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY
Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Quito or Cartagena. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.