Cost of living comparison
compared to
Cartagena vs. China Cost of Living Summary
Cartagena is 2.0 times more expensive than China overall.
- Restaurants
-
pay 4.7 times more in Cartagena
- Groceries
-
pay 39.8% more in Cartagena
- Transportation
-
pay 90.4% more in Cartagena
- Housing
-
pay 2.8 times more in Cartagena
- Childcare
-
pay 36.1% less in Cartagena
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 67.0% more in Cartagena
- Clothing
-
pay 7.2% less in Cartagena
The cost of restaurants, housing, transportation, entertainment and sports, and groceries in Cartagena are more expensive than in China. Expenses including childcare and clothing are lower in Cartagena. Notably, restaurants, housing, and transportation are significantly more expensive in Cartagena.
Cartagena vs. China Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Cartagena instead of China, you would:
pay 4.7 times more for restaurants
|
China
|
Cartagena
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$2.90
CN¥20.44
|
$14.02
€11.94
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$5.02
CN¥35.39
|
$8.18
€6.97
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$0.47
CN¥3.35
|
$2.60
€2.21
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.28
CN¥1.95
|
$1.87
€1.59
|
|
China vs. Cartagena - Cost of restaurants
pay 39.8% more for groceries
|
China
|
Cartagena
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.63
CN¥11.49
|
$1.03
€0.88
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.32
CN¥44.58
|
$5.48
€4.67
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$6.70
CN¥47.30
|
$4.49
€3.83
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$1.56
CN¥11.02
|
$3.00
€2.56
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$1.52
CN¥10.75
|
$3.81
€3.25
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$0.74
CN¥5.24
|
$1.06
€0.90
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.55
CN¥3.85
|
$0.84
€0.72
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$0.62
CN¥4.40
|
$0.65
€0.55
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.50
CN¥3.56
|
$0.79
€0.68
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.30
CN¥2.12
|
$0.58
€0.50
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.39
CN¥2.78
|
$0.49
€0.42
|
|
China vs. Cartagena - Cost of groceries
pay 90.4% more for transportation
|
China
|
Cartagena
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.34
CN¥30.59
|
$6.80
€5.79
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$20.32
CN¥143.36
|
$11.68
€9.95
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$19,143.98
CN¥135,051.24
|
$30,951.72
€26,371.06
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$3.94
CN¥27.81
|
$15.21
€12.96
|
|
China vs. Cartagena - Cost of transportation
pay 2.8 times more for housing
|
China
|
Cartagena
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$11.18
CN¥78.85
|
$29.98
€25.54
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$304.90
CN¥2,150.88
|
$846.79
€721.47
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$195.65
CN¥1,380.18
|
$627.79
€534.88
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$41.04
CN¥289.54
|
$111.87
€95.32
|
|
China vs. Cartagena - Cost of housing
pay 36.1% less for childcare
|
China
|
Cartagena
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$390.25
CN¥2,753.01
|
$428.26
€364.88
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$15,493.57
CN¥109,299.39
|
$2,803.18
€2,388.32
|
|
China vs. Cartagena - Cost of childcare
pay 67.0% more for entertainment and sports
|
China
|
Cartagena
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$1.04
CN¥7.34
|
$3.50
€2.99
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$2.84
CN¥20.01
|
$2.61
€2.23
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$3.36
CN¥23.70
|
$5.84
€4.98
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$41.13
CN¥290.14
|
$39.42
€33.59
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$5.98
CN¥42.21
|
$8.18
€6.97
|
|
China vs. Cartagena - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 7.2% less for clothing
|
China
|
Cartagena
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$45.93
CN¥323.99
|
$45.26
€38.56
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$30.93
CN¥218.20
|
$31.83
€27.12
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$71.26
CN¥502.70
|
$45.26
€38.56
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$72.88
CN¥514.13
|
$77.38
€65.93
|
|
China vs. Cartagena - 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
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