Cost of living: Cartagena vs. Chicago
Thinking of moving to the US? Compare the cost of living in any city with your hometown.
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At a glance
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Life in Chicago
Chicago stretches along the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan, with the hot summers and cold winters of a continental climate. It is the nation's railroad hub and home of the first skyscraper, built in 1885, and no single industry employs more than 14% of its workforce. In Little Village, 26th Street, known as the Mexico of the Midwest, is the city's second-busiest shopping district by sales.
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The birthplace of the skyscraper and modern architecture.
Monthly breakdown
What everyday life costs in each city, side by side.
| Total |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Housing | $700 | $1,406 |
| Healthcare | $60 | $355 |
| Groceries | $110 | $474 |
| Utilities | $130 | $252 |
| Transit | $35 | $75 |
| Other | $70 | $511 |
Estimated monthly costs for one adult: typical rent across the metro area, USDA's moderate-cost food plan and U.S. government spending data — a typical budget, not a minimum.
Sources, updated September 2026: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (Regional Price Parities, 2024); U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (Consumer Expenditure Surveys, 2024; Consumer Price Index); U.S. Department of Agriculture (Food Plans, July 2026); Federal Communications Commission (Urban Rate Survey, 2026); U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (Fair Market Rents, FY2026); U.S. Energy Information Administration (weekly retail gasoline prices); official fare pages of each city's transit agency; Latin America: crowdsourced cost-of-living platforms, used for reference.
Cartagena figures are collected from online sources.
Cost of living by US city
15 cities, ranked by monthly cost for one person
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Frequently asked questions
Is Chicago more expensive than Cartagena?
For one adult, Chicago is 2.8× more expensive than Cartagena: about $3,073 a month, compared with about $1,105 in Cartagena.
What is the monthly cost difference between Cartagena and Chicago?
About $1,968 a month for one adult: $3,073 in Chicago versus $1,105 in Cartagena. Change the number of adults above to see your household's figures.
Which costs change the most between Cartagena and Chicago?
Other shows the biggest jump: it costs 7.3× as much in Chicago as in Cartagena.
How does rent compare between Cartagena and Chicago?
A one-bedroom apartment rents for about $1,406 a month in Chicago and about $700 in Cartagena. Rents exclude utilities.
Can a minimum-wage job cover the costs in Chicago?
A full-time minimum-wage job in Chicago ($17.05 an hour) pays about $2,955 a month before taxes. Typical costs for one adult there are about $3,073 a month. Add your income above to see what would be left each month.
How is the cost of living measured?
We add up typical monthly costs for one adult in six categories: housing, healthcare, groceries, utilities, transit and other everyday spending. U.S. figures are calculated from government data (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Bureau of Economic Analysis, HUD and the Energy Information Administration) plus transit agencies' published fares. Latin American figures come from crowdsourced cost-of-living platforms, and their healthcare costs are a modeled estimate. Minimum wages are each city's local rate where it has one, otherwise the state rate published by the U.S. Department of Labor. Both cities' figures were last updated in 2026.
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