Caracas vs Cartagena
In short
Calculated from the figures below, with no overall “who wins” score.
Rent
✓in Cartagena cheaper — −43%
Family groceries
✓in Cartagena cheaper — −50%
Ready-made house
✓in Cartagena cheaper — −48%
In numbers
Exchange rate as of the date each figure was checked.
House or apartment rent
per monthCaracas$750–4,900$750–4,900✓Cartagena≈ $1,070–2,140COP 3.5–7.04Mcheaper by 43%Family groceries
per monthCaracas$582$582✓Cartagena≈ $290COP 953,232cheaper by 50%Winter
averageCaracas13–29 °C13–29 °CCartagena24–31 °C24–31 °CPrecipitation
per yearCaracas912.8 mm912.8 mmCartagena1,017 mm1,017 mmReady-made house
purchaseCaracas$72k – 1.25M$72k – 1.25M✓Cartagena≈ $228–453kCOP 750–1,487.5Mcheaper by 48%
By topic
A quick look at each city. Details and sources are on the city page.
Housing
Caracas
An apartment with three or more bedrooms by listings: 750-4900 dollars a month, median about 1600. The east is the most expensive: Campo Alegre, La Castellana, El Rosal.
SpecialistRent-A-House: apartments for rent with three or more bedrooms, Distrito Metropolitano (Caracas), pages 1-3 · checked 6 Oct 2026
An apartment with three or more bedrooms by listings: from 72k to 1.25 million dollars, median about 170k. Most often 80-200k for 76-155 m².
SpecialistRent-A-House: apartments for sale with three or more bedrooms, Distrito Metropolitano (Caracas), pages 1-2 · checked 6 Oct 2026
Cartagena
A three-bedroom apartment by listings: median 5.5 million pesos a month (about 1,640 dollars), half within 3.5-7 million. In stratum 6 the median is 6.8 million.
SpecialistFincaraíz: three-bedroom apartments for rent in Cartagena · checked 6 Oct 2026
A resale three-bedroom by listings: median 975 million pesos (about 290 thousand dollars), half within 750 million - 1.49 billion. Mostly Bocagrande and Castillogrande.
SpecialistFincaraíz: three-bedroom apartments for sale in Cartagena · checked 6 Oct 2026
Money and prices
Caracas
The Cendas food basket for a family of five cost 727.89 dollars a month in July 2026; pro rata for four, about 580. Plus 13.5 for drinking water.
SpecialistEl Diario: Cendas-FVM, family food basket in July 2026 at 727.89 dollars · checked 6 Oct 2026
Cartagena
The DANE minimum food basket for Cartagena is 238,308 pesos per person a month, about 953 thousand (285 dollars) for a family of four. Figures for 2025.
OfficialDANE: monetary poverty 2025, presentation of results with poverty lines by city · checked 6 Oct 2026
A family of four in Cartagena counts as poor with income below 2.1 million pesos a month, about 630 dollars (2025). 34.6% of residents are poor, more than in Medellín and Cali.
OfficialDANE: monetary poverty 2025, presentation of results with poverty lines by city · checked 6 Oct 2026
Family and kids
Caracas
Private schools in Caracas charge 70-360 dollars a month for 2026-2027, plus an enrolment fee of 225-1560 dollars. Payment in bolivars at the BCV rate is accepted.
SpecialistEl Diario: private schools of Greater Caracas, fees for the 2026-2027 school year · checked 6 Oct 2026
Cartagena
Nothing yet
Healthcare
Caracas
Nothing yet
Cartagena
Hospital Serena del Mar of the Santa Fe de Bogotá foundation: in Colombia's top 20 in the Newsweek 2026 ranking and first in Cartagena and the Caribbean region. Over 60 specialties.
SpecialistEl Universal: Hospital Serena del Mar, first in Cartagena in the Newsweek 2026 ranking · checked 6 Oct 2026
Transport
Caracas
After the earthquakes, Maiquetía airport resumed commercial flights on 1 September 2026, but with limited capacity. To the city, use only a pre-booked taxi.
OfficialUK Foreign Office: Venezuela travel advice, Warnings and insurance (updated 2 September 2026) · checked 6 Oct 2026
Cartagena
In 2025 about 7.2 million passengers passed through Cartagena airport, 1.7 million of them international. The most popular destinations are Lima, New York, Mexico City, Madrid and Miami.
OfficialAerocivil, open data: commercial air traffic by origin-destination, 2020-2026 · checked 6 Oct 2026
Climate
Caracas
About 910 mm a year. Dry from January to March (11-15 mm a month); the rainy season runs from May to October, with 80-135 mm a month and 13-19 rainy days.
OfficialWMO World Weather Information Service: climate normals for Caracas · checked 6 Oct 2026
There is no winter as a season. The coolest month is January: about 13 degrees at night, 29 by day. All year round 28-32 degrees by day, 13-18 at night.
OfficialWMO World Weather Information Service: climate normals for Caracas · checked 6 Oct 2026
Cartagena
There is no winter: even in the coolest month, January, it averages 23.6 degrees at night and 30.5 during the day. In June-July, 25.7 at night and 31.6 during the day.
OfficialWMO, World Weather Information Service: climate normals of Cartagena 1971-2000 · checked 6 Oct 2026
About 1,020 mm a year. From December to April it is almost dry (1-35 mm a month), rains from May to November, most of all in October: 235 mm and 16 rainy days.
OfficialWMO, World Weather Information Service: climate normals of Cartagena 1971-2000 · checked 6 Oct 2026
Safety
Caracas
On 24 June 2026 two earthquakes of magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 badly damaged La Guaira and parts of Caracas. The risk of further tremors remains.
OfficialUK Foreign Office: Venezuela travel advice, Safety and security · checked 6 Oct 2026
The Russian Foreign Ministry names Catia, Petare, Antímano, La Vega, Caricuao, El Paraíso and 23 de Enero as especially dangerous. Evening walks are risky almost everywhere.
OfficialRussian Foreign Ministry Consular Department: information about Venezuela (transport, crime) · checked 6 Oct 2026
Cartagena
According to Ministry of Defense open data, Cartagena had 360 homicides in 2025 and 381 in 2024. In January-August 2026 there were 191, against 244 in the same period of 2025.
OfficialColombian Ministry of Defense, open data: homicides by municipality (HOMICIDIO) · checked 6 Oct 2026
Internet and phone
Caracas
Median fixed internet speed in Venezuela is 127 Mbit/s, mobile 28 (Speedtest, August 2026). CANTV sells fibre up to 1 Gbit/s. When power goes, so does connectivity.
SpecialistSpeedtest Global Index: Venezuela, median speeds, August 2026 · checked 6 Oct 2026
Cartagena
Nothing yet
Services
Caracas
Outages are the main problem: the country is short of up to 4000 MW, and in half of it power is cut for 4-12 hours a day. Tap water is not drunk; drinking water costs 13.5 dollars.
SpecialistCrónica Uno: the 14,000-megawatt gap, Venezuela's electricity deficit, 3 October 2026 · checked 6 Oct 2026
Cartagena
Water with sewerage for 15 m³ at the Aguas de Cartagena tariff: stratum 4 about 136 thousand pesos a month (41 dollars), stratum 5 about 241 thousand, stratum 6 about 289 thousand.
OfficialAguas de Cartagena: water and sewerage tariffs, second half of 2026 · checked 6 Oct 2026
Surtigas piped gas for homes: 2,539 pesos per m³ plus 3,942 pesos a month per bill. 30 m³ comes to about 80 thousand pesos (24 dollars). Strata 5-6 pay 20% more.
OfficialSurtigas: piped gas tariffs for regulated users, September 2026 · checked 6 Oct 2026
Since September 2026 a kWh from Afinia costs 1,033 pesos, the price for stratum 4. 300 kWh a month is about 310 thousand pesos (93 dollars), a typical amount for a family with air conditioning.
SpecialistEl Universal: Afinia's price per kWh rose from 950 to 1,033 pesos from September 2026 · checked 6 Oct 2026
