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City comparison

Santa Cruz de la Sierra vs Cartagena

In short

Calculated from the figures below, with no overall “who wins” score.

  • Rent

    in Santa Cruz cheaper — −68%

  • Family budget

    in Santa Cruz cheaper — −36%

  • Ready-made house

    in Santa Cruz cheaper — −61%

In numbers

Exchange rate as of the date each figure was checked.

  • House or apartment rent

    per month
    Santa Cruz de la Sierra≈ $342–700BOB 4,100–8,400
    cheaper by 68%
    Cartagena≈ $1,070–2,140COP 3.5–7.04M
  • Family groceries

    per month
    Santa Cruz de la Sierra≈ $208BOB 2,490
    cheaper by 28%
    Cartagena≈ $290COP 953,232
  • Family budget

    per month
    Santa Cruz de la Sierra≈ $410BOB 4,917
    cheaper by 36%
    Cartagena≈ $639COP 2,099,220
  • Winter

    average
    Santa Cruz de la Sierra22 °C22 °C
    Cartagena24–31 °C24–31 °C
  • Precipitation

    per year
    Santa Cruz de la Sierra1,372 mm1,372 mm
    Cartagena1,017 mm1,017 mm
  • Ready-made house

    purchase
    Santa Cruz de la Sierra$87,900 – 180k$87,900 – 180k
    cheaper by 61%
    Cartagena≈ $228–453kCOP 750–1,487.5M

By topic

A quick look at each city. Details and sources are on the city page.

Housing

Santa Cruz de la Sierra

Buying a house

A three-bedroom house by listings costs 88-180 thousand dollars, median 123 thousand. In Urubó about 228 thousand, in the north of the city about 117 thousand.

SpecialistInfoCasas Bolivia: sale of three-bedroom houses in Santa Cruz · checked 6 Oct 2026

Apartment rent

A three-bedroom apartment by listings costs 4100-8400 Bs a month, median about 5500 Bs (about 460 dollars at 11.97). Almost twice as much in Equipetrol.

SpecialistInfoCasas Bolivia: rental of three-bedroom apartments in Santa Cruz · checked 6 Oct 2026

Anticrético instead of rent

Instead of renting you can give the owner a large sum for a term and live without paying: a three-bedroom apartment in anticrético is about 35-50 thousand dollars.

SpecialistInfoCasas Bolivia: three-bedroom apartments in anticrético in Santa Cruz · checked 6 Oct 2026

Everything about housing in Santa Cruz →

Cartagena

Three-bedroom rent

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

Buying an apartment

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

Everything about housing in Cartagena →

Money and prices

Santa Cruz de la Sierra

Monthly family budget

A family of four in Santa Cruz is considered poor with an income below 4917 Bs a month (about 410 dollars). This is the lowest line among the cities in the INE table.

OfficialINE: poverty line and extreme poverty line per person per month by city, 2016 - December 2025 · checked 6 Oct 2026

Groceries for a family

The minimum food basket for a family of four in Santa Cruz is about 2490 Bs a month (about 210 dollars) by the INE extreme poverty line for December 2025.

OfficialINE: poverty line and extreme poverty line per person per month by city, 2016 - December 2025 · checked 6 Oct 2026

Everything about money and prices in Santa Cruz →

Cartagena

Groceries for a family

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

Family budget per month

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

Everything about money and prices in Cartagena →

Family and kids

Santa Cruz de la Sierra

Private and public schools

In 2025 the department of Santa Cruz had 822 thousand students, about 104 thousand (12.6%) in private schools and kindergartens. Private school fees: not found.

OfficialINE with Ministry of Education data: students in public and private schools by department, 2011 - 2025 · checked 6 Oct 2026

Everything about family and kids in Santa Cruz →

Cartagena

Nothing yet

Healthcare

Santa Cruz de la Sierra

Hospital beds

The department of Santa Cruz had 5131 hospital beds in 2024, about 691 inhabitants per bed. This is slightly worse than the national average (669).

OfficialINE with Ministry of Health data: hospital beds and inhabitants per bed by department, 2005 - 2024 · checked 6 Oct 2026

Everything about healthcare in Santa Cruz →

Cartagena

The city's main hospital

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

Everything about healthcare in Cartagena →

Transport

Santa Cruz de la Sierra

Airports and roads

INE names Viru Viru near Santa Cruz one of the three key international airports; the city also has El Trompillo. A highway runs to Cochabamba and La Paz.

OfficialINE: geographic information on Bolivia (roads and international airports) · checked 6 Oct 2026

Everything about transport in Santa Cruz →

Cartagena

Rafael Núñez Airport

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

Everything about transport in Cartagena →

Climate

Santa Cruz de la Sierra

Precipitation and seasons

About 1370 mm of precipitation a year, from 980 to 1740 mm in different years. The rainiest are December and January (about 180 mm), the driest is July (about 26 mm).

OfficialINE with SENAMHI data: mean temperature and precipitation by city by month, 1990 - 2026; annual tables by weather station, 2005 - 2024 · checked 6 Oct 2026

Winter climate

Winter is warm: the mean temperature in June-August is about 21.7 degrees. But the yearly absolute minimum at the city weather station is 2-9 degrees.

OfficialINE with SENAMHI data: mean temperature and precipitation by city by month, 1990 - 2026; annual tables by weather station, 2005 - 2024 · checked 6 Oct 2026

Everything about climate in Santa Cruz →

Cartagena

Hot all year round

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

Precipitation and seasonality

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

Everything about climate in Cartagena →

Safety

Santa Cruz de la Sierra

Crime reports

In 2024 police in the department of Santa Cruz got 15.6 thousand crime reports, 5.1 thousand on robberies. Homicide reports in 2023: 228, three times La Paz.

OfficialINE with police data: crime reports in the department of Santa Cruz by type, 2007 - 2024 · checked 6 Oct 2026

Everything about safety in Santa Cruz →

Cartagena

Homicides

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

Everything about safety in Cartagena →

Internet and phone

Santa Cruz de la Sierra

Fiber internet

The state operator Entel sells home fiber at 200 Mbps for 229 Bs a month, 1000 Mbps for 450 Bs. Installation is 200 Bs, subject to an address check.

SpecialistEntel: home fiber internet, Simple plans · checked 6 Oct 2026

Everything about internet and phone service in Santa Cruz →

Cartagena

Nothing yet

Services

Santa Cruz de la Sierra

Bottled gas

Liquefied gas at a regulated price of 2.25 Bs per kg, a 10 kg cylinder is 22.50 Bs (under 2 dollars). We did not find the piped gas tariff.

OfficialANH: regulated prices of petroleum products on the domestic market, including liquefied gas (GLP) · checked 6 Oct 2026

Electricity from CRE

The average residential tariff of the CRE cooperative in 2024 was 11 US cents per kWh without VAT, about 0.77 Bs. 300 kWh a month is about 230 Bs before tax.

OfficialAETN: statistical yearbook 2024, average tariff for the final consumer by category (CRE, Área Integrada) · checked 6 Oct 2026

Water and sewerage

The SAGUAPAC water utility received on average about 7 Bs per billed m³ in 2025. Only two thirds of residents in its area have sewerage.

OfficialSAGUAPAC: annual report (Memoria) for 2025 · checked 6 Oct 2026

Everything about services in Santa Cruz →

Cartagena

Water and sewerage

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

Piped gas from Surtigas

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

Electricity from Afinia

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

Everything about services in Cartagena →

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