Cartagena
Cartagena on a budget: cheap food, stays and free sights
Budget about COP 125,000–255,000 per day (roughly US$30–60) if you sleep in a dorm, eat menú del día and walk instead of taking tours. Cartagena is Colombia's priciest city, so keep your bed and your main meal outside the walled centre and treat walking the streets as the day's activity.
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GuideCartagena
Key facts
- Backpacker day
- COP 125,000–255,000 (dorm, corrientazo, buses, few paid sights)
- Mid-range day
- COP 370,000–770,000 (private room, restaurants, some tours)
- Cheapest meal pattern
- Menú del día at lunch, COP 15,000–25,000
- Beer
- COP 4,000–10,000
- Tinto (small coffee)
- COP 1,500–3,000
- Free things to docheck
- Walking the walled city and Getsemaní, plazas and the sea wall at sunset (check)
- Cheapest monthscheck
- Outside Christmas, Easter and mid-year Colombian holidays (check)
- Airport to centre
- Rafael Núñez (CTG) is about 15 minutes from the walled city
Quick answer
Cartagena is the most expensive city in Colombia, but the gap is mostly in beds and restaurant meals inside the walls. A backpacker day lands at COP 125,000–255,000 (about US$30–60): dorm bed, menú del día at lunch, buses and walking, and one or two paid sights. A mid-range day runs COP 370,000–770,000.
The single biggest lever is where you sleep. The second is eating your main meal at lunch, when small restaurants serve the fixed menú del día for COP 15,000–25,000. The third is transport: walk the centre and use buses by day, and keep ride-hailing for nights.
If you want a paid boat day to the Islas del Rosario, budget COP 150,000–300,000 on top and expect port tax and island fees to be charged separately — check before you pay.
| Tier | Per day | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Backpacker | COP 125,000–255,000 | Dorm, menú del día, buses, few paid sights |
| Mid-range | COP 370,000–770,000 | Private room, restaurants, some tours |
| Comfort | COP 1,200,000+ | Boutique hotel, private guides, flights |
2026 estimate, per person, in Colombian pesos. International flights not included.
Top picks
These are the choices that cut a day's spend the most, in order of impact. Prices are 2026 estimates in Colombian pesos; where a figure is not confirmed, treat it as a band to check on the ground.
- Sleep in a dorm rather than a private room: COP 50,000–90,000 against COP 150,000–300,000 (check)
- Eat the menú del día at lunch: COP 15,000–25,000
- Walk the walled city and Getsemaní instead of paying for a city tour
- Buy water, fruit and snacks at a market or supermarket rather than a plaza kiosk
- Use the local bus or walk; save ride-hailing for late nights
- Take a shared boat tour to the islands rather than a private charter
| Pick | Typical cost | Why it saves |
|---|---|---|
| Dorm bed | COP 50,000–90,000 | Cheapest bed tier in the country facts (check) |
| Menú del día | COP 15,000–25,000 | Full lunch well below restaurant menu prices |
| Beer from a shop | COP 4,000–10,000 | Plaza tables charge far more |
| Tinto | COP 1,500–3,000 | Cheapest drink in the city |
| Walled city on foot | Free | The streets themselves are the sight (check) |
| Islas del Rosario shared tour | COP 150,000–300,000 | Boat day without a private charter |
2026 estimate, per person, in Colombian pesos.
Prices and hours
Cartagena runs on two price lists: the one for locals and the one for the plaza. The same beer can cost COP 4,000 at a corner shop and several times that at a table on a main square. Sitting a block off the squares usually drops the price.
Lunch is the value meal. Small restaurants serve a fixed menú del día around midday; by mid-afternoon the pots are often empty and you pay restaurant prices. Dinner is where budgets break, so keep it light or cook at the hostel.
Paid sights are modest by US standards but add up, and entry fees change — check at the door rather than planning around a published price. Free days exist at some museums but the schedule shifts, so do not build a trip around one.
| Item | Price | When |
|---|---|---|
| Menú del día | COP 15,000–25,000 | Lunch (check exact hours) |
| Tinto | COP 1,500–3,000 | All day |
| Club Colombia or Águila beer | COP 4,000–10,000 | Shop price; more in plazas |
| Dorm bed | COP 50,000–90,000 | Per night (check) |
| Private room, budget hotel | COP 150,000–300,000 | Per night (check) |
| Local bus | About COP 2,500–3,000 | Daytime (check) |
| Ride-hailing across town | COP 8,000–40,000 | Any time |
| Islas del Rosario day trip | COP 150,000–300,000 | Morning departure |
2026 estimate. Port tax and island fees on boat trips are often extra — check before you pay.
How to get there
Rafael Núñez International (CTG) sits about 15 minutes from the walled city, so the airport transfer is short and cheap compared with most Colombian cities. Use the official taxi rank or a ride-hailing app and agree the fare or check the app price before you get in; the local bus is the cheapest option in daylight if you travel light (check routes and fares).
Within the city, the walled centre and Getsemaní are compact and walkable; Bocagrande and Manga are further and better reached by bus or a short ride. Street taxis are best avoided after dark — see the scams page.
For the islands, boats leave from the Muelle de la Bodeguita near the clock tower, about 1 hour to the Islas del Rosario. Shared tours cost far less than private charters, and the quoted price usually excludes port tax and island entry fees (check).
- Airport to walled city: about 15 minutes by taxi or app
- Walled city to Getsemaní: walkable (check exact minutes)
- Walled city to Bocagrande: bus or short ride (check)
- Muelle de la Bodeguita: boats to the Islas del Rosario, about 1 hour
FAQ
Questions people ask
How much do I need per day in Cartagena?
Backpacker: COP 125,000–255,000 (about US$30–60) for a dorm, menú del día, buses and a few paid sights. Mid-range: COP 370,000–770,000 for a private room, restaurants and a tour. Cartagena is Colombia's priciest city, so add a margin if you stay inside the walls.
Where can I eat cheaply in Cartagena?
Small restaurants serving the menú del día at lunch, COP 15,000–25,000 for soup, rice, meat and juice. Beer from a shop costs COP 4,000–10,000 and a tinto COP 1,500–3,000. Prices on plaza terraces inside the walls are much higher than a block away.
What are the cheapest months for Cartagena?
Avoid Christmas and New Year, Easter week and the mid-year Colombian holidays, when demand and room rates peak. Outside those windows prices are usually lower (check). Cartagena is hot and humid year-round, so the season changes crowds and cost more than the weather.
Is Cartagena expensive compared with the rest of Colombia?
It is the priciest city in the country, mainly for beds and food inside the walls. Stay outside the walled centre, eat lunch as your main meal and walk, and your daily spend drops close to the national backpacker range of COP 125,000–255,000.
What can I do in Cartagena for free?
Walking the walled city and Getsemaní, the plazas and the sea wall at sunset cost nothing and fill a day (check). Paid museums are small, so pick one or two rather than all of them, and check entry fees at the door.
Deep dive
Every source; changeable facts are marked check