Cartagena vs Lima

Real cost of living, rent, internet, safety and visa terms for both cities, side by side — then open the interactive tool to weight them against your own priorities.

Cartagena, Colombia
🇨🇴Colombia

Cartagena

60Freedom Score#83Global rank$888Per month

Colombia's jewel on the Caribbean — a UNESCO walled colonial city, azure waters, perfect US market hours, and the warmth of the coast at a fraction of Miami prices.

Lima, Peru
🇵🇪Peru

Lima

74Freedom Score#35Global rank$1,367Per month

The gastronomic capital of the Americas — Lima pairs world-class Miraflores dining and a Pacific cliffside lifestyle with South America's most underrated value, fast internet, and a growing creative scene.

The short answer

Compare these two in the full toolBoth cities pre-loaded — add your income and priorities to get a personal match score

Cost of living

Monthly figures for one person. Rent, meals and coworking are measured values, not shares of the total budget.

ExpenseCartagenaLima
Comfortable budgetper month, all in$888✓$1,367
Rent, 1BR city centre$569✓$774
Meal, mid-range$18$12✓
Coworking deskper month$92✓$160
Cost of living indexlower is cheaper30.2✓54.0

Quality of life

Scored 0–100 on the same attributes the match engine weights, so these agree with the interactive tool.

MeasureCartagenaLima
Safety
40
52
Healthcare
60
72
Walkability
60
70
English spoken
40
42
Food & dining
80
92
Nightlife
80
78
Outdoors
68
65
Nomad community
60
62
Climate quality
78
52
Public transit
40
55

Scores, connectivity and paperwork

MeasureCartagenaLima
Freedom Score60/10074/100✓
Global rankof 100 cities#83#35✓
Internet30 Mbps100 Mbps✓
Average temperature82°F66°F
Air quality45/10055/100✓
Airport connectivity60/10078/100✓
Nomad visa90 days90 days
Headline tax rateon local income0%15%

Which should you choose?

Choose Cartagena if runs $479/mo cheaper, rent is $205/mo lower, the climate scores better and the headline tax rate is lower.

Choose Lima if internet is faster at 100 Mbps, it scores higher on safety (52 vs 40), it is more walkable and English is more widely spoken.

What each city is known for

Cartagena

  • US market opens at 9:30am — perfect trading schedule
  • UNESCO walled city: one of the Americas' most photogenic spots
  • Rosario Islands 45 minutes by boat — Caribbean paradise
  • Street food in Getsemani neighbourhood is world-class

Lima

  • Back-to-back World's 50 Best Restaurant wins — unmatched food scene
  • Fast 100 Mbps fiber and a growing Barranco/Miraflores creative hub
  • Pacific cliffside malecón living at a fraction of coastal-city prices
  • Perfect US market alignment — open at 10:30am local time

Frequently asked questions

Which is better for digital nomads: Cartagena or Lima?
Lima scores higher on the Freedom Score (74/100 against 60/100), which makes it the stronger all-round base. That is an average, though — if cost, climate or community is what actually decides it for you, the tables above will point the other way as often as not.
Which is cheaper: Cartagena or Lima?
Cartagena is cheaper. A comfortable monthly budget is $888 against $1,367, a difference of $479 a month or about $5,748 a year. Rent is the biggest single line: $569/mo in Cartagena versus $774/mo in Lima.
Which is safer: Cartagena or Lima?
Lima scores higher on safety, 52/100 against 40/100. Safety scores blend crime levels, political stability and healthcare access, and they describe a city as a whole — individual neighbourhoods vary far more than the headline number suggests.
How fast is the internet in Cartagena and Lima?
Cartagena averages 30 Mbps and Lima averages 100 Mbps, so Lima has the headroom if you push large files or run video calls all day.
What visa would I need for Cartagena or Lima?
Cartagena sits in Colombia (90 days) and Lima in Peru (90 days). Requirements, income floors and processing times change often, so check the visa and residency guide before you commit to either.
Open the interactive comparison

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Cost, connectivity and quality-of-life figures come from the YourLifeMatch city dataset. Where a value is not confirmed it reads n.a. rather than an estimate. Figures are for planning, not professional advice.