FIRE · Americas
FIRE in Cartagena
Colombia · $1,420/mo expenses · 4% rule
FIRE number
$426,000
$1,420/mo × 12 ÷ 4%
Best for: Caribbean-Colombia nomads who want walled-city architecture and beach access.
Nomad arbitrage
FIRE number in Cartagena
$426,000
$1,420/mo × 25
FIRE number at $5K/mo (US)
$1,500,000
US-typical baseline
Years saved
~15.7 years sooner
Same saver, different city
Representative saver: $50,000 invested, $2,000/mo contribution, 5% real return, 4% safe withdrawal rate.
Time to FI at three starting points
Assuming your monthly burn matches Cartagena’s mid-tier nomad budget ($1,420/mo) at 5% real return.
Just starting
$0 saved, $1,500/mo invested
15y 8mo
Mid-career
$200K saved, $2,500/mo invested
4y 12mo
Late starter
$500K saved, $1,500/mo invested
Already there
Field notes
More tourist-heavy than Medellín, with corresponding price pressure. Getsemaní and the Old City are the nomad anchors. Hot humid year-round; locals retreat indoors midday. Colombia's DNV applies the same as Medellín.
How Cartagena compares
Same representative saver, four reference nomad cities.
| City | Monthly | FIRE number | Years to FI |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cartagena | $1,420 | $426,000 | 10y 9mo |
| Lisbon | $1,980 | $594,000 | 14y 2mo |
| Berlin | $2,540 | $762,000 | 17y 1mo |
| Bangkok | $1,430 | $429,000 | 10y 10mo |
| Mexico City | $1,970 | $591,000 | 14y 1mo |
Dig deeper into Cartagena
Cities at a similar FIRE timeline
Editorial estimates. Not financial advice. The 4% rule is a planning anchor, not a guarantee — sequence-of-returns risk and tax-jurisdiction friction (US-LLC / FEIE / state residency) can move the real number meaningfully. See our expat tax directory for the cross-border side of the math.