What it costs, in one paragraph
Cartagena is cheap to move around and mid-priced to sleep and eat in. Getting from A to B costs a few dollars, culture costs about ten, and the two things that move your budget are your bed and your lunches. Below are the numbers we can actually stand behind: the city's own published taxi tariff, the official fort ticket price, and our own prices out here on Tierra Bomba. We've left hotel room rates out of the table because they swing with the season and we'd only be making up an average.
Getting around the city
Taxis are the cheapest part of the trip. Cartagena fixes its fares by decree each year, and for 2026 the minimum fare is COP 12,250, with a COP 1,100 surcharge at night. The run from Rafael Núñez airport into the Walled City is commonly quoted at COP 20,000 to 30,000. Cabs here mostly aren't metered, so agree the fare through the window before you get in. That one habit saves more money than any other tip on this page.
From the airport to us, door to door, is about an hour: taxi to the dock, then our boat.
The numbers, on one table
| What | Price | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Cartagena taxi, minimum fare 2026 | COP 12,250 | Night surcharge COP 1,100 |
| Airport to the Walled City by taxi | COP 20,000 to 30,000 | Agree it before you get in |
| Castillo San Felipe de Barajas | COP 38,000 full price | COP 33,000 for Colombian nationals |
| Our day pass with boat transfers | USD 40 | Round trip from the city included |
| Sun lounger at our beach club | USD 5 to 30 | Poolside or quiet beach side |
| Beach cabaña | USD 30 | Fits three lying down, or a group using it as a base |
| VIP daybed in front of the pool | USD 50 | The loudest, most social spot we have |
| Full board with us | USD 90 per person per night | All food and soft drinks. Not the bar |
| Our resort fee | USD 20 per night | We generate our own power and water out here |
| Food and drink tax | 8% | Applies to everything you eat and drink |
| Hotel accommodation tax, foreign residents | none | Colombian residents pay IVA, already included |
What a day actually adds up to
A day trip out to us is the clearest example, because it's a closed budget. USD 40 covers the round-trip boat from the Muelle de la Bodeguita and your entry. Add a lounger from USD 5, or USD 30 for a beach cabaña if there are three of you and you want a base rather than a seat. Then you pay for what you eat and drink, plus 8% on it. No wristband, no minimum spend, no upsell at the gate.
A night with us works differently. Room rates change through the year, so check the rooms page for live prices, then add the USD 20 per night resort fee. If you'd rather not think about money at every meal, full board is USD 90 per person per night and covers all food and soft drinks. It does not cover the bar. We're not an all-inclusive and we're not pretending to be one.
Where your money goes further, and where it doesn't
Further: taxis, fruit, coffee, the forts. Castillo San Felipe de Barajas is COP 38,000 at full price and takes a couple of hours, which is the best value culture in the city.
Not further: anything bought standing on a beach, and anything involving a boat. Boats are the real cost driver on this coast. Fuel is expensive, crews are paid properly, and a private speedboat out to the Rosario Islands for the day is a different order of spending than a shared transfer to us. Both are worth it; they're just not the same purchase.
Worth knowing: we don't discount. Our prices are what let us buy decent ingredients and pay our team properly, so asking for a deal gets a polite no and a laugh.
A rough daily budget
We won't pretend to know how you travel, so here's the shape rather than a single number. Plan on a few dollars a day for taxis, ten to fifteen for whatever you go and look at, and then your two real lines: the bed and the table. Book the boat days in advance during December and January, when everything on this coast fills up and nothing gets cheaper for waiting.
See you on the boat.