Cost of living in Santa Marta

In Santa Marta, Colombia, living costs about $979 per month for one person and $1631 for a family of four, including rent.

How expensive is Santa Marta compared to other cities?

Santa Marta is 11% more expensive overall versus the European benchmark.

How does Santa Marta compare to your city?

Santa Marta is 75% cheaper than New York City, without rent.

Rent in Santa Marta is, on average, 76% lower than in New York City.

What drives the cost of living in Santa Marta?

Who is Santa Marta a good fit for?

Santa Marta is most realistic when moving with a strong job offer or relocation package. Without high income, the housing-driven price level can be difficult to sustain.

FAQ

Why is Santa Marta so expensive?

The primary driver of expense in Santa Marta is the high cost of rent and utilities, which significantly impacts overall living costs.

Is food expensive in Santa Marta?

No, food is 36% lower than the European benchmark, making it more affordable for residents.

Is public transport affordable in Santa Marta?

Yes, public transport is 17% lower than the European benchmark, offering a cost-effective option for getting around.

Cost of living breakdown

Cost of Living, one person, including rent
979 $
Without Rent
358 $
Rent & Utilities
621 $
Food
218 $
Transport
73 $
Monthly Salary, after tax
389 $
GDP per Capita
6,980 $
Freedom Index
6.54
Lifespan
74 years
Speak English
4%
Population
516.0K

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Update Prices

Restaurants

Lunch menu, inexpensive restaurant 4.2 $
Dinner 25.7 $
Fast food, McDonalds or KFC 5.81 $
Beer, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz 1.03 $
Capuccino 1.66 $
Coke, 330ml 0.69 $

Compare Santa Marta with:

Markets

Milk, 1 L or 1 qt 0.84 $
Bread, 0.5 kg or 1 lb 1.24 $
Rice, 1 kg or 2 lb 1.05 $
Eggs, 12 pack 1.95 $
Cheese, 1 kg or 2 lb 3.74 $
Chicken Breast, 1 kg or 2 lb 3.57 $
Round Steak, 1 kg or 2 lb 5.98 $
Apples, 1 kg or 2 lb 2.13 $
Banana, 1 kg or 2 lb 0.71 $
Oranges, 1 kg or 2 lb 1.03 $
Tomato, 1 kg or 2 lb 0.75 $
Potato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb 0.85 $
Onion, 1 kg or 2.2 lb 0.95 $
Water, 1 L or 1 qt 0.25 $
Coca-Cola / Pepsi, 2 L or 67.6 fl oz 1.41 $
Wine, 750 mL bottle 12.2 $
Beer, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz 0.93 $
Cigarette pack 2.11 $

Transportation

One-way Ticket 0.64 $
Monthly Pass 34.9 $
Gas or Petrol, 1l or 0.26 gal 0.93 $
Taxi, 8 km 13 $

Personal Care

Doctor Visit, private clinic 29.2 $
Cold medicine, for 1 week 5.6 $
Hair Shampoo, 400 ml or 12 oz. 5.06 $
Toilet paper, 4 rolls 2.21 $
Toothpaste, 1 tube 1.38 $

Utilities per Month

1 person, electricity, heating, water & garbage 129 $
Family of 4, electricity, heating, water & garbage 201 $
Internet plan, +60 Mbps 21.4 $

Rent per Month

1 Bedroom Apartment, outside of center, 40 sq.m 518 $
3 Bedroom Apartment, outside of center, 85 sq.m 257 $
1 Bedroom Apartment, in city center, 40 sq.m 283 $
3 Bedroom Apartment, in city center, 85 sq.m 527 $

Buy Apartment Price

Price per Square Meter to Buy Apartment, in city center 1,406 $
Price per Square Meter to Buy House, in suburbs 1,198 $

Salaries and Financing

Average Monthly Net Salary, after tax 389 $
Mortgage Interest Rate, for 20 years fixed-rate 8.70%

Sports and Leisure

Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult 18 $
Cinema, 1 seat 3.88 $
Haircut 4.81 $

Clothing and Shoes

Brand Sneakers, mid-range, Nike or similar 70.2 $
Brand Jeans, Levis 501 48.4 $

Childcare

Preschool, full day, monthly for 1 child 202 $
International Primary School, yearly for 1 child 4,741 $

Compare Santa Marta with other top cities

Curacao
Santa Marta vs Willemstad (Willemstad is 42% more expensive) Santa Marta vs Barber (Barber is 42% more expensive)
Uruguay
Santa Marta vs Montevideo (Montevideo is 36% more expensive) Santa Marta vs Salto (Salto is 1% more expensive) Santa Marta vs Ciudad de la Costa (Ciudad de la Costa is 20% more expensive) Santa Marta vs Rivera (Rivera is 23% less expensive) Santa Marta vs Maldonado (Maldonado is 1% less expensive) Santa Marta vs Paysandu (Paysandu is 21% less expensive) Santa Marta vs Tacuarembo (Tacuarembo is 15% less expensive) Santa Marta vs Melo (Melo is 26% less expensive) Santa Marta vs Mercedes (Mercedes is 5% more expensive) Santa Marta vs Artigas (Artigas is 10% less expensive)
Trinidad And Tobago
Santa Marta vs Chaguanas (Chaguanas is 9% more expensive) Santa Marta vs Port of Spain (Port of Spain is 19% more expensive) Santa Marta vs San Fernando (San Fernando is 2% less expensive) Santa Marta vs Scarborough (Scarborough is 12% more expensive) Santa Marta vs San Juan (San Juan is 19% more expensive)
Chile
Santa Marta vs Santiago (Santiago is 23% more expensive) Santa Marta vs Puente Alto (Puente Alto is 2% less expensive) Santa Marta vs Antofagasta (Antofagasta is 8% more expensive) Santa Marta vs Vina del Mar (Vina del Mar is 5% less expensive) Santa Marta vs San Bernardo (San Bernardo is 13% less expensive) Santa Marta vs Valparaiso (Valparaiso is 2% less expensive) Santa Marta vs Temuco (Temuco is 11% less expensive) Santa Marta vs Rancagua (Rancagua is 14% less expensive) Santa Marta vs Concepcion (Concepcion is 6% less expensive) Santa Marta vs Talca (Talca is 13% less expensive)
Guyana
Santa Marta vs Georgetown (Georgetown is 1% more expensive) Santa Marta vs Linden (Linden is 4% more expensive) Santa Marta vs New Amsterdam (New Amsterdam is 3% more expensive)
Mexico
Santa Marta vs Mexico City (Mexico City is 22% more expensive) Santa Marta vs Tijuana (Tijuana is 7% more expensive) Santa Marta vs Ecatepec de Morelos (Ecatepec de Morelos is 25% less expensive) Santa Marta vs Leon (Leon is 27% less expensive) Santa Marta vs Zapopan (Zapopan is 3% more expensive) Santa Marta vs Guadalajara (Guadalajara is 1% more expensive) Santa Marta vs Puebla (Puebla is 4% less expensive) Santa Marta vs Ciudad Juarez (Ciudad Juarez is 1% less expensive) Santa Marta vs Monterrey (Monterrey is 28% more expensive) Santa Marta vs Ciudad Nezahualcoyotl (Ciudad Nezahualcoyotl is 26% less expensive)
Suriname
Santa Marta vs Paramaribo (Paramaribo is 11% less expensive) Santa Marta vs Nieuw Nickerie (Nieuw Nickerie is 14% less expensive)
Ecuador
Santa Marta vs Guayaquil (Guayaquil is 7% less expensive) Santa Marta vs Quito (Quito is 8% less expensive) Santa Marta vs Cuenca (Cuenca is 21% less expensive) Santa Marta vs Santo Domingo (Santo Domingo is 40% less expensive) Santa Marta vs Duran (Duran is 17% less expensive) Santa Marta vs Machala (Machala is 39% less expensive) Santa Marta vs Manta (Manta is 11% less expensive) Santa Marta vs Portoviejo (Portoviejo is 22% less expensive) Santa Marta vs Loja (Loja is 37% less expensive) Santa Marta vs Quevedo (Quevedo is 34% less expensive)
Peru
Santa Marta vs Lima (Lima is 1% more expensive) Santa Marta vs Arequipa (Arequipa is 43% less expensive) Santa Marta vs Trujillo (Trujillo is 29% less expensive) Santa Marta vs Chiclayo (Chiclayo is 47% less expensive) Santa Marta vs Callao (Callao is 20% less expensive) Santa Marta vs Piura (Piura is 42% less expensive) Santa Marta vs Cusco (Cusco is 34% less expensive) Santa Marta vs Chimbote (Chimbote is 49% less expensive) Santa Marta vs Huancayo (Huancayo is 40% less expensive) Santa Marta vs Iquitos (Iquitos is 31% less expensive)
Venezuela
Santa Marta vs Caracas (Caracas is 7% more expensive) Santa Marta vs Maracaibo (Maracaibo is 28% less expensive) Santa Marta vs Valencia (Valencia is 20% less expensive) Santa Marta vs Maracay (Maracay is 26% less expensive) Santa Marta vs Barquisimeto (Barquisimeto is 27% less expensive) Santa Marta vs Barinas (Barinas is 18% less expensive) Santa Marta vs Ciudad Guayana (Ciudad Guayana is 9% less expensive) Santa Marta vs Catia La Mar (Catia La Mar is 3% less expensive) Santa Marta vs Ciudad Bolivar (Ciudad Bolivar is 11% less expensive) Santa Marta vs Santa Teresa del Tuy (Santa Teresa del Tuy is 7% less expensive)
Colombia
Santa Marta vs Bogota (Bogota is 11% less expensive) Santa Marta vs Medellin (Medellin is 11% less expensive) Santa Marta vs Cali (Cali is 25% less expensive) Santa Marta vs Barranquilla (Barranquilla is 19% less expensive) Santa Marta vs Cartagena (Cartagena is 24% less expensive) Santa Marta vs Cucuta (Cucuta is 44% less expensive) Santa Marta vs Soacha (Soacha is 24% less expensive) Santa Marta vs Soledad (Soledad is 14% less expensive) Santa Marta vs Villavicencio (Villavicencio is 51% less expensive) Santa Marta vs Bucaramanga (Bucaramanga is 34% less expensive)
Brazil
Santa Marta vs Sao Paulo (Sao Paulo is 3% more expensive) Santa Marta vs Rio de Janeiro (Rio de Janeiro is 2% less expensive) Santa Marta vs Brasilia (Brasilia is 18% less expensive) Santa Marta vs Fortaleza (Fortaleza is 27% less expensive) Santa Marta vs Salvador (Salvador is 24% less expensive) Santa Marta vs Belo Horizonte (Belo Horizonte is 20% less expensive) Santa Marta vs Manaus (Manaus is 18% less expensive) Santa Marta vs Curitiba (Curitiba is 22% less expensive) Santa Marta vs Recife (Recife is 21% less expensive) Santa Marta vs Goiania (Goiania is 33% less expensive)
Argentina
Santa Marta vs Buenos Aires (Buenos Aires is 7% less expensive) Santa Marta vs Cordoba (Cordoba is 5% less expensive) Santa Marta vs Rosario (Rosario is 36% less expensive) Santa Marta vs San Miguel de Tucuman (San Miguel de Tucuman is 29% less expensive) Santa Marta vs Mar del Plata (Mar del Plata is 24% less expensive) Santa Marta vs Salta (Salta is 26% less expensive) Santa Marta vs San Juan (San Juan is 33% less expensive) Santa Marta vs Lanus (Lanus is 17% less expensive) Santa Marta vs Santiago del Estero (Santiago del Estero is 60% less expensive) Santa Marta vs Santa Fe (Santa Fe is 28% less expensive)
Bolivia
Santa Marta vs Santa Cruz de la Sierra (Santa Cruz de la Sierra is 22% less expensive) Santa Marta vs La Paz (La Paz is 31% less expensive) Santa Marta vs El Alto (El Alto is 35% less expensive) Santa Marta vs Cochabamba (Cochabamba is 45% less expensive) Santa Marta vs Sucre (Sucre is 33% less expensive) Santa Marta vs Oruro (Oruro is 39% less expensive) Santa Marta vs Potosi (Potosi is 49% less expensive) Santa Marta vs Tarija (Tarija is 36% less expensive) Santa Marta vs Sacaba (Sacaba is 45% less expensive) Santa Marta vs Trinidad (Trinidad is 21% less expensive)
Paraguay
Santa Marta vs Asuncion (Asuncion is 32% less expensive) Santa Marta vs Ciudad del Este (Ciudad del Este is 46% less expensive) Santa Marta vs Luque (Luque is 38% less expensive) Santa Marta vs San Lorenzo (San Lorenzo is 37% less expensive) Santa Marta vs Pedro Juan Caballero (Pedro Juan Caballero is 46% less expensive) Santa Marta vs Caaguazu (Caaguazu is 58% less expensive) Santa Marta vs Encarnacion (Encarnacion is 47% less expensive) Santa Marta vs Coronel Oviedo (Coronel Oviedo is 45% less expensive) Santa Marta vs Concepcion (Concepcion is 45% less expensive)