Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Eldoret and Santa Marta

For one person, living is cheaper in Eldoret: $505 a month against $1,436 in Santa Marta, rent and utilities included – about $11,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

25

Cost of Living Index in Eldoret
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Eldoret Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Santa Marta
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Santa Marta Living Index

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Eldoret

🇰🇪 Kenya

$505

/mo nomad

Santa Marta

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,436

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Eldoret and in Santa Marta

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Eldoret and in Santa Marta actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $505 in Eldoret versus $1,436 in Santa Marta.

Eldoret $505
Santa Marta $1,436

Estimated couple costs with rent: $869 in Eldoret versus $1,691 in Santa Marta.

Eldoret $869
Santa Marta $1,691

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,233 in Eldoret versus $1,946 in Santa Marta.

Eldoret $1,233
Santa Marta $1,946

Living in Eldoret costs roughly 65% less than in Santa Marta, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Eldoret is 63% below, Santa Marta is 6% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.52 KES 198

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.76 KES 4,507

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.21 KES 805

Cappuccino

$2.59 KES 336

$3.85 COP 12.2K

-32.73%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 KES 38.85

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.41 KES 52.6

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.28 KES 296

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.69 KES 348

Milk (1 liter)

$0.72 KES 93.4

$1.52 COP 4,834

-52.63%

White Bread (500g)

$0.49 KES 63.9

$2.15 COP 6,825

-77.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.56 KES 203

$1.18 COP 3,737

32.20%

Eggs

$1.56 KES 203

$2.55 COP 8,070

-38.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.79 KES 491

$8.18 COP 25.9K

-53.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.16 KES 539

$9.79 COP 31.0K

-57.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.34 KES 563

$11.43 COP 36.2K

-62.03%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 KES 295

$4.13 COP 13.1K

-45.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.10 KES 143

$0.98 COP 3,110

12.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.72 KES 93.6

$1.12 COP 3,553

-35.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.92 KES 119

$1.99 COP 6,308

-53.77%

Potato (1kg)

$0.56 KES 72.9

$0.91 COP 2,881

-38.46%

Onion (1kg)

$0.45 KES 58.0

$1.54 COP 4,888

-70.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.69 KES 89.7

$0.97 COP 3,081

-28.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 KES 81.6

$0.64 COP 2,037

-1.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.44 KES 447

$4.10 COP 13.0K

-16.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.70 KES 739

$17.44 COP 55.3K

-67.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.09 KES 271

$1.44 COP 4,566

45.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 KES 198

$1.42 COP 4,507

7.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.41 KES 183

$0.97 COP 3,086

45.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.58 KES 204

$3.20 COP 10.2K

-50.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.52 KES 198

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.97 KES 385

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 KES 199

$1.29 COP 4,104

19.38%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$21.8K KES 2.8M

$24.0K COP 75.9M

-9.16%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$20.0K KES 2.6M

$33.6K COP 106.6M

-40.62%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$39.37 KES 5,105

$154 COP 489.7K

-74.51%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$15.13 KES 1,962

$9.26 COP 29.3K

63.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.19 KES 4,562

$22.25 COP 70.6K

58.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.92 KES 5,045

$31.58 COP 100.1K

23.24%

Cinema Ticket

$7.54 KES 978

$5.07 COP 16.1K

48.72%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$63.5 KES 8,232

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K KES 1.6M

$10.8K COP 34.1M

14.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$11.52 KES 1,494

$86.9 COP 275.6K

-86.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.96 KES 3,754

$63.5 COP 201.4K

-54.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$19.43 KES 2,519

$92.6 COP 293.6K

-79.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$35.06 KES 4,545

$88.2 COP 279.6K

-60.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$93.2 KES 12.1K

$1,088 COP 3.5M

-91.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$89.1 KES 11.5K

$743 COP 2.4M

-88.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,098 COP 3.5M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$269 KES 34.8K

$628 COP 2.0M

-57.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$609 KES 78.9K

$1,098 COP 3.5M

-44.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,216 COP 3.9M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$534 COP 1.7M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

14.71

19.54

-24.72%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Eldoret: October 11, 2026

Last update for Santa Marta: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Groceries & Markets

Eldoret

$133 26.4%

Santa Marta

$263 18.3% 97.4% $130

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Eldoret

$90 17.8%

Santa Marta

$186 13% 107% $96

Accommodation & Living

Eldoret

$89 17.6%

Santa Marta

$743 51.8% 734% $654

Eating Out

Eldoret

$81 16.1%

Santa Marta

$46 * 3.2% 43.2% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Eldoret

$54 10.7%

Santa Marta

$42 2.9% 22.8% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Eldoret

$43 8.5%

Santa Marta

$149 10.4% 249% $106

Getting Around

Eldoret

$15 * 2.9%

Santa Marta

$7.1 * 0.5% 52.2% $7.7

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $93.2 in Eldoret and $1,088 in Santa Marta. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Good to know

🇰🇪 Eldoret

🇨🇴 Santa Marta

🕒 Local time

23:00 11:00 PM

15:00 3:00 PM

8 h behind Eldoret

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

193,830

500,000

💱 Currency

Kenyan Shilling KES Sh

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 KES = 7.71 USD

1,000 KES = 6.86 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to KES – Kenyan Shilling Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇪 Kenyan Shilling (Sh)

Kenyan Shilling exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 130 KES (1,000 KES = 7.71 USD). 1 EUR = 146 KES (1,000 KES = 6.86 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

USD to KES in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Eldoret Santa Marta 12,120 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Eldoret
Santa Marta

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Eldoret vs Santa Marta: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Eldoret wins on cost – living expenses run 184% lower than in Santa Marta. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Eldoret the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $757 in Eldoret and $2,153 in Santa Marta to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $93.2 in Eldoret versus $1,088 in Santa Marta. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 97% higher in Santa Marta. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $505 per month in Eldoret versus $1,436 in Santa Marta – a 184% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $505 in Eldoret versus $1,436 in Santa Marta, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Eldoret but tight or insufficient in Santa Marta. The gap between the two cities makes Eldoret the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Eldoret delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $505 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Eldoret hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Eldoret gentler on the wallet – expenses run 184% less than in Santa Marta. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.