Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Marta and Austin, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Marta: $1,425 a month against $2,689 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $15,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

128

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
Learn more

Austin, TX Living Index

Jump to prices

Santa Marta

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,425

/mo nomad

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,689

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Santa Marta and in Austin, TX

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,425 in Santa Marta versus $2,689 in Austin, TX.

Santa Marta $1,425
Austin, TX $2,689

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,680 in Santa Marta versus $4,112 in Austin, TX.

Santa Marta $1,680
Austin, TX $4,112

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,934 in Santa Marta versus $5,534 in Austin, TX.

Santa Marta $1,934
Austin, TX $5,534

Living in Santa Marta costs roughly 47% less than in Austin, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Santa Marta 5% above, Austin, TX 99% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.34 $21.34

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$87.9 $87.9

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.44 $12.44

Cappuccino

$3.71 COP 12.0K

$5.60 $5.60

-33.75%

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

$3.65 $3.65

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.39 $2.39

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.82 $7.82

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.75 $8.75

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 COP 5,139

$1.12 $1.12

41.96%

White Bread (500g)

$2.15 COP 6,941

$3.62 $3.62

-40.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.21 COP 3,897

$3.50 $3.50

-65.43%

Eggs

$2.57 COP 8,312

$4.45 $4.45

-42.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.29 COP 26.8K

$13.18 $13.18

-37.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.71 COP 31.4K

$13.94 $13.94

-30.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.30 COP 36.5K

$16.46 $16.46

-31.35%

Apples (1kg)

$4.15 COP 13.4K

$4.73 $4.73

-12.26%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 COP 3,141

$1.50 $1.50

-35.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.08 COP 3,477

$4.64 $4.64

-76.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.00 COP 6,456

$4.52 $4.52

-55.75%

Potato (1kg)

$0.97 COP 3,136

$2.55 $2.55

-61.96%

Onion (1kg)

$1.60 COP 5,158

$2.39 $2.39

-33.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.92 COP 2,975

$1.84 $1.84

-50.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.65 COP 2,092

$2.13 $2.13

-69.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.17 COP 13.5K

$10.05 $10.05

-58.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.17 COP 55.5K

$14.88 $14.88

15.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.40 COP 4,532

$2.82 $2.82

-50.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,592

$3.29 $3.29

-56.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.97 COP 3,146

$1.23 $1.23

-21.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.43 $41.43

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.16 COP 10.2K

$2.68 $2.68

17.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 $1.63

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.20 $35.20

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 COP 4,099

$0.98 $0.98

29.59%

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

$23.3K COP 75.3M

$34.4K $34.4K

-32.22%

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

$34.6K COP 111.6M

$26.8K $26.8K

28.84%

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

$153 COP 494.8K

$252 $252

-39.26%

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

$9.54 COP 30.8K

$59.8 $59.8

-84.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.84 COP 70.5K

$69.7 $69.7

-68.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.88 COP 103.0K

$60.4 $60.4

-47.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.14 $18.14

Cinema Ticket

$5.25 COP 17.0K

$13.75 $13.75

-61.82%

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

$1,458 $1,458

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.9K COP 35.2M

$26.6K $26.6K

-58.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.5 COP 285.8K

$52.6 $52.6

68.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$62.2 COP 201.0K

$45.76 $45.76

36.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.1 COP 297.5K

$85.5 $85.5

7.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.4 COP 282.1K

$106 $106

-17.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,096 COP 3.5M

$2,195 $2,195

-50.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$736 COP 2.4M

$1,269 $1,269

-42.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,107 COP 3.6M

$4,000 $4,000

-72.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$620 COP 2.0M

$2,406 $2,406

-74.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,082 COP 3.5M

$7,381 $7,381

-85.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,181 COP 3.8M

$2,964 $2,964

-60.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$527 COP 1.7M

$5,043 $5,043

-89.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

19.54

6.82

186.51%

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

Last update for Santa Marta: October 31, 2026

Last update for Austin, TX: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santa Marta

–

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.2%

Groceries & Markets

Santa Marta

–

Austin, TX

$407 15.2%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santa Marta

–

Austin, TX

$382 14.2%

Eating Out

Santa Marta

–

Austin, TX

$356 13.2%

Clothing & Footwear

Santa Marta

–

Austin, TX

$130 4.9%

Sport & Entertainment

Santa Marta

–

Austin, TX

$88 3.3%

Getting Around

Santa Marta

–

Austin, TX

$57 2.1%

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,096 in Santa Marta and $2,195 in Austin, TX. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays about 9.6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Santa Marta

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🕒 Local time

05:32 5:32 AM

04:32 4:32 AM

1 h behind Santa Marta

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

500,000

974,447

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 3,230 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,628 COP (10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Santa Marta Austin, TX 3,220 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Santa Marta
Austin, TX

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

Santa Marta vs Austin, TX: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Santa Marta wins on cost – living expenses run 47% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Santa Marta the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 90% lower in Santa Marta. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,096 in Santa Marta versus $2,195 in Austin, TX. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 55% higher in Austin, TX. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,425 per month in Santa Marta versus $2,689 in Austin, TX – Santa Marta is about 47% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Santa Marta is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

It comes down to priorities – Santa Marta wins on affordability, Austin, TX on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.