Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Marta and Bogota

For one person, living is cheaper in Bogota: $1,380 a month against $1,447 in Santa Marta, rent and utilities included – about $800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Santa Marta outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

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Cost of Living Index in Bogota
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Bogota Living Index

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Santa Marta

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,447

/mo nomad

Bogota

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,380

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Bogota actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,447 per month in Santa Marta vs $1,380 in Bogota, rent included.

Santa Marta $1,447
Bogota $1,380

A couple spends around $1,693 per month in Santa Marta vs $2,167 in Bogota, rent included.

Santa Marta $1,693
Bogota $2,167

A family of three spends $1,939 per month in Santa Marta vs $2,953 in Bogota, rent included.

Santa Marta $1,939
Bogota $2,953

Santa Marta costs about 5% more than Bogota.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.82 COP 25.2K

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.50 COP 137.1K

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.29 COP 33.2K

Cappuccino

$3.86 COP 12.4K

$2.60 COP 8,386

48.46%

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

$1.30 COP 4,187

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.91 COP 2,936

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.02 COP 6,506

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.01 COP 12.9K

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 COP 5,132

$1.68 COP 5,405

-5.36%

White Bread (500g)

$2.17 COP 6,982

$2.53 COP 8,146

-14.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.22 COP 3,918

$1.69 COP 5,450

-27.81%

Eggs

$2.46 COP 7,931

$3.51 COP 11.3K

-29.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.39 COP 27.0K

$8.25 COP 26.6K

1.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.57 COP 30.9K

$7.46 COP 24.1K

28.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.26 COP 36.3K

$9.69 COP 31.2K

16.20%

Apples (1kg)

$4.13 COP 13.3K

$3.55 COP 11.4K

16.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 COP 3,354

$1.84 COP 5,926

-43.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.11 COP 3,595

$2.00 COP 6,437

-44.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.99 COP 6,424

$1.84 COP 5,940

8.15%

Potato (1kg)

$0.93 COP 2,986

$1.42 COP 4,578

-34.51%

Onion (1kg)

$1.54 COP 4,965

$1.39 COP 4,468

10.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.96 COP 3,081

$1.29 COP 4,169

-25.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 COP 1,986

$1.14 COP 3,680

-45.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.13 COP 13.3K

$4.41 COP 14.2K

-6.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 COP 56.5K

$12.52 COP 40.4K

39.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 COP 4,678

$1.47 COP 4,732

-1.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.40 COP 4,526

$3.24 COP 10.4K

-56.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.96 COP 3,104

$1.09 COP 3,525

-11.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.4 COP 162.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.07 COP 9,907

$2.39 COP 7,700

28.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.44 COP 7,877

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.55 COP 30.8K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,346

$1.36 COP 4,384

-0.74%

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

$23.6K COP 76.1M

$34.8K COP 112.3M

-32.26%

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

$34.2K COP 110.2M

$34.8K COP 112.1M

-1.71%

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

$159 COP 511.7K

$125 COP 402.3K

27.20%

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

$9.23 COP 29.7K

$16.34 COP 52.7K

-43.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.79 COP 70.3K

$30.01 COP 96.8K

-27.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.36 COP 101.1K

$33.66 COP 108.5K

-6.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.33 COP 49.4K

Cinema Ticket

$5.27 COP 17.0K

$7.72 COP 24.9K

-31.74%

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

$555 COP 1.8M

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.9K COP 35.1M

$7,491 COP 24.2M

45.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.4 COP 278.6K

$82.8 COP 267.0K

4.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$62.8 COP 202.4K

$48.40 COP 156.1K

29.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.6 COP 298.6K

$144 COP 464.8K

-35.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.7 COP 279.4K

$108 COP 346.8K

-19.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,096 COP 3.5M

$749 COP 2.4M

46.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$752 COP 2.4M

$502 COP 1.6M

49.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,095 COP 3.5M

$1,430 COP 4.6M

-23.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$620 COP 2.0M

$1,009 COP 3.3M

-38.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,110 COP 3.6M

$2,890 COP 9.3M

-61.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,191 COP 3.8M

$2,231 COP 7.2M

-46.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$526 COP 1.7M

$806 COP 2.6M

-34.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

19.54

12.81

52.54%

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

Last update for Santa Marta: October 27, 2026

Last update for Bogota: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santa Marta

–

Bogota

$502 36.4%

Groceries & Markets

Santa Marta

–

Bogota

$265 19.2%

Clothing & Footwear

Santa Marta

–

Bogota

$172 12.5%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santa Marta

–

Bogota

$171 12.4%

Eating Out

Santa Marta

–

Bogota

$152 11%

Getting Around

Santa Marta

–

Bogota

$69 5%

Sport & Entertainment

Santa Marta

–

Bogota

$49 3.6%

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,096 in Santa Marta versus $749 in Bogota. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 53% higher in Bogota, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Santa Marta

🇨🇴 Bogota

🕒 Local time

16:43 4:43 PM

Same time as Santa Marta

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

500,000

8,181,047 Capital

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Santa Marta Bogota 730 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Santa Marta
Bogota

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 Bogota: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,171 per month in Santa Marta and $2,070 in Bogota. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Bogota, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $749 there versus $1,096 in Santa Marta.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Bogota costs $1,380 versus $1,447 in Santa Marta. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.