Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Marta and Bucaramanga Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Marta and Bucaramanga

🙂 Solo nomad: Santa Marta is 20.4% cheaper than Bucaramanga without rent, and 35% more expensive with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Santa Marta is 7% cheaper than Bucaramanga without rent, and 19.8% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Santa Marta
Bucaramanga
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.58 COP 12.9K
$3.13 COP 11.3K
14.38%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$28.44 COP 102.4K
$19.12 COP 68.8K
48.74%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.91 COP 21.3K
$6.86 COP 24.7K
-13.85%
Cappuccino
$1.56 COP 5,606
$1.32 COP 4,736
18.18%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.73 COP 2,637
$0.76 COP 2,720
-3.95%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.43 COP 1,558
$0.59 COP 2,126
-27.12%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$0.86 COP 3,100
$1.41 COP 5,083
-39.01%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.66 COP 5,973
$2.12 COP 7,627
-21.70%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Santa Marta
Bucaramanga
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.13 COP 4,065
$1.18 COP 4,252
-4.24%
White Bread (500g)
$1.20 COP 4,318
$1.11 COP 4,014
8.11%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.91 COP 3,261
$1.21 COP 4,355
-24.79%
Eggs
$2.38 COP 8,557
$2.26 COP 8,134
5.31%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$3.57 COP 12.9K
$4.05 COP 14.6K
-11.85%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.84 COP 13.8K
$5.74 COP 20.7K
-33.10%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$7.97 COP 28.7K
$7.52 COP 27.1K
5.98%
Apples (1kg)
$1.80 COP 6,487
$2.58 COP 9,294
-30.23%
Banana (1kg)
$0.75 COP 2,690
$1.19 COP 4,282
-36.97%
Oranges (1kg)
$0.98 COP 3,523
$0.89 COP 3,202
10.11%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.76 COP 2,723
$0.86 COP 3,080
-11.63%
Potato (1kg)
$0.54 COP 1,953
$1.20 COP 4,331
-55.00%
Onion (1kg)
$1.01 COP 3,632
$0.95 COP 3,415
6.32%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.00 COP 3,611
$0.91 COP 3,277
9.89%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.51 COP 1,852
$0.74 COP 2,663
-31.08%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.50 COP 9,016
$1.65 COP 5,950
51.52%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.31 COP 37.1K
$8.37 COP 30.2K
23.18%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.41 COP 5,073
$0.85 COP 3,056
65.88%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.43 COP 5,139
$1.50 COP 5,390
-4.67%
🚌 Getting Around
Santa Marta
Bucaramanga
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.68 COP 2,445
$0.69 COP 2,500
-1.45%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$14.29 COP 51.4K
$39.46 COP 142.1K
-63.79%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.68 COP 6,056
$1.76 COP 6,325
-4.55%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.83 COP 6,577
$1.54 COP 5,560
18.83%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.35 COP 30.1K
$6.01 COP 21.6K
38.94%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.91 COP 3,272
$0.98 COP 3,523
-7.14%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.7K COP 78.1M
$19.2K COP 69.1M
13.17%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$25.8K COP 93.0M
$27.6K COP 99.5M
-6.51%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Santa Marta
Bucaramanga
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$196 COP 705.3K
$74.4 COP 267.9K
163.26%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$8.68 COP 31.3K
$8.61 COP 31.0K
0.81%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$23.74 COP 85.5K
$20.49 COP 73.8K
15.86%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Santa Marta
Bucaramanga
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$19.50 COP 70.2K
$23.37 COP 84.1K
-16.56%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$7.86 COP 28.3K
$15.44 COP 55.6K
-49.09%
Cinema Ticket
$4.97 COP 17.9K
$3.90 COP 14.1K
27.44%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Santa Marta
Bucaramanga
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$163 COP 588.3K
$241 COP 868.3K
-32.25%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$4,797 COP 17.3M
$2,430 COP 8.8M
97.40%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Santa Marta
Bucaramanga
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$40.52 COP 145.9K
$65.2 COP 234.8K
-37.87%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$35.89 COP 129.2K
$32.34 COP 116.4K
10.98%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$80.2 COP 288.8K
$84.0 COP 302.4K
-4.49%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$58.8 COP 211.8K
$38.15 COP 137.4K
54.18%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Santa Marta
Bucaramanga
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$283 COP 1.0M
$286 COP 1.0M
-0.92%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$452 COP 1.6M
$235 COP 847.3K
92.18%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$699 COP 2.5M
$483 COP 1.7M
44.83%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$546 COP 2.0M
$370 COP 1.3M
47.58%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,921 COP 6.9M
$1,060 COP 3.8M
81.22%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$971 COP 3.5M
$1,424 COP 5.1M
-31.79%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Santa Marta
Bucaramanga
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$440 COP 1.6M
$508 COP 1.8M
-13.32%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
8.62
15.25
-43.48%

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

Last update for Santa Marta: April 13, 2026

Last update for Bucaramanga: April 14, 2026

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

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