Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Marta and Calgary

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Marta: $1,425 a month against $2,297 in Calgary, rent and utilities included – about $10,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

110

Cost of Living Index in Calgary
Learn more

Calgary Living Index

Jump to prices

Santa Marta

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,425

/mo nomad

Calgary

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,297

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,425 in Santa Marta versus $2,297 in Calgary.

Santa Marta $1,425
Calgary $2,297

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,680 in Santa Marta versus $3,378 in Calgary.

Santa Marta $1,680
Calgary $3,378

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,934 in Santa Marta versus $4,459 in Calgary.

Santa Marta $1,934
Calgary $4,459

Living in Santa Marta costs roughly 38% less than in Calgary, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Santa Marta 5% above, Calgary 70% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.94 CA$25.15

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.9 CA$96.5

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.94 CA$15.33

Cappuccino

$3.71 COP 12.0K

$3.70 CA$5.19

0.27%

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

$2.07 CA$2.90

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 CA$2.86

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.74 CA$8.05

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 CA$7.99

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 COP 5,139

$1.98 CA$2.77

-19.70%

White Bread (500g)

$2.15 COP 6,941

$2.65 CA$3.71

-18.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.21 COP 3,897

$5.84 CA$8.18

-79.28%

Eggs

$2.57 COP 8,312

$3.81 CA$5.35

-32.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.29 COP 26.8K

$10.81 CA$15.15

-23.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.71 COP 31.4K

$11.02 CA$15.45

-11.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.30 COP 36.5K

$17.87 CA$25.06

-36.77%

Apples (1kg)

$4.15 COP 13.4K

$4.88 CA$6.84

-14.96%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 COP 3,141

$1.45 CA$2.03

-33.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.08 COP 3,477

$4.15 CA$5.82

-73.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.00 COP 6,456

$3.99 CA$5.59

-49.87%

Potato (1kg)

$0.97 COP 3,136

$2.93 CA$4.10

-66.89%

Onion (1kg)

$1.60 COP 5,158

$3.02 CA$4.24

-47.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.92 COP 2,975

$2.67 CA$3.74

-65.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.65 COP 2,092

$1.57 CA$2.20

-58.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.17 COP 13.5K

$14.11 CA$19.77

-70.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.17 COP 55.5K

$15.45 CA$21.66

11.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.40 COP 4,532

$2.50 CA$3.51

-44.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,592

$3.18 CA$4.45

-55.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.97 COP 3,146

$2.85 CA$3.99

-65.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$90.2 CA$126

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.16 COP 10.2K

$3.16 CA$4.43

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.41 CA$1.97

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.46 CA$38.49

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 COP 4,099

$1.18 CA$1.66

7.63%

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

$23.3K COP 75.3M

$27.9K CA$39.1K

-16.36%

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

$34.6K COP 111.6M

$21.1K CA$29.5K

64.09%

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

$153 COP 494.8K

$182 CA$255

-15.73%

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

$9.54 COP 30.8K

$36.01 CA$50.5

-73.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.84 COP 70.5K

$48.80 CA$68.4

-55.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.88 COP 103.0K

$48.78 CA$68.4

-34.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.15 CA$25.45

Cinema Ticket

$5.25 COP 17.0K

$14.52 CA$20.35

-63.84%

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

$542 CA$760

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.9K COP 35.2M

$21.2K CA$29.7K

-48.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.5 COP 285.8K

$59.1 CA$82.8

49.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$62.2 COP 201.0K

$42.34 CA$59.4

47.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.1 COP 297.5K

$94.2 CA$132

-2.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.4 COP 282.1K

$109 CA$152

-19.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,096 COP 3.5M

$1,214 CA$1,702

-9.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$736 COP 2.4M

$1,036 CA$1,453

-29.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,107 COP 3.6M

$2,045 CA$2,867

-45.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$620 COP 2.0M

$1,655 CA$2,319

-62.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,082 COP 3.5M

$3,653 CA$5,121

-70.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,181 COP 3.8M

$3,183 CA$4,462

-62.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$527 COP 1.7M

$3,219 CA$4,512

-83.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

19.54

4.43

341.08%

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

Last update for Santa Marta: October 31, 2026

Last update for Calgary: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santa Marta

–

Calgary

$1K 45.1%

Groceries & Markets

Santa Marta

–

Calgary

$390 17%

Eating Out

Santa Marta

–

Calgary

$277 12.1%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santa Marta

–

Calgary

$267 11.6%

Clothing & Footwear

Santa Marta

–

Calgary

$137 6%

Getting Around

Santa Marta

–

Calgary

$112 4.9%

Sport & Entertainment

Santa Marta

–

Calgary

$78 3.4%

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,096 in Santa Marta and $1,214 in Calgary. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Calgary pays about 6.1 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Santa Marta

🇨🇦 Calgary

🕒 Local time

07:21 7:21 AM

06:21 6:21 AM

1 h behind Santa Marta

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

500,000

1,267,344

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR

1 CAD = 0.713 USD

1 CAD = 0.635 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, 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).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.713 USD). 1 EUR = 1.57 CAD (1 CAD = 0.635 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Santa Marta Calgary 5,710 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Santa Marta
Calgary

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 Calgary: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Santa Marta is about 38% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 84% 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 $1,214 in Calgary. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 48% higher in Calgary. 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 $2,297 in Calgary – Santa Marta is about 38% 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, Calgary on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.