Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Marta and Cali

For one person, living is cheaper in Cali: $1,060 a month against $1,436 in Santa Marta, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Santa Marta outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

60

Cost of Living Index in Santa Marta
Learn more

Santa Marta Living Index
52

Cost of Living Index in Cali
Learn more

Cali Living Index

Jump to prices

Santa Marta

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,436

/mo nomad

Cali

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,060

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,436 in Santa Marta versus $1,060 in Cali.

Santa Marta $1,436
Cali $1,060

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,691 in Santa Marta versus $1,626 in Cali.

Santa Marta $1,691
Cali $1,626

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,946 in Santa Marta versus $2,192 in Cali.

Santa Marta $1,946
Cali $2,192

Living in Santa Marta is roughly 35% more expensive than in Cali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Santa Marta is 6% above, Cali is 21% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.32 COP 23.2K

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.35 COP 118.4K

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.32 COP 26.4K

Cappuccino

$3.85 COP 12.2K

$1.52 COP 4,832

153.29%

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

$1.23 COP 3,885

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.86 COP 2,728

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.11 COP 9,872

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 COP 12.1K

Milk (1 liter)

$1.52 COP 4,834

$1.54 COP 4,891

-1.30%

White Bread (500g)

$2.15 COP 6,825

$1.96 COP 6,203

9.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.18 COP 3,737

$1.48 COP 4,701

-20.27%

Eggs

$2.55 COP 8,070

$2.91 COP 9,242

-12.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.18 COP 25.9K

$6.31 COP 20.0K

29.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.79 COP 31.0K

$6.85 COP 21.7K

42.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.43 COP 36.2K

$10.22 COP 32.4K

11.84%

Apples (1kg)

$4.13 COP 13.1K

$3.45 COP 10.9K

19.71%

Banana (1kg)

$0.98 COP 3,110

$1.40 COP 4,433

-30.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.12 COP 3,553

$1.79 COP 5,668

-37.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.99 COP 6,308

$1.65 COP 5,223

20.61%

Potato (1kg)

$0.91 COP 2,881

$1.43 COP 4,539

-36.36%

Onion (1kg)

$1.54 COP 4,888

$1.55 COP 4,917

-0.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.97 COP 3,081

$1.14 COP 3,613

-14.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.64 COP 2,037

$0.94 COP 2,983

-31.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.10 COP 13.0K

$3.79 COP 12.0K

8.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.44 COP 55.3K

$12.94 COP 41.0K

34.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.44 COP 4,566

$1.43 COP 4,539

0.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,507

$2.55 COP 8,079

-44.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.97 COP 3,086

$1.07 COP 3,387

-9.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.29 COP 96.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.20 COP 10.2K

$0.78 COP 2,488

310.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 COP 4,104

$1.34 COP 4,245

-3.73%

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

$24.0K COP 75.9M

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

$33.6K COP 106.6M

$35.4K COP 112.1M

-4.93%

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

$154 COP 489.7K

$110 COP 347.5K

40.91%

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

$9.26 COP 29.3K

$12.96 COP 41.1K

-28.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.25 COP 70.6K

$30.06 COP 95.3K

-25.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.58 COP 100.1K

$28.81 COP 91.3K

9.61%

Cinema Ticket

$5.07 COP 16.1K

$8.40 COP 26.6K

-39.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.8K COP 34.1M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.9 COP 275.6K

$78.4 COP 248.5K

10.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$63.5 COP 201.4K

$53.2 COP 168.8K

19.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.6 COP 293.6K

$126 COP 398.3K

-26.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.2 COP 279.6K

$111 COP 351.4K

-20.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,088 COP 3.5M

$655 COP 2.1M

66.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$743 COP 2.4M

$288 COP 914.6K

157.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,098 COP 3.5M

$1,558 COP 4.9M

-29.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$628 COP 2.0M

$498 COP 1.6M

26.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,098 COP 3.5M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,216 COP 3.9M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$534 COP 1.7M

$585 COP 1.9M

-8.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

19.54

11.58

68.74%

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

Last update for Santa Marta: October 12, 2026

Last update for Cali: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santa Marta

$743 51.8%

Cali

$288 27.2% 61.2% $454

Groceries & Markets

Santa Marta

$263 18.3%

Cali

$239 22.5% 9.1% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santa Marta

$186 13%

Cali

$153 14.4% 17.9% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Santa Marta

$149 10.4%

Cali

$166 15.6% 11.1% $17

Eating Out

Santa Marta

$46 * 3.2%

Cali

$133 12.6% 188% $87

Sport & Entertainment

Santa Marta

$42 2.9%

Cali

$46 4.3% 9.4% $3.9

Getting Around

Santa Marta

$7.1 * 0.5%

Cali

$35 * 3.3% 398% $28

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 $1,088 in Santa Marta and $655 in Cali. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cali pays 10% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Santa Marta

🇨🇴 Cali

🕒 Local time

03:24 3:24 AM

Same time as Santa Marta

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

500,000

2,568,609

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Santa Marta Cali 900 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Santa Marta
Cali

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 Cali: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cali is cheaper overall, especially in groceries. The 35% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 10% lower in Cali. 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: $1,088 in Santa Marta versus $655 in Cali. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 10% higher in Santa Marta. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,436 per month in Santa Marta versus $1,060 in Cali – a 35% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,060 in Cali versus $1,436 in Santa Marta, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cali but tight or insufficient in Santa Marta. The gap between the two cities makes Cali the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Cali is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Santa Marta, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Cali gentler on the wallet – expenses run 35% less than in Santa Marta. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.