Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Marta and Depok

For one person, living is cheaper in Depok: $530 a month against $1,447 in Santa Marta, rent and utilities included – about $11,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Santa Marta, Colombia
Depok, Indonesia
Santa Marta
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,447
/mo nomad
Depok
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$530
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,447 in Santa Marta versus $530 in Depok.

  • Santa Marta $1,447
  • Depok $530

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,693 in Santa Marta versus $795 in Depok.

  • Santa Marta $1,693
  • Depok $795

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,939 in Santa Marta versus $1,061 in Depok.

  • Santa Marta $1,939
  • Depok $1,061

Living in Santa Marta is roughly 173% more expensive than in Depok, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Santa Marta is 6% above, Depok is 61% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Santa Marta
Depok
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
-
$1.35 Rp 24.5K
-
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
-
$13.93 Rp 252.7K
-
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
-
$3.33 Rp 60.5K
-
Cappuccino
$3.86 COP 12.5K
$1.53 Rp 27.8K
152.29%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$0.46 Rp 8,325
-
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$0.26 Rp 4,729
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
-
$2.50 Rp 45.4K
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$3.00 Rp 54.4K
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Santa Marta
Depok
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.59 COP 5,139
$1.21 Rp 22.0K
31.40%
White Bread (500g)
$2.17 COP 6,992
$0.95 Rp 17.1K
128.42%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.22 COP 3,924
$0.84 Rp 15.3K
45.24%
Eggs
$2.46 COP 7,942
$1.48 Rp 26.8K
66.22%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.39 COP 27.1K
$7.19 Rp 130.4K
16.69%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.57 COP 30.9K
$2.92 Rp 52.9K
227.74%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.26 COP 36.4K
$7.34 Rp 133.1K
53.41%
Apples (1kg)
$4.13 COP 13.3K
$2.17 Rp 39.3K
90.32%
Banana (1kg)
$1.04 COP 3,359
$1.08 Rp 19.6K
-3.70%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.11 COP 3,600
$1.48 Rp 26.8K
-25.00%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.99 COP 6,433
$0.93 Rp 16.8K
113.98%
Potato (1kg)
$0.93 COP 2,990
$1.05 Rp 19.0K
-11.43%
Onion (1kg)
$1.54 COP 4,972
$1.84 Rp 33.4K
-16.30%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.96 COP 3,085
$0.69 Rp 12.5K
39.13%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.62 COP 1,989
$0.42 Rp 7,683
47.62%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.13 COP 13.3K
$2.58 Rp 46.8K
60.08%
Wine (Bottle)
$17.52 COP 56.6K
$20.80 Rp 377.2K
-15.77%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.45 COP 4,684
$1.89 Rp 34.3K
-23.28%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.40 COP 4,533
$2.97 Rp 53.8K
-52.86%
🚌 Getting Around
Santa Marta
Depok
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.96 COP 3,108
$0.23 Rp 4,190
317.39%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$12.72 Rp 230.7K
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.07 COP 9,921
$0.81 Rp 14.7K
279.01%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
-
$0.32 Rp 5,786
-
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
-
$2.30 Rp 41.7K
-
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.35 COP 4,352
$0.89 Rp 16.2K
51.69%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$23.6K COP 76.2M
$21.0K Rp 381.3M
12.28%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.2K COP 110.3M
$31.7K Rp 574.5M
7.90%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Santa Marta
Depok
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$159 COP 512.4K
$32.99 Rp 598.3K
381.02%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$9.23 COP 29.8K
$4.35 Rp 79.0K
112.18%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$21.79 COP 70.3K
$19.11 Rp 346.6K
14.02%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Santa Marta
Depok
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$31.36 COP 101.2K
$3.27 Rp 59.3K
859.02%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$5.45 Rp 98.9K
-
Cinema Ticket
$5.27 COP 17.0K
$2.73 Rp 49.4K
93.04%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Santa Marta
Depok
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
-
$93.6 Rp 1.7M
-
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$10.9K COP 35.1M
$8,069 Rp 146.4M
34.82%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Santa Marta
Depok
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$86.4 COP 279.0K
$43.66 Rp 791.9K
97.92%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$62.8 COP 202.7K
$28.69 Rp 520.4K
118.79%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$92.6 COP 299.0K
$70.5 Rp 1.3M
31.45%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$86.7 COP 279.8K
$68.6 Rp 1.2M
26.33%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Santa Marta
Depok
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,096 COP 3.5M
$209 Rp 3.8M
424.53%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$752 COP 2.4M
$104 Rp 1.9M
622.51%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,095 COP 3.5M
$251 Rp 4.5M
336.88%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$620 COP 2.0M
$139 Rp 2.5M
345.24%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,110 COP 3.6M
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,191 COP 3.8M
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Santa Marta
Depok
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$526 COP 1.7M
$218 Rp 4.0M
141.36%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
19.54
9.46
106.55%

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

Last update for Santa Marta: October 27, 2026

Last update for Depok: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Santa Marta
–
Depok
$189
Accommodation & Living
Santa Marta
–
Depok
$104
Clothing & Footwear
Santa Marta
–
Depok
$95
Eating Out
Santa Marta
–
Depok
$61
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Santa Marta
–
Depok
$56
Getting Around
Santa Marta
–
Depok
$16
Sport & Entertainment
Santa Marta
–
Depok
$8.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,096 in Santa Marta and $209 in Depok. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Santa Marta pays about 2.4 times more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Good to know
🇨🇴 Santa Marta
🇮🇩 Depok
🕒 Local time
05:40 5:40 AM
17:40 5:40 PM
12 h ahead of Santa Marta
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
500,000
1,738,570
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,603 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18,138 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD). 1 EUR = 20,241 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Santa Marta Depok 19,470 km ≈ 25 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Santa Marta
  • Depok

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 Depok: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Santa Marta or Depok?
Depok wins on cost – living expenses run 63% lower than in Santa Marta. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Depok the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
Are salaries higher in Santa Marta or in Depok?
Average pay in Santa Marta is about 2.4 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Santa Marta compared to Depok?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,096 in Santa Marta versus $209 in Depok. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Are groceries more expensive in Santa Marta or in Depok?
Supermarket bills run roughly 39% higher in Santa Marta. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
How much does it cost to live in Santa Marta compared to Depok?
All in, you’ll spend $1,447 per month in Santa Marta versus $530 in Depok – Depok is about 63% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.
Can you live on $800/month in Santa Marta or in Depok?
At $530 in Depok versus $1,447 in Santa Marta, a $800 budget is realistic in Depok but tight or insufficient in Santa Marta. The gap between the two cities makes Depok the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Santa Marta or Depok?
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.
Should I move to Santa Marta or to Depok?
It comes down to priorities – Depok wins on affordability, Santa Marta on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.

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