Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Marta and Eldoret

For one person, living is cheaper in Eldoret: $505 a month against $1,461 in Santa Marta, rent and utilities included – about $11,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

60

Cost of Living Index in Santa Marta
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Santa Marta Living Index
24

Cost of Living Index in Eldoret
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Eldoret Living Index

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Santa Marta

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,461

/mo nomad

Eldoret

🇰🇪 Kenya

$505

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,461 in Santa Marta versus $505 in Eldoret.

Santa Marta $1,461
Eldoret $505

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,713 in Santa Marta versus $873 in Eldoret.

Santa Marta $1,713
Eldoret $873

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,965 in Santa Marta versus $1,241 in Eldoret.

Santa Marta $1,965
Eldoret $1,241

Living in Santa Marta is roughly 189% more expensive than in Eldoret, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Santa Marta is 8% above, Eldoret is 63% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.49 KES 194

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.81 KES 4,513

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.41 KES 832

Cappuccino

$3.75 COP 11.9K

$2.67 KES 346

40.45%

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

$0.30 KES 38.53

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.37 KES 48.32

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.29 KES 297

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.74 KES 355

Milk (1 liter)

$1.62 COP 5,126

$0.70 KES 91.0

131.43%

White Bread (500g)

$2.26 COP 7,170

$0.50 KES 64.7

352.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.17 COP 3,716

$1.53 KES 199

-23.53%

Eggs

$2.57 COP 8,158

$1.59 KES 206

61.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.22 COP 26.1K

$3.90 KES 506

110.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.98 COP 31.6K

$4.23 KES 548

135.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.31 COP 35.9K

$4.33 KES 561

161.20%

Apples (1kg)

$4.11 COP 13.0K

$2.33 KES 303

76.39%

Banana (1kg)

$0.99 COP 3,125

$1.10 KES 142

-10.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.13 COP 3,576

$0.71 KES 92.4

59.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.02 COP 6,414

$0.94 KES 122

114.89%

Potato (1kg)

$0.97 COP 3,076

$0.56 KES 72.6

73.21%

Onion (1kg)

$1.61 COP 5,114

$0.44 KES 57.2

265.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.97 COP 3,087

$0.69 KES 89.7

40.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 COP 1,953

$0.61 KES 78.8

1.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.04 COP 12.8K

$3.59 KES 465

12.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.37 COP 55.1K

$5.92 KES 767

193.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.47 COP 4,647

$2.00 KES 259

-26.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.39 COP 4,400

$1.56 KES 202

-10.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.99 COP 3,140

$1.42 KES 184

-30.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.08 COP 9,752

$1.56 KES 202

97.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 KES 195

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.94 KES 381

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,048

$1.47 KES 190

-12.93%

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

$24.0K COP 76.1M

$22.0K KES 2.8M

9.22%

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

$34.6K COP 109.6M

$20.5K KES 2.7M

68.61%

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

$158 COP 501.4K

$39.32 KES 5,097

302.16%

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

$9.26 COP 29.4K

$15.03 KES 1,948

-38.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.01 COP 69.8K

$35.57 KES 4,611

-38.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.84 COP 100.9K

$37.85 KES 4,908

-15.88%

Cinema Ticket

$5.24 COP 16.6K

$7.67 KES 995

-31.68%

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

$65.1 KES 8,442

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.2K COP 35.5M

$12.2K KES 1.6M

-7.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.5 COP 274.3K

$11.57 KES 1,500

647.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$62.0 COP 196.5K

$29.18 KES 3,783

112.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.9 COP 300.8K

$19.40 KES 2,515

389.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.7 COP 274.9K

$34.95 KES 4,531

148.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,090 COP 3.5M

$92.7 KES 12.0K

1075.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$763 COP 2.4M

$87.3 KES 11.3K

773.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,118 COP 3.5M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$639 COP 2.0M

$273 KES 35.4K

133.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,092 COP 3.5M

$614 KES 79.6K

77.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,177 COP 3.7M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$534 COP 1.7M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

19.54

14.71

32.83%

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

Last update for Santa Marta: October 18, 2026

Last update for Eldoret: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santa Marta

$763 52.2%

Eldoret

$87 17.3% 88.5% $675

Groceries & Markets

Santa Marta

$266 18.2%

Eldoret

$134 26.5% 49.7% $132

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santa Marta

$189 13%

Eldoret

$90 17.8% 52.5% $99

Clothing & Footwear

Santa Marta

$149 10.2%

Eldoret

$43 8.5% 71.2% $106

Eating Out

Santa Marta

$45 * 3.1%

Eldoret

$83 16.4% 84.2% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Santa Marta

$42 2.9%

Eldoret

$53 10.5% 25.7% $11

Getting Around

Santa Marta

$7 * 0.5%

Eldoret

$15 * 2.9% 109% $7.7

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 $1,090 in Santa Marta and $92.7 in Eldoret. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Santa Marta

🇰🇪 Eldoret

🕒 Local time

15:03 3:03 PM

23:03 11:03 PM

8 h ahead of Santa Marta

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

500,000

193,830

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Kenyan Shilling KES Sh

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

1,000 KES = 7.71 USD

1,000 KES = 6.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KES, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

Kenyan Shilling exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 130 KES (1,000 KES = 7.71 USD). 1 EUR = 146 KES (1,000 KES = 6.86 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Santa Marta Eldoret 12,120 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Santa Marta
Eldoret

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 Eldoret: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Eldoret wins on cost – living expenses run 189% lower than in Santa Marta. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Eldoret the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $2,191 in Santa Marta and $757 in Eldoret to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,090 in Santa Marta versus $92.7 in Eldoret. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 99% higher in Santa Marta. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,461 per month in Santa Marta versus $505 in Eldoret – a 189% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $505 in Eldoret versus $1,461 in Santa Marta, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Eldoret but tight or insufficient in Santa Marta. The gap between the two cities makes Eldoret the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Eldoret delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $505 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Eldoret hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Eldoret gentler on the wallet – expenses run 189% less than in Santa Marta. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.