Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Marta and Guizhou

For one person, living is cheaper in Guizhou: $598 a month against $1,436 in Santa Marta, rent and utilities included – about $10,100 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
29

Cost of Living Index in Guizhou
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Guizhou Living Index

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Santa Marta

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,436

/mo nomad

Guizhou

🇨🇳 China

$598

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,436 in Santa Marta versus $598 in Guizhou.

Santa Marta $1,436
Guizhou $598

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,691 in Santa Marta versus $964 in Guizhou.

Santa Marta $1,691
Guizhou $964

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,946 in Santa Marta versus $1,329 in Guizhou.

Santa Marta $1,946
Guizhou $1,329

Living in Santa Marta is roughly 140% more expensive than in Guizhou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Santa Marta is 6% above, Guizhou is 56% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.66 ¥17.78

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.16 ¥141

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.83 ¥38.92

Cappuccino

$3.85 COP 12.2K

$2.89 ¥19.31

33.22%

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

$0.50 ¥3.32

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 ¥1.81

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.78 ¥5.19

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 ¥12.33

Milk (1 liter)

$1.52 COP 4,834

$1.80 ¥12.01

-15.56%

White Bread (500g)

$2.15 COP 6,825

$1.69 ¥11.28

27.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.18 COP 3,737

$0.79 ¥5.30

49.37%

Eggs

$2.55 COP 8,070

$1.98 ¥13.21

28.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.18 COP 25.9K

$7.27 ¥48.55

12.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.79 COP 31.0K

$4.56 ¥30.46

114.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.43 COP 36.2K

$10.96 ¥73.2

4.29%

Apples (1kg)

$4.13 COP 13.1K

$2.10 ¥14.00

96.67%

Banana (1kg)

$0.98 COP 3,110

$1.62 ¥10.81

-39.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.12 COP 3,553

$1.58 ¥10.54

-29.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.99 COP 6,308

$1.41 ¥9.40

41.13%

Potato (1kg)

$0.91 COP 2,881

$0.69 ¥4.59

31.88%

Onion (1kg)

$1.54 COP 4,888

$0.78 ¥5.23

97.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.97 COP 3,081

$0.36 ¥2.40

169.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.64 COP 2,037

$0.58 ¥3.86

10.34%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.10 COP 13.0K

$3.02 ¥20.17

35.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.44 COP 55.3K

$7.62 ¥50.9

128.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.44 COP 4,566

$0.85 ¥5.64

69.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,507

$1.16 ¥7.78

22.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.97 COP 3,086

$0.35 ¥2.37

177.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.28 ¥182

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.20 COP 10.2K

$1.52 ¥10.14

110.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.31 ¥2.07

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.09 ¥33.99

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 COP 4,104

$1.28 ¥8.56

0.78%

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

$24.0K COP 75.9M

$18.5K ¥123.7K

29.31%

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

$33.6K COP 106.6M

$15.6K ¥104.3K

115.28%

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

$154 COP 489.7K

$28.58 ¥191

440.38%

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

$9.26 COP 29.3K

$6.52 ¥43.54

42.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.25 COP 70.6K

$5.96 ¥39.77

273.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.58 COP 100.1K

$22.00 ¥147

43.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.13 ¥81.0

Cinema Ticket

$5.07 COP 16.1K

$7.30 ¥48.71

-30.55%

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

$244 ¥1,631

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.8K COP 34.1M

$11.1K ¥74.4K

-3.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.9 COP 275.6K

$33.87 ¥226

156.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$63.5 COP 201.4K

$22.23 ¥148

185.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.6 COP 293.6K

$73.8 ¥493

25.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.2 COP 279.6K

$41.91 ¥280

110.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,088 COP 3.5M

$267 ¥1,785

306.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$743 COP 2.4M

$137 ¥912

444.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,098 COP 3.5M

$385 ¥2,572

184.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$628 COP 2.0M

$241 ¥1,609

160.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,098 COP 3.5M

$1,816 ¥12.1K

-39.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,216 COP 3.9M

$1,106 ¥7,386

9.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$534 COP 1.7M

$682 ¥4,550

-21.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

19.54

3.4

474.71%

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

Last update for Santa Marta: October 12, 2026

Last update for Guizhou: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santa Marta

$743 51.8%

Guizhou

$137 22.8% 81.6% $606

Groceries & Markets

Santa Marta

$263 18.3%

Guizhou

$191 31.9% 27.4% $72

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santa Marta

$186 13%

Guizhou

$41 6.9% 77.9% $145

Clothing & Footwear

Santa Marta

$149 10.4%

Guizhou

$77 12.9% 48.1% $72

Eating Out

Santa Marta

$46 * 3.2%

Guizhou

$84 14.1% 81.9% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Santa Marta

$42 2.9%

Guizhou

$37 6.1% 12.3% $5.1

Getting Around

Santa Marta

$7.1 * 0.5%

Guizhou

$32 5.3% 348% $25

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 $267 in Guizhou. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Guizhou pays 28% 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

🇨🇳 Guizhou

🕒 Local time

01:09 1:09 AM

14:09 2:09 PM

13 h ahead of Santa Marta

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

500,000

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.51 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Santa Marta Guizhou 15,290 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Santa Marta
Guizhou

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 Guizhou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Guizhou is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and leisure. The 140% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 28% lower in Guizhou. 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 $267 in Guizhou. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 38% 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 $598 in Guizhou – a 140% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $598 in Guizhou versus $1,436 in Santa Marta, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Guizhou but tight or insufficient in Santa Marta. The gap between the two cities makes Guizhou the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Guizhou 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.

Safety-wise, Santa Marta and Guizhou are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Guizhou gentler on the wallet – expenses run 140% less than in Santa Marta. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.