Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Marta and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Marta: $1,436 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $9,400 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
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Santa Marta

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,436

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,436 in Santa Marta versus $2,223 in Lisbon.

Santa Marta $1,436
Lisbon $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,691 in Santa Marta versus $3,271 in Lisbon.

Santa Marta $1,691
Lisbon $3,271

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,946 in Santa Marta versus $4,319 in Lisbon.

Santa Marta $1,946
Lisbon $4,319

Living in Santa Marta costs roughly 35% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Santa Marta 6% above, Lisbon 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.50 €14.67

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 €54.5

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.27 €10.03

Cappuccino

$3.85 COP 12.2K

$3.06 €2.72

25.82%

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

$2.26 €2.01

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 €1.54

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.39 €3.02

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 €3.02

Milk (1 liter)

$1.52 COP 4,834

$1.12 €1.00

35.71%

White Bread (500g)

$2.15 COP 6,825

$1.86 €1.65

15.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.18 COP 3,737

$1.53 €1.36

-22.88%

Eggs

$2.55 COP 8,070

$3.96 €3.53

-35.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.18 COP 25.9K

$12.76 €11.35

-35.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.79 COP 31.0K

$7.90 €7.02

23.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.43 COP 36.2K

$16.97 €15.09

-32.65%

Apples (1kg)

$4.13 COP 13.1K

$2.27 €2.02

81.94%

Banana (1kg)

$0.98 COP 3,110

$1.75 €1.55

-44.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.12 COP 3,553

$1.85 €1.64

-39.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.99 COP 6,308

$2.57 €2.28

-22.57%

Potato (1kg)

$0.91 COP 2,881

$1.86 €1.65

-51.08%

Onion (1kg)

$1.54 COP 4,888

$2.02 €1.80

-23.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.97 COP 3,081

$1.44 €1.28

-32.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.64 COP 2,037

$0.82 €0.73

-21.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.10 COP 13.0K

$6.56 €5.83

-37.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.44 COP 55.3K

$5.62 €5.00

210.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.44 COP 4,566

$1.28 €1.14

12.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,507

$2.07 €1.84

-31.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.97 COP 3,086

$2.35 €2.09

-58.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.18 €39.30

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.20 COP 10.2K

$3.99 €3.55

-19.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 €0.97

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.64 €14.81

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 COP 4,104

$2.28 €2.03

-43.42%

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

$24.0K COP 75.9M

$33.7K €30.0K

-28.87%

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

$33.6K COP 106.6M

$39.3K €35.0K

-14.43%

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

$154 COP 489.7K

$167 €149

-7.79%

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

$9.26 COP 29.3K

$18.80 €16.72

-50.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.25 COP 70.6K

$33.09 €29.43

-32.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.58 COP 100.1K

$46.01 €40.93

-31.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.19 €17.07

Cinema Ticket

$5.07 COP 16.1K

$9.84 €8.75

-48.48%

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

$677 €602

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.8K COP 34.1M

$16.9K €15.1K

-36.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.9 COP 275.6K

$101 €90.1

-14.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$63.5 COP 201.4K

$45.76 €40.70

38.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.6 COP 293.6K

$100.0 €88.9

-7.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.2 COP 279.6K

$123 €109

-28.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,088 COP 3.5M

$1,614 €1,436

-32.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$743 COP 2.4M

$1,197 €1,065

-37.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,098 COP 3.5M

$2,862 €2,545

-61.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$628 COP 2.0M

$1,990 €1,770

-68.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,098 COP 3.5M

$7,577 €6,740

-85.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,216 COP 3.9M

$4,307 €3,831

-71.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$534 COP 1.7M

$1,588 €1,412

-66.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

19.54

3.85

407.53%

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

Last update for Santa Marta: October 12, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santa Marta

$743 51.8%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9% 61.2% $454

Groceries & Markets

Santa Marta

$263 18.3%

Lisbon

$269 12.1% 2.5% $6.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santa Marta

$186 13%

Lisbon

$219 9.9% 18% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Santa Marta

$149 10.4%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 11.6% $17

Eating Out

Santa Marta

$46 * 3.2%

Lisbon

$242 10.9% 424% $196

Sport & Entertainment

Santa Marta

$42 2.9%

Lisbon

$66 3% 57.5% $24

Getting Around

Santa Marta

$7.1 * 0.5%

Lisbon

$63 2.8% 787% $56

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 $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 197% 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

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

02:06 2:06 AM

08:06 8:06 AM

6 h ahead of Santa Marta

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

500,000

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD 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).

Euro exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Santa Marta Lisbon 7,070 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Santa Marta
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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 Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Santa Marta and Lisbon differ by about 55% in total monthly costs ($1,436 vs $2,223 including rent). Santa Marta is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 197% lower in Lisbon. 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 $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 3% higher in Lisbon. 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 $2,223 in Lisbon – a 55% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,436 in Santa Marta versus $2,223 in Lisbon, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Santa Marta but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Santa Marta the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Safety-wise, Santa Marta and Lisbon 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 Santa Marta gentler on the wallet – expenses run 55% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.