Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Marta and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Marta: $1,436 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. The total is higher in Medellin despite lower rent and utilities.

60

Cost of Living Index in Santa Marta
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Santa Marta Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Santa Marta

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,436

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,436 per month in Santa Marta vs $1,614 in Medellin, rent included.

Santa Marta $1,436
Medellin $1,614

A couple spends around $1,691 per month in Santa Marta vs $2,402 in Medellin, rent included.

Santa Marta $1,691
Medellin $2,402

A family of three spends $1,946 per month in Santa Marta vs $3,190 in Medellin, rent included.

Santa Marta $1,946
Medellin $3,190

Santa Marta is about 11% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Santa Marta and Medellin sit above the global median – Santa Marta by 6%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.93 COP 25.2K

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.13 COP 146.3K

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.1K

Cappuccino

$3.85 COP 12.2K

$3.11 COP 9,866

23.79%

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

$1.83 COP 5,800

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,360

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.05 COP 9,672

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.50 COP 17.4K

Milk (1 liter)

$1.52 COP 4,834

$1.45 COP 4,600

4.83%

White Bread (500g)

$2.15 COP 6,825

$2.36 COP 7,496

-8.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.18 COP 3,737

$1.68 COP 5,328

-29.76%

Eggs

$2.55 COP 8,070

$2.86 COP 9,077

-10.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.18 COP 25.9K

$10.19 COP 32.3K

-19.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.79 COP 31.0K

$9.53 COP 30.2K

2.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.43 COP 36.2K

$14.04 COP 44.5K

-18.59%

Apples (1kg)

$4.13 COP 13.1K

$4.07 COP 12.9K

1.47%

Banana (1kg)

$0.98 COP 3,110

$1.50 COP 4,742

-34.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.12 COP 3,553

$2.17 COP 6,891

-48.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.99 COP 6,308

$2.31 COP 7,310

-13.85%

Potato (1kg)

$0.91 COP 2,881

$1.93 COP 6,113

-52.85%

Onion (1kg)

$1.54 COP 4,888

$1.64 COP 5,196

-6.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.97 COP 3,081

$1.13 COP 3,571

-14.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.64 COP 2,037

$1.25 COP 3,954

-48.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.10 COP 13.0K

$3.99 COP 12.6K

2.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.44 COP 55.3K

$13.35 COP 42.3K

30.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.44 COP 4,566

$1.70 COP 5,384

-15.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,507

$2.37 COP 7,525

-40.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.97 COP 3,086

$1.21 COP 3,827

-19.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.5 COP 242.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.20 COP 10.2K

$1.32 COP 4,179

142.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.14 COP 6,774

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.47 COP 26.8K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 COP 4,104

$1.30 COP 4,114

-0.77%

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

$24.0K COP 75.9M

$28.0K COP 88.7M

-14.42%

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

$33.6K COP 106.6M

$35.4K COP 112.3M

-5.06%

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

$154 COP 489.7K

$172 COP 545.6K

-10.26%

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

$9.26 COP 29.3K

$13.37 COP 42.4K

-30.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.25 COP 70.6K

$28.73 COP 91.1K

-22.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.58 COP 100.1K

$45.24 COP 143.5K

-30.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 COP 54.0K

Cinema Ticket

$5.07 COP 16.1K

$6.28 COP 19.9K

-19.27%

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

$770 COP 2.4M

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.8K COP 34.1M

$9,011 COP 28.6M

19.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.9 COP 275.6K

$86.4 COP 274.0K

0.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$63.5 COP 201.4K

$57.1 COP 181.1K

11.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.6 COP 293.6K

$137 COP 432.9K

-32.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.2 COP 279.6K

$97.9 COP 310.4K

-9.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,088 COP 3.5M

$1,055 COP 3.3M

3.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$743 COP 2.4M

$616 COP 2.0M

20.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,098 COP 3.5M

$1,892 COP 6.0M

-41.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$628 COP 2.0M

$1,023 COP 3.2M

-38.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,098 COP 3.5M

$4,059 COP 12.9M

-72.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,216 COP 3.9M

$1,678 COP 5.3M

-27.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$534 COP 1.7M

$652 COP 2.1M

-18.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

19.54

10.94

78.61%

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

Last update for Santa Marta: October 12, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santa Marta

$743 51.8%

Medellin

$616 38.2% 17.1% $127

Groceries & Markets

Santa Marta

$263 18.3%

Medellin

$295 18.3% 12.1% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santa Marta

$186 13%

Medellin

$214 13.3% 15.2% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Santa Marta

$149 10.4%

Medellin

$170 10.5% 14.1% $21

Eating Out

Santa Marta

$46 * 3.2%

Medellin

$168 10.4% 264% $122

Sport & Entertainment

Santa Marta

$42 2.9%

Medellin

$58 3.6% 38.6% $16

Getting Around

Santa Marta

$7.1 * 0.5%

Medellin

$93 5.8% 1214% $86

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,088 in Santa Marta versus $1,055 in Medellin. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 22% higher in Medellin, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Santa Marta

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

01:10 1:10 AM

Same time as Santa Marta

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

500,000

2,486,723

💱 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

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Santa Marta Medellin 570 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

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Santa Marta
Medellin

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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 Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 12%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,153 per month in Santa Marta and $2,421 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Santa Marta, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,436 in Santa Marta and $1,614 in Medellin. That's a gap of about 12%.

Groceries cost about 12% more in Medellin, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Santa Marta, where all-in costs run around $1,436, than in Medellin at $1,614. In Santa Marta it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Santa Marta – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Santa Marta. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Medellin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.