Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Marta and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Marta: $1,436 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 less a year. The total is higher in Nosara despite lower rent and utilities.

60

Cost of Living Index in Santa Marta
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Santa Marta Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Santa Marta

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,436

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,436 per month in Santa Marta vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Santa Marta $1,436
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $1,691 per month in Santa Marta vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Santa Marta $1,691
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $1,946 per month in Santa Marta vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Santa Marta $1,946
Nosara $3,818

Santa Marta is about 22% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Santa Marta and Nosara sit above the global median – Santa Marta by 6%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

Cappuccino

$3.85 COP 12.2K

$4.41 ₡1,978

-12.70%

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

$1.74 ₡780

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

Milk (1 liter)

$1.52 COP 4,834

$1.56 ₡701

-2.56%

White Bread (500g)

$2.15 COP 6,825

$3.02 ₡1,355

-28.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.18 COP 3,737

$2.51 ₡1,125

-52.99%

Eggs

$2.55 COP 8,070

$3.57 ₡1,603

-28.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.18 COP 25.9K

$7.43 ₡3,333

10.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.79 COP 31.0K

$10.52 ₡4,717

-6.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.43 COP 36.2K

$13.97 ₡6,265

-18.18%

Apples (1kg)

$4.13 COP 13.1K

$2.35 ₡1,052

75.74%

Banana (1kg)

$0.98 COP 3,110

$1.61 ₡720

-39.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.12 COP 3,553

$4.80 ₡2,152

-76.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.99 COP 6,308

$1.61 ₡724

23.60%

Potato (1kg)

$0.91 COP 2,881

$3.80 ₡1,703

-76.05%

Onion (1kg)

$1.54 COP 4,888

$3.69 ₡1,657

-58.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.97 COP 3,081

$1.13 ₡507

-14.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.64 COP 2,037

$2.66 ₡1,191

-75.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.10 COP 13.0K

$5.18 ₡2,321

-20.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.44 COP 55.3K

$19.88 ₡8,916

-12.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.44 COP 4,566

$2.90 ₡1,300

-50.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,507

$3.63 ₡1,626

-60.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.97 COP 3,086

$1.12 ₡504

-13.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.20 COP 10.2K

$2.14 ₡958

49.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 COP 4,104

$1.52 ₡682

-15.13%

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

$24.0K COP 75.9M

$21.6K ₡9.7M

10.84%

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

$33.6K COP 106.6M

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-2.60%

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

$154 COP 489.7K

$96.3 ₡43.2K

60.39%

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

$9.26 COP 29.3K

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-74.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.25 COP 70.6K

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-58.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.58 COP 100.1K

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-55.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$5.07 COP 16.1K

$7.89 ₡3,539

-35.74%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.8K COP 34.1M

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-9.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.9 COP 275.6K

$53.9 ₡24.2K

61.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$63.5 COP 201.4K

$55.4 ₡24.8K

14.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.6 COP 293.6K

$77.9 ₡34.9K

18.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.2 COP 279.6K

$79.6 ₡35.7K

10.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,088 COP 3.5M

$788 ₡353.4K

38.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$743 COP 2.4M

$794 ₡356.2K

-6.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,098 COP 3.5M

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-72.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$628 COP 2.0M

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-55.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,098 COP 3.5M

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-84.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,216 COP 3.9M

$1,224 ₡549.0K

-0.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$534 COP 1.7M

$864 ₡387.3K

-38.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

19.54

8.62

126.68%

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

Last update for Santa Marta: October 12, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santa Marta

$743 51.8%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 6.9% $52

Groceries & Markets

Santa Marta

$263 18.3%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 34.1% $90

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santa Marta

$186 13%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 0.1% $0.2

Clothing & Footwear

Santa Marta

$149 10.4%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 19.4% $29

Eating Out

Santa Marta

$46 * 3.2%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 358% $166

Sport & Entertainment

Santa Marta

$42 2.9%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 110% $46

Getting Around

Santa Marta

$7.1 * 0.5%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 1127% $80

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 $788 in Nosara. 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 62% higher in Nosara, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Santa Marta

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

00:08 12:08 AM

23:08 11:08 PM

1 h behind Santa Marta

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

500,000

4,912

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, 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).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Santa Marta Nosara 1,260 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Santa Marta
Nosara

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 Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,436 in Santa Marta, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 28% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,153 per month in Santa Marta and $2,758 in Nosara. 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 $1,839 in Nosara. That's a gap of about 28%.

Groceries cost about 34% more in Nosara, 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 Nosara at $1,839. In Santa Marta it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Santa Marta has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,436 in Santa Marta to $1,839 in Nosara. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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