Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Marta and Taldykorgan

For one person, living is cheaper in Taldykorgan: $937 a month against $1,425 in Santa Marta, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Taldykorgan
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Taldykorgan Living Index

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Santa Marta

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,425

/mo nomad

Taldykorgan

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$937

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,425 in Santa Marta versus $937 in Taldykorgan.

Santa Marta $1,425
Taldykorgan $937

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,680 in Santa Marta versus $1,206 in Taldykorgan.

Santa Marta $1,680
Taldykorgan $1,206

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,934 in Santa Marta versus $1,476 in Taldykorgan.

Santa Marta $1,934
Taldykorgan $1,476

Living in Santa Marta is roughly 52% more expensive than in Taldykorgan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Santa Marta is 5% above, Taldykorgan is 31% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.51 ₸2,023

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.52 ₸10.1K

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.82 ₸3,953

Cappuccino

$3.71 COP 12.0K

$1.37 ₸613

170.80%

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

$0.45 ₸203

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.34 ₸155

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.89 ₸400

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.32 ₸591

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 COP 5,138

$1.27 ₸571

25.20%

White Bread (500g)

$2.15 COP 6,939

$0.43 ₸194

400.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.21 COP 3,897

$1.53 ₸687

-20.92%

Eggs

$2.57 COP 8,310

$1.31 ₸586

96.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.29 COP 26.8K

$12.54 ₸5,622

-33.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.71 COP 31.4K

$6.75 ₸3,029

43.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.30 COP 36.5K

$5.99 ₸2,685

88.65%

Apples (1kg)

$4.15 COP 13.4K

$1.82 ₸816

128.02%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 COP 3,140

$2.29 ₸1,027

-57.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.08 COP 3,477

$3.03 ₸1,358

-64.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.00 COP 6,455

$1.70 ₸762

17.65%

Potato (1kg)

$0.97 COP 3,135

$0.73 ₸328

32.88%

Onion (1kg)

$1.60 COP 5,157

$0.21 ₸93.7

661.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.92 COP 2,974

$1.14 ₸512

-19.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.65 COP 2,092

$1.01 ₸455

-35.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.17 COP 13.5K

$1.96 ₸879

112.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.17 COP 55.4K

$8.17 ₸3,664

110.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.40 COP 4,531

$1.25 ₸561

12.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,591

$2.27 ₸1,016

-37.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.97 COP 3,145

$0.18 ₸78.7

438.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.78 ₸7,525

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.16 COP 10.2K

$1.03 ₸460

206.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.68 ₸307

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.61 ₸2,516

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 COP 4,098

$0.59 ₸264

115.25%

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

$23.3K COP 75.2M

$28.0K ₸12.5M

-16.73%

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

$34.6K COP 111.6M

$31.1K ₸14.0M

10.96%

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

$153 COP 494.7K

$87.5 ₸39.2K

75.15%

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

$9.54 COP 30.8K

$10.59 ₸4,749

-9.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.84 COP 70.5K

$17.97 ₸8,058

21.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.88 COP 103.0K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.36 ₸1,507

Cinema Ticket

$5.25 COP 17.0K

$2.61 ₸1,169

101.15%

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

$487 ₸218.6K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.9K COP 35.2M

$18.9K ₸8.5M

-42.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.5 COP 285.8K

$91.8 ₸41.2K

-3.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$62.2 COP 201.0K

$10.94 ₸4,906

468.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.1 COP 297.4K

$60.5 ₸27.1K

52.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.4 COP 282.1K

$60.5 ₸27.1K

44.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,096 COP 3.5M

$553 ₸248.0K

98.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$736 COP 2.4M

$396 ₸177.7K

85.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,107 COP 3.6M

$1,918 ₸860.3K

-42.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$620 COP 2.0M

$306 ₸137.2K

102.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,082 COP 3.5M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,181 COP 3.8M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$527 COP 1.7M

$393 ₸176.0K

34.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

19.54

20.38

-4.12%

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

Last update for Santa Marta: October 31, 2026

Last update for Taldykorgan: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santa Marta

–

Taldykorgan

$396 42.3%

Groceries & Markets

Santa Marta

–

Taldykorgan

$208 22.2%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santa Marta

–

Taldykorgan

$116 12.4%

Clothing & Footwear

Santa Marta

–

Taldykorgan

$101 10.8%

Eating Out

Santa Marta

–

Taldykorgan

$89 9.5%

Getting Around

Santa Marta

–

Taldykorgan

$22 2.3%

Sport & Entertainment

Santa Marta

–

Taldykorgan

$5.2 * 0.6%

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 $1,096 in Santa Marta and $553 in Taldykorgan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Santa Marta pays 34% 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

🇰🇿 Taldykorgan

🕒 Local time

17:35 5:35 PM

03:35 3:35 AM

10 h ahead of Santa Marta

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

500,000

169,462

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

1,000 KZT = 2.23 USD

1,000 KZT = 2 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KZT, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,609 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 448 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 501 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Santa Marta Taldykorgan 13,180 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Santa Marta
Taldykorgan

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 Taldykorgan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Taldykorgan wins on cost – living expenses run 34% lower than in Santa Marta. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Taldykorgan the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 34% higher in Santa Marta, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,096 in Santa Marta versus $553 in Taldykorgan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 26% higher in Santa Marta. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,425 per month in Santa Marta versus $937 in Taldykorgan – Taldykorgan is about 34% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Taldykorgan is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Taldykorgan wins on affordability, Santa Marta on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.