Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Marta and Taraz

For one person, living is cheaper in Taraz: $626 a month against $1,447 in Santa Marta, rent and utilities included – about $9,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Taraz
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Taraz Living Index

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Santa Marta

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,447

/mo nomad

Taraz

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$626

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,447 in Santa Marta versus $626 in Taraz.

Santa Marta $1,447
Taraz $626

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,693 in Santa Marta versus $1,001 in Taraz.

Santa Marta $1,693
Taraz $1,001

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,939 in Santa Marta versus $1,375 in Taraz.

Santa Marta $1,939
Taraz $1,375

Living in Santa Marta is roughly 131% more expensive than in Taraz, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Santa Marta is 6% above, Taraz is 54% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.83 ₸4,005

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.00 ₸9,979

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.68 ₸3,030

Cappuccino

$3.86 COP 12.4K

$1.56 ₸710

147.44%

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

$0.92 ₸418

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.42 ₸191

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.13 ₸514

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 ₸816

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 COP 5,132

$1.08 ₸491

47.22%

White Bread (500g)

$2.17 COP 6,982

$0.44 ₸198

393.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.22 COP 3,918

$1.35 ₸613

-9.63%

Eggs

$2.46 COP 7,931

$1.69 ₸768

45.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.39 COP 27.0K

$10.17 ₸4,614

-17.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.57 COP 30.9K

$5.16 ₸2,339

85.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.26 COP 36.3K

$8.26 ₸3,745

36.32%

Apples (1kg)

$4.13 COP 13.3K

$1.21 ₸547

241.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 COP 3,354

$2.17 ₸985

-52.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.11 COP 3,595

$2.59 ₸1,174

-57.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.99 COP 6,424

$1.37 ₸622

45.26%

Potato (1kg)

$0.93 COP 2,986

$0.51 ₸232

82.35%

Onion (1kg)

$1.54 COP 4,965

$0.44 ₸198

250.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.96 COP 3,081

$0.88 ₸401

9.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 COP 1,986

$0.80 ₸364

-22.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.13 COP 13.3K

$2.39 ₸1,085

72.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 COP 56.5K

$4.38 ₸1,984

300.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 COP 4,678

$1.08 ₸488

34.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.40 COP 4,526

$1.53 ₸693

-8.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.96 COP 3,104

$0.21 ₸96.0

357.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.07 COP 9,907

$0.88 ₸397

248.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.37 ₸170

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.07 ₸1,844

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,346

$0.65 ₸297

107.69%

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

$23.6K COP 76.1M

$27.6K ₸12.5M

-14.58%

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

$34.2K COP 110.2M

$27.5K ₸12.5M

24.23%

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

$159 COP 511.7K

$47.53 ₸21.6K

233.87%

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

$9.23 COP 29.7K

$8.64 ₸3,919

6.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.79 COP 70.3K

$8.98 ₸4,071

142.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.36 COP 101.1K

$36.00 ₸16.3K

-12.89%

Cinema Ticket

$5.27 COP 17.0K

$4.54 ₸2,060

16.08%

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

$58.8 ₸26.6K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.9K COP 35.1M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.4 COP 278.6K

$26.93 ₸12.2K

220.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$62.8 COP 202.4K

$34.47 ₸15.6K

82.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.6 COP 298.6K

$111 ₸50.2K

-16.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.7 COP 279.4K

$53.0 ₸24.1K

63.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,096 COP 3.5M

$263 ₸119.5K

315.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$752 COP 2.4M

$109 ₸49.6K

588.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,095 COP 3.5M

$435 ₸197.2K

151.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$620 COP 2.0M

$200 ₸90.7K

210.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,110 COP 3.6M

$858 ₸389.3K

29.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,191 COP 3.8M

$600 ₸272.1K

98.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$526 COP 1.7M

$282 ₸127.7K

86.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

19.54

17.83

9.59%

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

Last update for Santa Marta: October 27, 2026

Last update for Taraz: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Santa Marta

–

Taraz

$177 28.4%

Eating Out

Santa Marta

–

Taraz

$124 19.8%

Accommodation & Living

Santa Marta

–

Taraz

$109 17.5%

Clothing & Footwear

Santa Marta

–

Taraz

$101 16.2%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santa Marta

–

Taraz

$65 10.4%

Sport & Entertainment

Santa Marta

–

Taraz

$45 7.2%

Getting Around

Santa Marta

–

Taraz

$3.6 * 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 $263 in Taraz. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Santa Marta pays 87% 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

🇰🇿 Taraz

🕒 Local time

11:34 11:34 AM

21:34 9:34 PM

10 h ahead of Santa Marta

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

500,000

431,160

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

1,000 KZT = 2.2 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.97 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 1, 2026: 1 USD = 3,224 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,600 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 454 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.2 USD). 1 EUR = 506 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Santa Marta Taraz 13,050 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Santa Marta
Taraz

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 Taraz: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Taraz wins on cost – living expenses run 57% lower than in Santa Marta. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Taraz the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 87% 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 $263 in Taraz. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 48% higher in Santa Marta. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,447 per month in Santa Marta versus $626 in Taraz – Taraz is about 57% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $626 in Taraz versus $1,447 in Santa Marta, a $800 budget is realistic in Taraz but tight or insufficient in Santa Marta. The gap between the two cities makes Taraz 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.

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