Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Taraz and Santa Marta

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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Taraz

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$626

/mo nomad

Santa Marta

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,447

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Taraz and in Santa Marta actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

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

Taraz $626
Santa Marta $1,447

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

Taraz $1,001
Santa Marta $1,693

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

Taraz $1,375
Santa Marta $1,939

Living in Taraz costs roughly 57% less than in Santa Marta, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.83 ₸4,023

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.00 ₸10.0K

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.68 ₸3,043

Cappuccino

$1.56 ₸713

$3.86 COP 12.1K

-59.59%

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

$0.92 ₸420

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.42 ₸192

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.13 ₸516

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 ₸820

Milk (1 liter)

$1.08 ₸493

$1.59 COP 5,007

-32.08%

White Bread (500g)

$0.44 ₸199

$2.17 COP 6,812

-79.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.35 ₸615

$1.22 COP 3,823

10.66%

Eggs

$1.69 ₸772

$2.46 COP 7,738

-31.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.17 ₸4,634

$8.39 COP 26.4K

21.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.16 ₸2,349

$9.57 COP 30.1K

-46.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.26 ₸3,761

$11.26 COP 35.4K

-26.64%

Apples (1kg)

$1.21 ₸549

$4.13 COP 13.0K

-70.70%

Banana (1kg)

$2.17 ₸989

$1.04 COP 3,272

108.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.59 ₸1,179

$1.11 COP 3,507

133.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.37 ₸624

$1.99 COP 6,268

-31.16%

Potato (1kg)

$0.51 ₸233

$0.93 COP 2,914

-45.16%

Onion (1kg)

$0.44 ₸199

$1.54 COP 4,844

-71.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.88 ₸403

$0.96 COP 3,006

-8.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.80 ₸365

$0.62 COP 1,938

29.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.39 ₸1,090

$4.13 COP 13.0K

-42.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.38 ₸1,993

$17.52 COP 55.1K

-75.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.08 ₸490

$1.45 COP 4,564

-25.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 ₸696

$1.40 COP 4,416

9.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.21 ₸96.4

$0.96 COP 3,028

-78.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.88 ₸399

$3.07 COP 9,666

-71.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.37 ₸170

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.07 ₸1,852

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.65 ₸298

$1.35 COP 4,240

-51.85%

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

$27.6K ₸12.6M

$23.6K COP 74.2M

17.07%

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

$27.5K ₸12.5M

$34.2K COP 107.5M

-19.51%

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

$47.53 ₸21.7K

$159 COP 499.2K

-70.05%

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

$8.64 ₸3,936

$9.23 COP 29.0K

-6.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.98 ₸4,089

$21.79 COP 68.5K

-58.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.00 ₸16.4K

$31.36 COP 98.6K

14.80%

Cinema Ticket

$4.54 ₸2,069

$5.27 COP 16.6K

-13.85%

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

$58.8 ₸26.8K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.9K COP 34.2M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$26.93 ₸12.3K

$86.4 COP 271.9K

-68.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.47 ₸15.7K

$62.8 COP 197.5K

-45.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 ₸50.4K

$92.6 COP 291.3K

19.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$53.0 ₸24.2K

$86.7 COP 272.6K

-38.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$263 ₸120.0K

$1,096 COP 3.4M

-75.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$109 ₸49.8K

$752 COP 2.4M

-85.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$435 ₸198.0K

$1,095 COP 3.4M

-60.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$200 ₸91.1K

$620 COP 2.0M

-67.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$858 ₸391.0K

$1,110 COP 3.5M

-22.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$600 ₸273.2K

$1,191 COP 3.7M

-49.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$282 ₸128.2K

$526 COP 1.7M

-46.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

17.83

19.54

-8.75%

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

Last update for Taraz: October 25, 2026

Last update for Santa Marta: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Taraz

$177 28.4%

Santa Marta

–

Eating Out

Taraz

$124 19.8%

Santa Marta

–

Accommodation & Living

Taraz

$109 17.5%

Santa Marta

–

Clothing & Footwear

Taraz

$101 16.2%

Santa Marta

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Taraz

$65 10.4%

Santa Marta

–

Sport & Entertainment

Taraz

$45 7.2%

Santa Marta

–

Getting Around

Taraz

$3.6 * 0.6%

Santa Marta

–

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 $263 in Taraz and $1,096 in Santa Marta. 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

🇰🇿 Taraz

🇨🇴 Santa Marta

🕒 Local time

03:12 3:12 AM

17:12 5:12 PM

10 h behind Taraz

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

431,160

500,000

💱 Currency

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 KZT = 2.2 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to KZT – Kazakhstani Tenge Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇿 Kazakhstani Tenge (₸)

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 455 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.2 USD). 1 EUR = 507 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,502 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

USD to KZT in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

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

From you

Taraz
Santa Marta

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

Taraz vs Santa Marta: 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.

On paper, salaries run 47% lower in Taraz. 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: $263 in Taraz versus $1,096 in Santa Marta. 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 $626 per month in Taraz versus $1,447 in Santa Marta – 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.