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Compare cities โบ Cartagena vs Santa Marta
Cartagena vs Santa Marta cost of living 2026
Which is cheaper, what exactly is cheaper, and how it feels on your money ยท Updated October 2026
๐จ๐ด Cartagena
๐จ๐ด Santa MartaSanta Marta is 39% cheaper than Cartagena
Living on $2,150 a month in Cartagena feels like about $1,375 in Santa Marta โ same standard of living, compared by feel rather than exchange rate.
Cheaper on how many of 20 items?
Cartagena 2tie 2Santa Marta 16
One day's budget in Cartagena ($136) lasts 1.7 days in Santa Marta
Compare on YOUR lifestyleSet your rent, eating out, coffee & taxis โ see your real monthly difference ยท free
โบ
Per day
$136 vs $79.4
Per month
$2,150 vs $1,375
Local meal
COL$ 20,000 vs COL$ 17,000
$4.88 vs $4.15
Taxi 5 km
COL$ 15,000 vs COL$ 12,000
$3.66 vs $2.93
At a glance
Foodsimilar
Cafรฉs & drinksSanta Marta 33% cheaper
TransportSanta Marta 22% cheaper
StaySanta Marta 45% cheaper
FunSanta Marta 12% cheaper
- Where Santa Marta is clearly cheaper: Hotel night (49%โ), Studio rent (month) (41%โ), Restaurant dinner (40%โ)
- Where Cartagena is clearly cheaper: Scooter rental (56%โ), Street food (33%โ)
By category
Salary equivalence
Enter a monthly income in Cartagena to see what gives the same standard of living in Santa Marta. Starts at the average Cartagena salary.
Travel difficulty
Cartagena
Santa Marta
Overall
Hard3.2
Hard3.4
Rip-offs & haggling
4
3
Language
3
4
Getting around
3
3
Payments
3
3
Safety
3
4
Both cities are about equally easy to travel. Biggest gap: rip-offs & haggling โ Cartagena 4 vs Santa Marta 3. Closer to 1 is easier. Difficulty ranking โบ
Item by item
| Item | Cartagena | Santa Marta | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local mealper person | COL$ 20,000$4.88 | COL$ 17,000$4.15 | Santa Marta โ15% |
| Street food1 item | COL$ 4,000$0.98 | COL$ 6,000$1.46 | Cartagena โ33% |
| Restaurant dinnerper person | COL$ 75,000$18.3 | COL$ 45,000$11 | Santa Marta โ40% |
| Coffeeone cup | COL$ 9,000$2.2 | COL$ 6,000$1.46 | Santa Marta โ33% |
| Beerone bottle | COL$ 8,000$1.95 | COL$ 5,000$1.22 | Santa Marta โ38% |
| Cocktail & wineone cup | COL$ 30,000$7.32 | COL$ 22,000$5.37 | Santa Marta โ27% |
| Bottled water | COL$ 2,500$0.61 | COL$ 2,000$0.49 | Santa Marta โ20% |
| Convenience store1 snack or drink | COL$ 4,000$0.98 | COL$ 2,500$0.61 | Santa Marta โ38% |
| Taxi5 km in town | COL$ 15,000$3.66 | COL$ 12,000$2.93 | Santa Marta โ20% |
| Tuk-tuk / moto taxishort hop | COL$ 6,000$1.46 | COL$ 5,000$1.22 | Santa Marta โ17% |
| Transitone ride | COL$ 3,900$0.95 | COL$ 2,800$0.68 | Santa Marta โ28% |
| Scooter rentalper day | COL$ 40,000$9.76 | COL$ 90,000$22 | Cartagena โ56% |
| Hotel night3-star | COL$ 350,000$85.4 | COL$ 180,000$43.9 | Santa Marta โ49% |
| Studio rent (month) | COL$ 2,200,000$537 | COL$ 1,300,000$317 | Santa Marta โ41% |
| Laundry | COL$ 8,000$1.95 | COL$ 6,000$1.46 | Santa Marta โ25% |
| SIM card1 week data | COL$ 30,000$7.32 | COL$ 20,000$4.88 | Santa Marta โ33% |
| Haircutcut | COL$ 20,000$4.88 | COL$ 20,000$4.88 | similar |
| Massage1 hour | COL$ 100,000$24.4 | COL$ 80,000$19.5 | Santa Marta โ20% |
| Half-day tourper person | COL$ 120,000$29.3 | COL$ 120,000$29.3 | similar |
| Entry ticketTourist town | COL$ 30,000$7.32 | COL$ 25,000$6.1 | Santa Marta โ17% |
Reference prices start as estimates from published price levels; items with 3+ traveler reports use the median of real reports. Hostels and local eateries cut both by 30%+.
Compare on your own lifestyle in the appSet your rent, eating out, coffee and taxis โ see your real monthly difference and live traveler prices. No sign-up.
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FAQ
Which is cheaper, Cartagena or Santa Marta?
Santa Marta is 39% cheaper than Cartagena. Daily budget $136 vs $79.4; a month $2,150 vs $1,375.
Which is easier to travel, Cartagena or Santa Marta?
About the same: Cartagena 3.2/5, Santa Marta 3.4/5 (average of rip-offs, language, transport, payments and safety).
How do monthly costs compare between Cartagena and Santa Marta?
With a short-term studio and living costs, Cartagena is about $2,150 and Santa Marta about $1,375 per month.
Where do the numbers come from?
They start as estimates informed by published price levels; any item with 3+ traveler reports switches to the median of real reports. Live reports are in the app.
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