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  • Countries

    Top Destinations:

    Whether you’re looking for fun and sun, a peaceful retirement, or the chance to earn some extra income, you’ve got a real world of opportunity open to you… In short, we’ve done our best to narrow down your best options, but only you can decide the right country for you.

    • Spain
    • Portugal
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    • Belize
    • Colombia
    • Cyprus
    • Mexico
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    • Montenegro
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    Best For:

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    • Safest Places For Retirement
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  • Budgets

    How Much Will It Cost You To Live Overseas?

    The only honest answer is, we have no idea. And neither does anyone else. The only one who can answer that question is you. Here’s the most important thing to understand about budgeting your new life overseas…

    Super Cheap

    • Chitré, Panama
    • Santa Marta, Colombia
    • Phuket, Thailand
    • Dumaguete, The Philippines

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    • Medellin, Colombia
    • Boquete, Panama
    • Kyrenia, Cyprus
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Home Countries Colombia

Warm Weather, Low Cost Living, And The Fabled City Of Gold

by Sophia Titley
Mar 26, 2025
in Colombia
0 0
Aerial view on Rodadero in Santa Marta, Magdalena, Colombia

AdobeStock/nizo

Everyone who appreciates the Caribbean has heard of Cartagena, Colombia. This Spanish-colonial city on the Caribbean Sea is Colombia’s #1 draw for foreign visitors and home to a sizeable expat community.

But just 150 miles up the Caribbean coast is another Caribbean town that you may not have heard of…

Santa Marta offers excellent diving, sandy beaches, calm waters, an upbeat and energetic culture, and a collection of diverse and attractive living options. Plus, it’s always warm—daily temperatures here hover around 83°F (28°C).

Columbus visited Santa Marta on his second voyage to the New World in 1499. The oldest city in Colombia, Santa Marta was officially founded in 1525. It was here that one of Columbus’ crewmen documented the wealth and riches of the local indigenous people, giving rise to the myth of El Dorado, the fabled city of gold.

Today, remnants of Santa Marta’s historical past can be still be seen and enjoyed. The city is working hard to refurbish and preserve historical buildings as well as add new development…

Latin America Correspondent Lee Harrison has spent significant time in Santa Marta. He says, “When I first visited Santa Marta in 2010, it was definitely a work in progress. The formerly seedy downtown was undergoing restoration, bringing the old colonial homes, parks, and churches back to their original splendor. Leading edge investors were prowling the city.”

Today’s Santa Marta is a different story.

The downtown now has an attractive seafront park, plenty of small cafés and bars, as well as coffee shops, boutique hotels, excellent seafood restaurants, and even a cruise-ship port. There’s a 256-slip marina, and new, tasteful condo projects have sprouted up around the entire area.

When we refer to “Santa Marta,” we’re talking about the Santa Marta metro area, which extends 13 miles from Taganga in the north to the airport in the south. This stretch of Caribbean coast is home to an amazing diversity of beachside destinations.

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Let’s take a look at them from north to south, starting with Taganga…

Taganga is a small village surrounded by tall mountains that sits on an expansive, sparkling, deep-blue bay. The beach is long and unspoiled and is bordered by a boardwalk.

Taganga’s bay is terrific for diving and snorkeling, and you’ll find a number of dive shops and excursions available. Santa Marta (the city itself) contains the original historic center and the cruise-ship port. This is the part that underwent dramatic restoration.

Santa Marta also hosts a number of inland neighborhoods, such as Bavaria, that would be great for full-time living away from tourist traffic.

El Rodadero lies about 10 minutes south of Santa Marta. It’s been the main draw in the area for years, as people sought to avoid the once-seedy historic center. The beaches are far longer, wider, and better-kept than Santa Marta’s, creating a giant crescent-shaped shoreline that’s several miles long.

Rodadero offers a small-town feel that you don’t find in the city.

On the oceanfront, there’s a fine sandy beach lined by a boardwalk filled with people walking and patronizing the kiosks, which sell everything from fresh-made pizza to fresh-squeezed fruit juice.

Weekend nights turn into an impromptu beach party, with families turning out by the hundreds to enjoy (and dance to) the sounds of wandering music groups.

We think of El Rodadero as the family destination within the Santa Marta area. It’s bustling with people enjoying the beach, markets, shops, and boardwalk. It maintains a safe, friendly, and laid-back feel…

The southern sector consists of neighborhoods Rodadero Sur, Playa Salguero, Pozos Colorados, and Bello Horizonte. It lies south of Santa Marta and El Rodadero, but before the airport. These areas feature quiet, well-tended, and more exclusive beaches than you’ll see in Santa Marta or El Rodadero. They’re also the site of quite a few upscale condo buildings.

The southern sector is long on natural beauty. Bello Horizonte has the widest beach in the area, and most of the beaches along this stretch are frequented only by the neighboring residents, with little to no tourism. It’s peaceful.

Lee says, “When I came here as a foreign traveler, I found the southern sector a bit dull compared to the party atmosphere in El Rodadero or even Santa Marta Centro. But now I understand its attraction for those who want to escape the bustle of Medellín or Bogotá (or El Rodadero, for that matter).”

From the pristine bay at Taganga to the classic port ambience of Santa Marta and from the energy of El Rodadero to the gleaming towers of the southern sector, Santa Marta has something for everyone. A couple could enjoy the good life here on around $1,500 a month.

If you’re looking for a colonial Caribbean city with less bustle and more bargains than the famous Cartagena… then Santa Marta could be right for you.

Sincerely,

Sophia Titley signature

Sophia Titley

Editor, Overseas Living Letter

Tags: cost of living in colombiaExpat Life in Santa MartaLiving In Colombiasanta marta
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Sophia Titley

Sophia Titley

For Sophia Titley, home is a subjective concept. She was born in Singapore but grew up in Indonesia and Saudi Arabia… and has since lived in Canada, Spain, Colombia, and, most recently, Panama. She studied political science and Spanish at the University of British Columbia, and in her free time enjoys trying new recipes, playing soccer, and salsa dancing.

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Top Countries

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  • Colombia
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Best For:

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BROWSE ALL COUNTRIES

Budgets

How Much Will It Cost
To Live Overseas?

Super Cheap

  • Chitré, Panama
  • Santa Marta, Colombia
  • Phuket, Thailand
  • Dumaguete, The Philippines

Cheap

  • Medellin, Colombia
  • Boquete, Panama
  • Kyrenia, Cyprus
  • Hua Hin, Thailand
  • The Algarve, Portugal

Affordable

  • Valencia, Spain
  • Cascais, Portugal
  • Las Terrenas, The DR
  • Pisa, Italy
  • La Rochelle, France
  • Mazatlán, Mexico

Luxury

  • Ambergris Caye, Belize
  • Kotor, Montenegro
  • The Panama City Beaches
  • Paris, France

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