Escape Artist
  • Features
    • Interviews
    • News
    • Field Notes
    • Trending
  • Your Escape Plan
    • Finance
    • Real Estate
    • Second Citizenship
    • Digital Nomadism
  • Destinations
    • Europe
      • Spain
      • Portugal
      • Italy
      • France
      • UK
      • Rest of Europe
    • Central America
      • Panama
      • Costa Rica
      • Nicaragua
      • Honduras
      • Belize
      • El Salvador
      • Guatemala
    • Others
      • North America
      • South America
      • Australia
      • Africa
      • Asia
  • Travel Tips
    • Know Before You Go
    • Packing List
    • Food + Culture
    • Health + Wellness
  • Subscribe
Escape Artist
  • Features
    • Interviews
    • News
    • Field Notes
    • Trending
  • Your Escape Plan
    • Finance
    • Real Estate
    • Second Citizenship
    • Digital Nomadism
  • Destinations
    • Europe
      • Spain
      • Portugal
      • Italy
      • France
      • UK
      • Rest of Europe
    • Central America
      • Panama
      • Costa Rica
      • Nicaragua
      • Honduras
      • Belize
      • El Salvador
      • Guatemala
    • Others
      • North America
      • South America
      • Australia
      • Africa
      • Asia
  • Travel Tips
    • Know Before You Go
    • Packing List
    • Food + Culture
    • Health + Wellness
  • Subscribe
👤

LIFE WITHOUT BOUNDARIES

THE NUMBER ONE SOURCE FOR EXPATS, DIGITAL NOMADS, AND DREAMERS.

  • Your Escape Plan

The Expat Life in Santa Marta, Colombia

  • March 8, 2018
  • BY Brooke Cobb
Total
0
Shares
0
0
0

When you choose a place to retire (or vacation, or simply to relocate), you usually choose an area that has either mountains or beach, depending on your preferences. The mountains offer hiking and outdoor activities, while the beach offers a relaxing lifestyle with plenty of sun and sand. In Santa Marta, you don’t have to choose – you have both! Santa Marta is South America’s second-oldest surviving city (Colombia’s oldest city) and it sits on the Caribbean Sea and also borders the Sierra Nevada mountain range. It’s not as popular a destination for expats as some of the other cities in Colombia, but that can be a good thing.

 

About Santa Marta

Santa Marta gets its fair share of tourists thanks to its proximity to the Tayrona National Park and the multi-day guided treks to the Lost City (Teyuna) archaeological site in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta mountains. The Park itself is full of mangrove forests, perfect for hiking through. There are also reefs off of the shore in this city where tourists will come to snorkel.

This city was founded in 1525, and it is the fourth largest urban city in the Caribbean region of Colombia. As old as it is, it makes sense that there are ancient ruins about. The indigenous people who lived there before the Spanish conquistadors landed in the area formed centers with stone pathways, terraces, and protected waterways.

Santa Marta today is a major port city and its economy is based largely on tourism, fishing, and agriculture. The Simon Bolivar International Airport is conveniently nearby for those who’d wish to live in a city from where they could easily travel. The airport is only 10 miles from the city center.

As for weather, you’d have to love heat to be comfortable in Santa Marta. Temperatures can range from the low 60’s to 100 degrees any time of year. The rainfall is heaviest from June to October, but humidity is relatively high all year-round as well.

 

Why Santa Marta Appeals to Expats

Aside from the gorgeous beach and mountain scenery, Santa Marta offers a comfortable lifestyle for the price. Depending on where you’re coming from, it’s likely that this city is more than affordable compared to your current city. The cost of living is about 70 percent lower than that of coastal cities in Florida, such as Miami or Fort Lauderdale, and it is 80 percent cheaper than Boston. You can pay about $450 USD per month for an apartment in the city or you can pay $1,000 to live in the ritzier area of El Rodadero, right on the beach. Either way, you can live a cushy lifestyle for less than $1,500 per month.

Santa Marta is also home to numerous shops, both upscale malls and local boutiques, banks, pharmacies, grocery store chains, medical care, etc. As an expat, this is a city in which you can find everything you need, as long as you can live with the heat!

The lifestyle of Santa Marta is generally active. It’s a place where you can ride a bicycle around the streets and hike into the mountains and the park. There’s fresh, local seafood available at the docks, and even if you choose to eat in restaurants, you can still eat healthy since everything is locally sourced.

 

Things to Do

Santa Marta is known for having the only Island Global Yachting club in South America. Those who wish to dock a yacht there can do so and enjoy that yacht to its fullest extent. This is a big seller for those who want to spend their free time out on the water.

Just as there are ancient ruins in the forests, there are sunken ships to explore in the sea. Santa Marta is a great area for scuba diving for those who wish to explore these types of ruins. The rest of what it has to offer includes eco-parks, the Tayrona National Park with its mangrove forests, snorkeling, and a lively nightlife along the coast. Colombian cities, in general, are known for their nightlife, and Santa Marta is no exception.

Finally, Santa Marta hosts several cultural festivals and events all year long. Some of those include the International Theatre Festival held in September and the Cumbia folklore dance presentations that take place any time of year.

 

Neighborhoods

The most expat-friendly neighborhood is El Rodadero along the beach. If you prefer a quieter life away from the nightlife, or if you simply prefer a lower cost of living, the nearby neighborhood of Jardin is also a great option – as long as you don’t mind traveling 15 minutes to get to the beach.

 

Conclusion

I hope you enjoyed reading The Expat Life in Santa Marta, Colombia. Colombia is an absolutely beautiful country, you will fall in love on your very first visit!

Here are several articles about Colombia that I know you will love!  Read them when you can, and if you have further questions, would like to become a citizen of Columbia, or want to set up an offshore bank account or corporation, please contact us HERE

Getting Residency in Colombia

Colombian Investment Visa

Colombia, The Perfect Summer Spot Vacation

 

Total
0
Shares
Share 0
Tweet 0
Pin it 0
Related Topics
  • Colombia
  • cost of living
  • Expat Life
  • local culture
  • Offshore Banking
  • Santa Marta Colombia
  • South America
Previous Article
  • Portugal

Portugal’s Golden Visa

  • January 31, 2018
  • BY staffwriter
View Post
Next Article
  • Your Escape Plan

Don’t Lose Money on Your Overseas Investments: Contact Moneycorp

  • April 4, 2018
  • BY Tyler Sorce
View Post
You May Also Like
Retiring Abroad: Global retirement
View Post
  • Plan B
Retiring Abroad: Where Can You Actually Afford to Live?
  • BY EA Editorial Staff
  • June 18, 2025
When living abroad, your exit strategy shouldn’t start with an emergency.
View Post
  • Health
What You Need to Know About Healthcare and Insurance Abroad
  • BY Isha Sesay
  • June 11, 2025
Tourist visas remain the simplest path to setting foot abroad.
View Post
  • Plan B
Living on a Tourist Visa – How Long Can You Stay?
  • BY EA Editorial Staff
  • June 4, 2025
Moving abroad can be a fresh start—but only if you do it with your eyes wide open.
View Post
  • Plan B
Moving Abroad to Reinvent Yourself
  • BY EA Editorial Staff
  • May 28, 2025
Residency programs worldwide are undergoing rapid transformation.
View Post
  • Second Citizenship
Beyond the Golden Visa – The Future of Residency
  • BY EA Editorial Staff
  • May 7, 2025
Not all retirements are created equal—especially when taxes are involved.
View Post
  • Plan B
How to Retire Tax-Free Abroad
  • BY EA Editorial Staff
  • April 23, 2025
Choosing the right country can shape your investment strategy.
View Post
  • Plan B
How to Secure a Second Home Overseas
  • BY EA Editorial Staff
  • April 18, 2025
The good life in Belize.
View Post
  • Belize
The Plan B Strategy—Securing Lifestyle and Liberty in Belize
  • BY Michael K. Cobb
  • April 5, 2025
Trending Posts
  • When living abroad, your exit strategy shouldn’t start with an emergency. 1
    • Health
    What You Need to Know About Healthcare and Insurance Abroad
    • June 11, 2025
  • Barcelona’s modern landmark where sea and skyline meet. 2
    • Spain
    Why Barcelona Keeps Rising on the World’s Happiness Rankings
    • June 9, 2025
  • Relojes Centenario in Zacatlán de las Manzanas, Mexico. 3
    • Mexico
    Keeping Time in Zacatlán de las Manzanas
    • June 6, 2025
  • Rolling emerald fields and soft skies in County Kerry. 4
    • Ireland
    Top 10 Things to Know If You’re Moving to Ireland
    • June 13, 2025
  • Happiest City in Australia, Adelaide’s skyline peeks through the Park Lands 5
    • Field Notes
    How Adelaide Climbed the Happy City Index
    • June 15, 2025
Subscribe
Know Before You Go
  • Rolling emerald fields and soft skies in County Kerry. 1
    • Ireland
    Top 10 Things to Know If You’re Moving to Ireland
    • June 13, 2025
  • A new generation claims space through movement. 2
    • Africa
    How Ethiopia’s Girls Are Rewriting the Rules on Wheels
    • May 30, 2025
  • Residency programs worldwide are undergoing rapid transformation. 3
    • Second Citizenship
    Beyond the Golden Visa – The Future of Residency
    • May 7, 2025
  • A typical crosswalk in Tokyo. 4
    • Blue Zone
    Top 10 Things to Know if You’re Moving to Japan
    • April 18, 2025
  • Photo courtesy of iStock/Kosamtu. 5
    • Digital Nomadism
    The Ultimate Guide to Becoming a Successful Digital Nomad
    • April 16, 2025
Learn More
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Subscribe
Why Subscribe

The newly imagined Escape Artist brings you fresh content with a global focus, and sharp, up-to-the-minute coverage of the joys, challenges, and opportunities of life abroad.

For a limited time, we’re offering a special discount on all subscription deals, so be sure to lock-in these incredible savings and start receiving top-notch travel and expat content today!

Sign up for the EA Newsletter

Get important news delivered directly to your inbox and stay connected!

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
Escape Artist
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookies Policy
  • Disclaimer

Input your search keywords and press Enter.

Newsletter Subscription
Our Spring Sale Has Started

You can see how this popup was set up in our step-by-step guide: https://wppopupmaker.com/guides/auto-opening-announcement-popups/