Cali vs Santa Marta
for digital nomads
Under balanced weights Santa Marta edges it, 59 to 56, winning 5 of the 9 factors. Cali is stronger on nothing outright; Santa Marta on air quality. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.
Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)
| Metric | Cali | Santa Marta |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | 65 | 67 ✓ |
| Safety | 16 | 16 |
| Healthcare | 73 | 73 |
| Internet | 55 | 57 ✓ |
| Visa ease | 71 | 71 |
| Getting there & around | 15 | 16 ✓ |
| Climate | 83 | 92 ✓ |
| Air quality | 77 | 89 ✓ |
| Quality of life | 53 | 53 |
Cost
| Metric | Cali | Santa Marta |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost, one personcountry-level estimate for at least one city | $1,042 | $1,000 ✓ |
| Central one-bedroom rent | no data | no data |
Safety and health (country-level)
| Metric | Cali | Santa Marta |
|---|---|---|
| Homicides per 100k | 35.7 | 35.7 |
| Political stability (0–100) | 49.3 | 49.3 |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 82 | 82 |
| Life expectancy | 74.5 yrs | 74.5 yrs |
Internet (M-Lab measured medians)
| Metric | Cali | Santa Marta |
|---|---|---|
| Download | 22.6 Mbps | 24.7 Mbps ✓ |
| Upload | 14.9 Mbps | 15.3 Mbps ✓ |
Visa
| Metric | Cali | Santa Marta |
|---|---|---|
| Nomad visa | Visa V Trabajador Remoto / Nómadas Digitales | Visa V Trabajador Remoto / Nómadas Digitales |
| Minimum income for the visa | no data | no data |
| Visa-free days, US passport | 90 days | 90 days |
| Visa-free days, EU passport | 90 days | 90 days |
| Visa-free days, UK passport | 90 days | 90 days |
Getting there and around
| Metric | Cali | Santa Marta |
|---|---|---|
| Non-stop airport destinations | 1 | 6 ✓ |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 2 | 3 ✓ |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 3 ✓ | 2 |
Climate and air
| Metric | Cali | Santa Marta |
|---|---|---|
| Comfortable months per year | 10 | 11 ✓ |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 15.5 µg/m³ | 10 µg/m³ ✓ |
✓ marks the better value in each row; ties and missing data are left unmarked.
Frequently asked
- Which is cheaper, Cali or Santa Marta?
- Santa Marta is cheaper: about $1,000 per month versus $1,042 for one person.
- Is Cali or Santa Marta safer?
- Cali scores higher on safety (16 vs 16), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
- Where is the internet faster, Cali or Santa Marta?
- Santa Marta: a measured median of 24.7 Mbps versus 22.6 Mbps (M-Lab, 2024).
More comparisons
Sources: Cost of Living Global 2026 (city rows); 2026 Cost of Living Index (country level); Digital Nomad Visas 2026; Worldwide Governance Indicators — Political Stability and Absence of Violence (score 0–100); Estimates of rates of homicides per 100 000 population; UHC service coverage index; Life expectancy at birth (years), both sexes; M-Lab NDT statistics (city aggregates, 2024); Airport destinations (Wikipedia airline and destination tables); NASA POWER climatology (2001–2020 monthly means); WHO Ambient Air Quality Database, June 2026 update (V8); Human Development Index (HDR 2025, HDI 2023); EF English Proficiency Index 2024 (band); Walkability and transit ratings (editorial); Passport Index dataset (visa requirements, 199 passports × 199 destinations); WhereNext city cost estimates 2026 (city pages). Dataset 2026.09.4. See each city page for per-metric footnotes and the methodology.