If you’re thinking about spending a month or more in Santa Marta, one of the biggest decisions is where to live.

I’ve lived in El Rodadero for two winters, and it’s the neighborhood I recommend most often to remote workers. My morning routine involves a quick swim and then back for client calls before the beach gets busy.

You can rent a furnished apartment near the beach, find a cheaper unfurnished apartment and set yourself up for a longer stay, rent an entire house, or skip the hassle altogether and move into a coliving space.

For digital nomads, the best option often isn’t the cheapest one. It’s the one that gives you the right combination of price, location, internet, comfort and flexibility.

Here’s what you can expect to pay in 2026.

How much does it cost to rent in Santa Marta?

Monthly rental prices vary dramatically depending on the neighborhood, whether the property is furnished and how close you are to the beach.

The best deal is getting an unfurnished 1-bedroom on a one-year lease. Here’s a rough guide to the current cost of monthly Santa Marta apartment and house rentals with prices at the higher end being in the beach neighborhoods:

Housing	Typical monthly price (USD)	Approx. monthly price (COP)
Unfurnished 1-bedroom	$275-$500	COP 1,000,000-1.6M
Furnished 1-bedroom	$450-$750	COP 1.8M-3M
Nice furnished 1-bedroom near beach	$600-$1,000	COP 2.4M-4M
Furnished 2-bedroom	$700-$1,300	COP 2.8M-5.2M
Beachfront / luxury apartment	$900-$1,750+	COP 3.6M-7M+
House	$700-$1,750+	COP 2.8M-7M+
Santa Marta Life Coliving	$650-$850	COP 2.6M-3.4M

USD prices are approximate and calculated using COP 4,000 = $1 USD.

Exchange rates fluctuate. These are approximate ranges rather than fixed prices. Location, season, building amenities and lease length can make a substantial difference.

Prices vary significantly depending on the neighborhood, proximity to the beach, building amenities, furnishings and how long you’re willing to sign a lease for.

You’ll generally pay more in beach neighborhoods such as El Rodadero, Playa Salguero and Bello Horizonte than in residential neighborhoods farther inland.

1. Furnished apartments

For most digital nomads, a furnished apartment is probably the most obvious alternative to coliving.

You get your own kitchen, living room, bedroom and bathroom, without having to buy furniture or household essentials.

In El Rodadero, a furnished one-bedroom apartment will often cost somewhere around COP 1.8-3 million ($450-$750 USD) per month, with nicer apartments near the beach costing more.

If you’re booking through Airbnb or another short-term platform, expect to pay more.

Monthly Airbnb rentals in El Rodadero are marketed to guests staying a month or longer and typically come fully furnished, with kitchens, Wi-Fi, and other amenities.

And there’s another problem for digital nomads. You don’t always know how good the WiFi actually is.

A listing saying “fast WiFi” doesn’t necessarily mean you can run a business from it with regular Zoom calls.

2. Unfurnished apartments

If you’re planning to stay in Santa Marta for six months or a year, an unfurnished apartment can be much cheaper.

In less touristy residential neighborhoods, one-bedroom apartments can sometimes be found for around COP 900,000-1.6 million ($225-$400 USD) per month. Two-bedroom apartments can be found starting around COP 1.4 million.

That’s where Santa Marta becomes particularly attractive compared with many Caribbean destinations.

But there’s a catch. You’re trading money for flexibility. You’ll need to furnish the place yourself.

That means buying a bed, sofa, table, chairs, kitchen equipment and everything else you need to turn an empty apartment into a home.

For someone staying a year, that can make sense. For someone staying for one or two months?

Probably not.

The advantages

• Your own private space
• Kitchen
• Living room
• More privacy
• Often a pool
• Often a balcony
• Good option for couples
• Better value for longer stays

The disadvantages

The big downside is that you have to figure everything out yourself.

You may need to arrange:

• Internet
• Electricity
• Water
• Gas
• Furniture
• Kitchen equipment
• Cleaning
• Maintenance
• Security deposit
• Lease paperwork

3. Houses

You can also rent an entire house in Santa Marta.

This makes the most sense for families, groups of friends or people planning to stay for several months.

A house gives you much more space and privacy than an apartment.

You might get:

• Multiple bedrooms
• Private outdoor space
• Kitchen
• Living room
• Patio
• Laundry
• Parking
• More storage

The tradeoff is that houses are generally less convenient for a solo digital nomad.

You’ll often pay more for space you don’t really need. And houses near the beach can get expensive quickly.

If you’re traveling alone, a $700-$1,000 apartment or coliving room may make more sense than paying $1,000+ for an entire house.

4. Santa Marta Life Coliving

This is where Santa Marta Life Coliving takes a different approach.

Instead of renting an empty apartment and spending your first week figuring out how to get internet, furniture and kitchen supplies, you simply move in.

Santa Marta Life currently offers two monthly private-room options:

Silver: $700/month

You get:

• Private room
• Double bed
• Workspace
• Shared bathroom
• WiFi
• Utilities included
• No damage deposit
• No first-and-last-month requirement

Gold: $900/month

You get:

• Larger private room
• Double bed
• Workspace
• Private bathroom
• WiFi
• Utilities included
• No damage deposit
• No first-and-last-month requirement

And that’s an important distinction when comparing prices.

$700 at Santa Marta Life isn’t necessarily comparable to $700 rent for an apartment.

With an apartment, your actual monthly cost can be significantly higher once you add utilities, internet, furniture, deposits and other setup costs.

What does an apartment really cost?

Let’s imagine you find an apartment for $600/month.

Sounds cheaper than Santa Marta Life.

But then you might have:

Expense	Approximate cost
Rent	$500
Electricity/water/gas	$50-$100+
Internet	$15-$30
Furniture/setup	Variable
Cleaning	Variable
Deposit	Potentially significant
Total	$665-$730+

And you still have to deal with setting everything up and you’re usually locked into a long-term .

At Santa Marta Life, the monthly price includes the basic infrastructure you need to live and work, with no damage deposit and no first-and-last-month requirement.

That’s why coliving can actually be competitive with renting your own apartment for shorter stays.

El Rodadero: one of the best places for a monthly rental

If you’re looking specifically for a beach lifestyle, I’d put El Rodadero near the top of your list.

You have the beach, restaurants, supermarkets, gyms, cafes and everyday services within easy reach.

It’s also one of the largest concentrations of furnished apartments in Santa Marta and you will find everything from inexpensive studios to large beachfront apartments.

The neighborhood also has a huge amount of short-term rental inventory, so there are plenty of options for someone who doesn’t want to sign a traditional one-year lease.

The downside is that parts of central El Rodadero can get busy and noisy, particularly during Colombian holidays. I recommend staying back from the beach in a residential neighbourhood where it can be much quieter.

If you want something very quiet, look toward Rodadero Sur and the areas around Playa Salguero.

Bello Horizonte

Bello Horizonte and nearby Pozos Colorados are other excellent options for monthly rentals.

It’s more modern and residential than central El Rodadero, with newer apartment buildings and plenty of condos with pools and other amenities.

A furnished one-bedroom will generally cost more than a basic apartment in a residential neighborhood but you get a more polished beach-living experience.

It’s particularly attractive for:

• Retirees
• Couples
• Families
• Remote workers
• People who want a quieter beach neighborhood

Santa Marta Centro

The historic center of Santa Marta is another option.

You’ll find apartments, rooms and studios at a wide range of prices.

The biggest advantage is convenience.

You’re close to:

• Restaurants
• Bars
• Cafes
• Coworking spaces
• Nightlife
• The marina
• Historic attractions

It’s probably the best choice if social life is more important than having a quiet beach neighborhood.

Taganga

Taganga is worth considering if you’re looking for something more bohemian.

It’s surrounded by mountains and is popular with backpackers, divers and travelers.

Rent can be relatively affordable, although the infrastructure isn’t as convenient as El Rodadero or the newer beach neighborhoods.

I’d choose Taganga for lifestyle first, convenience second.

For someone running a business with lots of video calls, I’d verify the exact internet connection before signing anything.

What about utilities and internet?

This is one of the biggest things people overlook when comparing Santa Marta rentals.

An apartment advertised at $600/month isn’t necessarily a $600/month lifestyle.

You’ll want to ask:

Is electricity included?

Is water included?

Is gas included?

Is internet included?

Is the internet fiber?

What speed does it actually get?

Is there air conditioning included?

Electricity can also become a meaningful expense because you’ll probably want to run air conditioning in Santa Marta constantly day and night.

This is one area where coliving becomes much simpler.

At Santa Marta Life, the monthly rate includes utilities and internet, so you don’t have to negotiate five different bills or wonder whether the apartment’s WiFi is actually usable for work.

How much should you budget?

Here’s how I’d think about it.

Budget traveler

$400-$600/month

Look for an inexpensive apartment, room or studio outside the main tourist areas.

You’ll sacrifice some convenience and potentially internet quality.

Comfortable long-term renter

$600-$900/month

This gets you a much better selection of furnished apartments, particularly if you’re willing to negotiate a three-to-six-month lease.

Beach lifestyle

$1000-$1,500/month

Now you’re looking at nicer furnished apartments in El Rodadero, Bello Horizonte, Rodadero Sur and other desirable coastal neighborhoods.

Digital nomad who wants everything sorted

$700-$900/month

This is where Santa Marta Life becomes interesting.

You get a private room, workspace, internet, utilities and a community without having to set up an apartment from scratch.

Apartment vs. house vs. coliving

	Apartment	House	Santa Marta Life
Privacy	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐
Price	⭐⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐⭐
Flexibility	⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Setup required	High	Very high	Minimal
Furniture	Usually furnished option	Variable	Included
Internet	Variable	Variable	Included
Utilities	Usually extra	Usually extra	Included
Community	None	None	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Best for	Couples/long stays	Families/groups	Digital nomads

So which option is best?

If you’re staying one to three months, I’d seriously consider coliving or a furnished apartment.

The convenience of a furnished place is worth paying for.

If you’re staying six months to a year, I’d start looking seriously at traditional apartment rentals.

That’s where negotiating directly with an owner can save you money.

If you’re traveling with a family or group, renting a house or two-bedroom apartment can make much more sense.

But if you’re a solo digital nomad who wants to arrive in Santa Marta and immediately start living and working, coliving is hard to beat.

You don’t have to buy furniture.

You don’t have to arrange internet.

You don’t have to figure out utilities.

And perhaps most importantly, you don’t have to spend your first month alone in an apartment wondering where all the other interesting people went.

That’s really the difference.

You’re not just renting a room at Santa Marta Life.

You’re buying a ready-made home base in El Rodadero with an attached community.

Whatever you decide, we’re happy to help. We can also help you find a local furnished apartment if you prefer that over a coliving space. Please feel free to contact us anytime.