Phnom Penh vs Santa Marta

Real cost of living, rent, internet, safety and visa terms for both cities, side by side — then open the interactive tool to weight them against your own priorities.

Phnom Penh, Cambodia
🇰🇭Cambodia

Phnom Penh

62Freedom Score#80Global rank$1,268Per month

Cambodia's riverside capital blends Royal Palace grandeur, French-colonial boulevards, and an easy e-visa with one of Southeast Asia's lowest cost floors.

Santa Marta, Colombia
🇨🇴Colombia

Santa Marta

60Freedom Score#85Global rank$1,100Per month

Colombia's Caribbean coast gateway — Tayrona National Park, the Sierra Nevada meeting the sea, and a relaxed beach-town nomad scene.

The short answer

Compare these two in the full toolBoth cities pre-loaded — add your income and priorities to get a personal match score

Cost of living

Monthly figures for one person. Rent, meals and coworking are measured values, not shares of the total budget.

ExpensePhnom PenhSanta Marta
Comfortable budgetper month, all in$1,268$1,100✓
Rent, 1BR city centre$642$400✓
Meal, mid-range$6✓$9
Coworking deskper month$150n.a.
Cost of living indexlower is cheaper40.0✓44.0

Quality of life

Scored 0–100 on the same attributes the match engine weights, so these agree with the interactive tool.

MeasurePhnom PenhSanta Marta
Safety
58
44
Healthcare
45
55
Walkability
55
58
English spoken
42
32
Food & dining
70
72
Nightlife
65
62
Outdoors
36
72
Nomad community
58
48
Climate quality
68
80
Public transit
42
42

Scores, connectivity and paperwork

MeasurePhnom PenhSanta Marta
Freedom Score62/100✓60/100
Global rankof 100 cities#80✓#85
Internet55 Mbps75 Mbps✓
Average temperature84°F83°F
Air quality55/100✓40/100
Airport connectivity62/100✓42/100
Nomad visaE-visa 30dNomad visa
Headline tax rateon local income10%10%

Which should you choose?

Choose Phnom Penh if it scores higher on safety (58 vs 44), English is more widely spoken and the nomad community is larger.

Choose Santa Marta if runs $168/mo cheaper, rent is $242/mo lower, internet is faster at 75 Mbps and it is more walkable.

What each city is known for

Phnom Penh

  • 30-day e-visa on arrival
  • Royal Palace and riverside promenade
  • Among the cheapest SE Asian capitals
  • Friendly, USD-friendly economy

Santa Marta

  • Tayrona: jungle beaches where mountains meet the sea
  • Gateway to the Lost City trek
  • Warm Caribbean coast, low costs
  • Smaller and calmer than Cartagena

Frequently asked questions

Which is better for digital nomads: Phnom Penh or Santa Marta?
Phnom Penh scores higher on the Freedom Score (62/100 against 60/100), which makes it the stronger all-round base. That is an average, though — if cost, climate or community is what actually decides it for you, the tables above will point the other way as often as not.
Which is cheaper: Phnom Penh or Santa Marta?
Santa Marta is cheaper. A comfortable monthly budget is $1,100 against $1,268, a difference of $168 a month or about $2,016 a year. Rent is the biggest single line: $642/mo in Phnom Penh versus $400/mo in Santa Marta.
Which is safer: Phnom Penh or Santa Marta?
Phnom Penh scores higher on safety, 58/100 against 44/100. Safety scores blend crime levels, political stability and healthcare access, and they describe a city as a whole — individual neighbourhoods vary far more than the headline number suggests.
How fast is the internet in Phnom Penh and Santa Marta?
Phnom Penh averages 55 Mbps and Santa Marta averages 75 Mbps, so Santa Marta has the headroom if you push large files or run video calls all day.
What visa would I need for Phnom Penh or Santa Marta?
Phnom Penh sits in Cambodia (E-visa 30d) and Santa Marta in Colombia (Nomad visa). Requirements, income floors and processing times change often, so check the visa and residency guide before you commit to either.
Open the interactive comparison

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Cost, connectivity and quality-of-life figures come from the YourLifeMatch city dataset. Where a value is not confirmed it reads n.a. rather than an estimate. Figures are for planning, not professional advice.