Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Arouca and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Arouca: $766 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $10,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

37

Cost of Living Index in Arouca
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Arouca Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Arouca

🇹🇹 Trinidad And Tobago

$766

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Arouca and in Medellin

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Arouca and in Medellin actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $766 in Arouca versus $1,614 in Medellin.

Arouca $766
Medellin $1,614

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,313 in Arouca versus $2,402 in Medellin.

Arouca $1,313
Medellin $2,402

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,861 in Arouca versus $3,190 in Medellin.

Arouca $1,861
Medellin $3,190

Living in Arouca costs roughly 53% less than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Arouca is 43% below, Medellin is 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.26 TTD 69.0

$7.93 COP 25.2K

29.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.2 TTD 398

$46.13 COP 146.3K

28.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.10 TTD 54.5

$9.50 COP 30.1K

-14.74%

Cappuccino

$3.75 TTD 25.22

$3.11 COP 9,866

20.58%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.04 TTD 6.96

$1.83 COP 5,800

-43.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.77 TTD 5.16

$1.38 COP 4,360

-44.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.79 TTD 12.02

$3.05 COP 9,672

-41.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 TTD 16.87

$5.50 COP 17.4K

-54.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.06 TTD 13.85

$1.45 COP 4,600

42.07%

White Bread (500g)

$2.26 TTD 15.20

$2.36 COP 7,496

-4.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.82 TTD 18.98

$1.68 COP 5,328

67.86%

Eggs

$3.79 TTD 25.47

$2.86 COP 9,077

32.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.81 TTD 45.84

$10.19 COP 32.3K

-33.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.25 TTD 68.9

$9.53 COP 30.2K

7.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.80 TTD 59.2

$14.04 COP 44.5K

-37.32%

Apples (1kg)

$5.43 TTD 36.54

$4.07 COP 12.9K

33.42%

Banana (1kg)

$2.50 TTD 16.81

$1.50 COP 4,742

66.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.76 TTD 25.27

$2.17 COP 6,891

73.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.33 TTD 29.14

$2.31 COP 7,310

87.45%

Potato (1kg)

$0.78 TTD 5.22

$1.93 COP 6,113

-59.59%

Onion (1kg)

$0.72 TTD 4.84

$1.64 COP 5,196

-56.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 TTD 9.88

$1.13 COP 3,571

30.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 TTD 7.77

$1.25 COP 3,954

-7.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.48 TTD 36.89

$3.99 COP 12.6K

37.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.73 TTD 119

$13.35 COP 42.3K

32.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 TTD 10.34

$1.70 COP 5,384

-9.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.10 TTD 20.82

$2.37 COP 7,525

30.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 COP 3,827

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.5 COP 242.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 TTD 6.28

$1.32 COP 4,179

-29.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 TTD 5.71

$2.14 COP 6,774

-60.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.93 TTD 100

$8.47 COP 26.8K

76.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.15 TTD 7.76

$1.30 COP 4,114

-11.54%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$36.3K TTD 244.5K

$28.0K COP 88.7M

29.87%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$40.7K TTD 273.7K

$35.4K COP 112.3M

14.90%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$44.13 TTD 297

$172 COP 545.6K

-74.36%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$42.57 TTD 286

$13.37 COP 42.4K

218.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.30 TTD 305

$28.73 COP 91.1K

57.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.24 COP 143.5K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 COP 54.0K

Cinema Ticket

$8.69 TTD 58.5

$6.28 COP 19.9K

38.38%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$392 TTD 2,636

$770 COP 2.4M

-49.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.8K TTD 72.3K

$9,011 COP 28.6M

19.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.2 TTD 371

$86.4 COP 274.0K

-36.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.42 TTD 245

$57.1 COP 181.1K

-36.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.9 TTD 584

$137 COP 432.9K

-36.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.7 TTD 590

$97.9 COP 310.4K

-10.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 COP 3.3M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$616 COP 2.0M

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,892 COP 6.0M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 COP 3.2M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,059 COP 12.9M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,678 COP 5.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$652 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.75

10.94

-47.44%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Arouca: October 10, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Groceries & Markets

Arouca

$319 41.7%

Medellin

$295 18.3% 7.7% $25

Eating Out

Arouca

$173 22.5%

Medellin

$168 10.4% 2.4% $4.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Arouca

$132 17.2%

Medellin

$214 13.3% 62.3% $82

Clothing & Footwear

Arouca

$120 15.6%

Medellin

$170 10.5% 42% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Arouca

$17 * 2.3%

Medellin

$58 3.6% 232% $40

Getting Around

Arouca

$5.2 * 0.7%

Medellin

$93 5.8% 1702% $88

Accommodation & Living

Arouca

- * 0%

Medellin

$616 38.2%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $59.0 in Arouca vs $46.00 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $319 vs $295 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇹 Arouca

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

15:24 3:24 PM

14:24 2:24 PM

1 h behind Arouca

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,054

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Trinidad and Tobago Dollar TTD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 TTD = 0.149 USD

1 TTD = 0.132 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to TTD – Trinidad and Tobago Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago Dollar ($)

Trinidad and Tobago Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 6.73 TTD (1 TTD = 0.149 USD). 1 EUR = 7.56 TTD (1 TTD = 0.132 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

USD to TTD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Arouca Medellin 1,640 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Arouca
Medellin

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Arouca vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Arouca and Medellin differ by about 111% in total monthly costs ($766 vs $1,614 including rent). Arouca is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,149 in Arouca and $2,421 in Medellin to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Childcare runs $392 in Arouca versus $770 in Medellin. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Arouca – a meal for two runs $59.0 versus $46.00 in Medellin. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $766 in Arouca versus $1,614 in Medellin, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Arouca but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Arouca the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Arouca gentler on the wallet – expenses run 111% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.