Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chaguanas and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Chaguanas: $1,287 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Chaguanas
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Chaguanas Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Chaguanas

🇹🇹 Trinidad And Tobago

$1,287

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chaguanas 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 Chaguanas and in Medellin actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,287 in Chaguanas versus $1,614 in Medellin.

Chaguanas $1,287
Medellin $1,614

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Chaguanas versus $2,402 in Medellin.

Chaguanas $2,082
Medellin $2,402

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,876 in Chaguanas versus $3,190 in Medellin.

Chaguanas $2,876
Medellin $3,190

Living in Chaguanas costs roughly 20% less than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Chaguanas is 5% below, Medellin is 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.39 TTD 69.9

$7.93 COP 25.2K

31.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.9 TTD 403

$46.13 COP 146.3K

29.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.18 TTD 55.0

$9.50 COP 30.1K

-13.89%

Cappuccino

$3.32 TTD 22.32

$3.11 COP 9,866

6.75%

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

$1.26 TTD 8.44

$1.83 COP 5,800

-31.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.00 TTD 6.71

$1.38 COP 4,360

-27.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.73 TTD 11.64

$3.05 COP 9,672

-43.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 TTD 17.69

$5.50 COP 17.4K

-52.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.39 TTD 16.07

$1.45 COP 4,600

64.83%

White Bread (500g)

$2.14 TTD 14.36

$2.36 COP 7,496

-9.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.17 TTD 14.61

$1.68 COP 5,328

29.17%

Eggs

$3.87 TTD 26.01

$2.86 COP 9,077

35.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.33 TTD 49.31

$10.19 COP 32.3K

-28.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.03 TTD 54.0

$9.53 COP 30.2K

-15.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.80 TTD 79.4

$14.04 COP 44.5K

-15.95%

Apples (1kg)

$2.97 TTD 19.98

$4.07 COP 12.9K

-27.03%

Banana (1kg)

$3.01 TTD 20.23

$1.50 COP 4,742

100.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.86 TTD 19.22

$2.17 COP 6,891

31.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.01 TTD 33.68

$2.31 COP 7,310

116.88%

Potato (1kg)

$2.47 TTD 16.59

$1.93 COP 6,113

27.98%

Onion (1kg)

$2.16 TTD 14.55

$1.64 COP 5,196

31.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.99 TTD 13.37

$1.13 COP 3,571

76.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 TTD 8.68

$1.25 COP 3,954

3.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.89 TTD 19.41

$3.99 COP 12.6K

-27.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.92 TTD 134

$13.35 COP 42.3K

49.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.91 TTD 12.87

$1.70 COP 5,384

12.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.56 TTD 17.19

$2.37 COP 7,525

8.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.76 TTD 5.10

$1.21 COP 3,827

-37.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.5 COP 242.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.21 TTD 14.87

$1.32 COP 4,179

67.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.33 TTD 8.95

$2.14 COP 6,774

-37.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.46 TTD 97.3

$8.47 COP 26.8K

70.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.12 TTD 7.52

$1.30 COP 4,114

-13.85%

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

$33.1K TTD 223.0K

$28.0K COP 88.7M

18.42%

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

$33.6K TTD 226.2K

$35.4K COP 112.3M

-5.05%

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

$103 TTD 691

$172 COP 545.6K

-40.30%

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

$38.71 TTD 260

$13.37 COP 42.4K

189.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.3 TTD 345

$28.73 COP 91.1K

78.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.3 TTD 345

$45.24 COP 143.5K

13.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$44.48 TTD 299

$17.04 COP 54.0K

161.03%

Cinema Ticket

$8.58 TTD 57.7

$6.28 COP 19.9K

36.62%

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

$304 TTD 2,042

$770 COP 2.4M

-60.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,011 COP 28.6M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.03 TTD 303

$86.4 COP 274.0K

-47.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.30 TTD 285

$57.1 COP 181.1K

-25.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.7 TTD 664

$137 COP 432.9K

-27.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 TTD 716

$97.9 COP 310.4K

8.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$463 TTD 3,112

$1,055 COP 3.3M

-56.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$386 TTD 2,597

$616 COP 2.0M

-37.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$948 TTD 6,376

$1,892 COP 6.0M

-49.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$759 TTD 5,106

$1,023 COP 3.2M

-25.78%

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)

$773 TTD 5,203

$652 COP 2.1M

18.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

-54.30%

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

Last update for Chaguanas: October 10, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chaguanas

$386 30%

Medellin

$616 38.2% 59.5% $230

Groceries & Markets

Chaguanas

$326 25.3%

Medellin

$295 18.3% 9.6% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chaguanas

$193 15%

Medellin

$214 13.3% 11.1% $21

Eating Out

Chaguanas

$170 13.2%

Medellin

$168 10.4% 1.2% $2

Clothing & Footwear

Chaguanas

$132 10.2%

Medellin

$170 10.5% 29.2% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Chaguanas

$68 5.3%

Medellin

$58 3.6% 15.5% $11

Getting Around

Chaguanas

$12 * 0.9%

Medellin

$93 5.8% 684% $81

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $463 in Chaguanas and $1,055 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Chaguanas pays 19% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $60.0 in Chaguanas vs $46.00 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $326 vs $295 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇹 Chaguanas

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

11:45 11:45 AM

10:45 10:45 AM

1 h behind Chaguanas

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

83,489

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

Chaguanas Medellin 1,630 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Chaguanas
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

Chaguanas vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chaguanas wins on cost – living expenses run 25% lower than in Medellin. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Chaguanas the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 19% higher in Chaguanas, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $463 in Chaguanas versus $1,055 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Medellin pay roughly 11% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $1,287 per month in Chaguanas versus $1,614 in Medellin – a 25% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,287 in Chaguanas versus $1,614 in Medellin, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Chaguanas but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Chaguanas the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Chaguanas delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,287 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Chaguanas hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Chaguanas and Medellin are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Chaguanas gentler on the wallet – expenses run 25% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.