Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gabes and Santa Marta

For one person, living is cheaper in Gabes: $519 a month against $1,447 in Santa Marta, rent and utilities included – about $11,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Gabes, Tunisia
Santa Marta, Colombia
Gabes
🇹🇳 Tunisia
$519
/mo nomad
Santa Marta
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,447
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Gabes and in Santa Marta

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

A single person spends $519 per month in Gabes vs $1,447 in Santa Marta, rent included.

  • Gabes $519
  • Santa Marta $1,447

A couple spends around $830 per month in Gabes vs $1,693 in Santa Marta, rent included.

  • Gabes $830
  • Santa Marta $1,693

A family of three spends $1,142 per month in Gabes vs $1,939 in Santa Marta, rent included.

  • Gabes $1,142
  • Santa Marta $1,939

Gabes is about 64% cheaper than Santa Marta, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Gabes sits 62% below the global median, while Santa Marta is 6% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Gabes
Santa Marta
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.71 TND 8.15
-
-
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$16.99 TND 51.2
-
-
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$3.50 TND 10.53
-
-
Cappuccino
$0.79 TND 2.37
$3.86 COP 12.1K
-79.53%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.64 TND 1.93
-
-
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.27 TND 0.82
-
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.20 TND 3.60
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.52 TND 4.57
-
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Gabes
Santa Marta
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.43 TND 1.29
$1.59 COP 5,007
-72.96%
White Bread (500g)
$0.25 TND 0.75
$2.17 COP 6,812
-88.48%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.76 TND 5.31
$1.22 COP 3,823
44.26%
Eggs
$1.50 TND 4.53
$2.46 COP 7,738
-39.02%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.02 TND 36.21
$8.39 COP 26.4K
43.27%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.87 TND 17.67
$9.57 COP 30.1K
-38.66%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.65 TND 44.14
$11.26 COP 35.4K
30.11%
Apples (1kg)
$1.66 TND 5.00
$4.13 COP 13.0K
-59.81%
Banana (1kg)
$2.91 TND 8.75
$1.04 COP 3,272
179.81%
Oranges (1kg)
$0.87 TND 2.62
$1.11 COP 3,507
-21.62%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.90 TND 2.70
$1.99 COP 6,268
-54.77%
Potato (1kg)
$0.91 TND 2.73
$0.93 COP 2,914
-2.15%
Onion (1kg)
$0.57 TND 1.72
$1.54 COP 4,844
-62.99%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.36 TND 1.07
$0.96 COP 3,006
-62.50%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.29 TND 0.86
$0.62 COP 1,938
-53.23%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.38 TND 10.17
$4.13 COP 13.0K
-18.16%
Wine (Bottle)
$3.39 TND 10.21
$17.52 COP 55.1K
-80.65%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.67 TND 2.01
$1.45 COP 4,564
-53.79%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.86 TND 2.59
$1.40 COP 4,416
-38.57%
🚌 Getting Around
Gabes
Santa Marta
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.17 TND 0.52
$0.96 COP 3,028
-82.29%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$6.58 TND 19.83
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.29 TND 0.86
$3.07 COP 9,666
-90.55%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.18 TND 0.53
-
-
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.91 TND 11.76
-
-
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.81 TND 2.45
$1.35 COP 4,240
-40.00%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$39.0K TND 117.5K
$23.6K COP 74.2M
65.30%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$28.2K TND 85.1K
$34.2K COP 107.5M
-17.38%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Gabes
Santa Marta
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$44.21 TND 133
$159 COP 499.2K
-72.14%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$7.39 TND 22.26
$9.23 COP 29.0K
-19.93%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$16.55 TND 49.85
$21.79 COP 68.5K
-24.05%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Gabes
Santa Marta
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$31.36 TND 94.5
$31.36 COP 98.6K
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$4.80 TND 14.45
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$3.43 TND 10.33
$5.27 COP 16.6K
-34.91%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Gabes
Santa Marta
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$57.6 TND 173
-
-
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$1,928 TND 5,808
$10.9K COP 34.2M
-82.28%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Gabes
Santa Marta
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$32.05 TND 96.6
$86.4 COP 271.9K
-62.91%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$40.88 TND 123
$62.8 COP 197.5K
-34.87%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$75.8 TND 228
$92.6 COP 291.3K
-18.21%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$66.1 TND 199
$86.7 COP 272.6K
-23.77%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Gabes
Santa Marta
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$112 TND 339
$1,096 COP 3.4M
-89.75%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$70.2 TND 211
$752 COP 2.4M
-90.67%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$205 TND 616
$1,095 COP 3.4M
-81.31%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$119 TND 359
$620 COP 2.0M
-80.79%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$968 TND 2,916
$1,110 COP 3.5M
-12.81%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$604 TND 1,820
$1,191 COP 3.7M
-49.27%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Gabes
Santa Marta
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$409 TND 1,232
$526 COP 1.7M
-22.27%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
12
19.54
-38.59%

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

Last update for Gabes: October 25, 2026

Last update for Santa Marta: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Gabes
$183
Santa Marta
–
Clothing & Footwear
Gabes
$97
Santa Marta
–
Accommodation & Living
Gabes
$70
Santa Marta
–
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Gabes
$68
Santa Marta
–
Eating Out
Gabes
$54
Santa Marta
–
Sport & Entertainment
Gabes
$38
Santa Marta
–
Getting Around
Gabes
$8.5
Santa Marta
–

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $112 in Gabes versus $1,096 in Santa Marta. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 29% higher in Santa Marta, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

Good to know
🇹🇳 Gabes
🇨🇴 Santa Marta
🕒 Local time
19:48 7:48 PM
13:48 1:48 PM
6 h behind Gabes
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
130,984
500,000
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to TND – Tunisian Dinar Converter

Tunisian Dinar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3.01 TND (1 TND = 0.332 USD). 1 EUR = 3.35 TND (1 TND = 0.298 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,502 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Gabes Santa Marta 8,790 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Gabes
  • Santa Marta

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
Gabes vs Santa Marta: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Gabes cheaper than Santa Marta?
Yes – Santa Marta is pricier by about 179%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $779 per month in Gabes and $2,171 in Santa Marta. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Gabes, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $112 there versus $1,096 in Santa Marta.
What are total monthly expenses in Gabes and in Santa Marta?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $519 in Gabes and $1,447 in Santa Marta. That’s a gap of about 179%.
How do food prices compare in Gabes and in Santa Marta?
Groceries cost about 43% more in Santa Marta, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Is $1,000 a realistic budget for living in Gabes or in Santa Marta?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Gabes, where all-in costs run around $519, than in Santa Marta at $1,447. In Gabes it covers expenses comfortably, while in Santa Marta it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is it better to live in Gabes or in Santa Marta?
It depends on your priorities. Santa Marta has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $519 in Gabes to $1,447 in Santa Marta. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Gabes. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Santa Marta makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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