Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Tunapuna

For one person, living is cheaper in Tunapuna: $991 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Medellin, Colombia
Tunapuna, Trinidad And Tobago
Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,639
/mo nomad
Tunapuna
🇹🇹 Trinidad And Tobago
$991
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Tunapuna

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $991 in Tunapuna, rent included.

  • Medellin $1,639
  • Tunapuna $991

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $1,746 in Tunapuna, rent included.

  • Medellin $2,413
  • Tunapuna $1,746

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $2,502 in Tunapuna, rent included.

  • Medellin $3,186
  • Tunapuna $2,502

Medellin costs about 65% more than Tunapuna, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Tunapuna is 27% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Medellin
Tunapuna
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.09 COP 26.1K
$10.21 TTD 68.5
-20.76%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$47.05 COP 151.9K
$75.2 TTD 504
-37.41%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.50 COP 30.7K
$8.05 TTD 54.0
18.01%
Cappuccino
$3.01 COP 9,735
$3.81 TTD 25.57
-21.00%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.80 COP 5,809
$0.99 TTD 6.64
81.82%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.41 COP 4,561
$0.71 TTD 4.77
98.59%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.18 COP 10.3K
$1.81 TTD 12.16
75.69%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.75 COP 18.6K
$2.91 TTD 19.55
97.59%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Medellin
Tunapuna
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.51 COP 4,876
$2.09 TTD 14.03
-27.75%
White Bread (500g)
$2.38 COP 7,678
$2.25 TTD 15.09
5.78%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.77 COP 5,720
$2.87 TTD 19.29
-38.33%
Eggs
$2.89 COP 9,333
$3.73 TTD 25.01
-22.52%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.19 COP 32.9K
$6.47 TTD 43.44
57.50%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.87 COP 31.9K
$10.05 TTD 67.4
-1.79%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.99 COP 45.2K
$9.02 TTD 60.5
55.10%
Apples (1kg)
$3.97 COP 12.8K
$5.46 TTD 36.65
-27.29%
Banana (1kg)
$1.55 COP 5,012
$2.54 TTD 17.05
-38.98%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.18 COP 7,048
$3.65 TTD 24.50
-40.27%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.18 COP 7,051
$4.17 TTD 27.96
-47.72%
Potato (1kg)
$1.96 COP 6,337
$0.77 TTD 5.15
154.55%
Onion (1kg)
$1.59 COP 5,132
$0.71 TTD 4.79
123.94%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 COP 3,699
$1.47 TTD 9.84
-21.77%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.24 COP 4,014
$1.15 TTD 7.72
7.83%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.96 COP 12.8K
$5.30 TTD 35.59
-25.28%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.68 COP 44.2K
$18.99 TTD 127
-27.96%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.66 COP 5,359
$1.54 TTD 10.32
7.79%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.26 COP 7,291
$2.98 TTD 20.00
-24.16%
🚌 Getting Around
Medellin
Tunapuna
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.17 COP 3,771
-
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$77.4 COP 249.8K
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.27 COP 4,094
$0.86 TTD 5.78
47.67%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.05 COP 6,612
$0.90 TTD 6.05
127.78%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.55 COP 27.6K
$14.81 TTD 99.4
-42.27%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.35 COP 4,349
$1.11 TTD 7.45
21.62%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.1K COP 110.0M
$37.5K TTD 251.4K
-9.09%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.7K COP 111.9M
$41.3K TTD 277.4K
-16.14%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
Tunapuna
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$170 COP 547.8K
$43.39 TTD 291
290.99%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.55 COP 43.8K
$41.96 TTD 282
-67.71%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.07 COP 90.6K
$45.57 TTD 306
-38.40%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
Tunapuna
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$43.70 COP 141.1K
-
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.19 COP 55.5K
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$6.91 COP 22.3K
$8.66 TTD 58.1
-20.21%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Medellin
Tunapuna
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$797 COP 2.6M
$402 TTD 2,699
98.05%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$9,112 COP 29.4M
$10.9K TTD 72.8K
-16.03%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
Tunapuna
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$84.7 COP 273.5K
$54.0 TTD 362
56.89%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$58.0 COP 187.2K
$36.71 TTD 246
57.89%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$135 COP 435.8K
$88.0 TTD 590
53.36%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$97.9 COP 316.0K
$59.5 TTD 399
64.57%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Medellin
Tunapuna
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,208 COP 3.9M
$282 TTD 1,894
327.90%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$642 COP 2.1M
$237 TTD 1,592
170.34%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,028 COP 6.5M
$675 TTD 4,530
200.32%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,012 COP 3.3M
$591 TTD 3,963
71.30%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,170 COP 13.5M
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,910 COP 6.2M
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Medellin
Tunapuna
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$657 COP 2.1M
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.94
5.75
90.26%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Tunapuna: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Medellin
$642
Tunapuna
$237 63% $404
Groceries & Markets
Medellin
$297
Tunapuna
$320 7.6% $23
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
$211
Tunapuna
$131 38% $80
Eating Out
Medellin
$170
Tunapuna
$173 2.2% $3.7
Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
$169
Tunapuna
$107 36.6% $62
Getting Around
Medellin
$94
Tunapuna
$5.4 * 94.3% $88
Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
$58
Tunapuna
$17 * 69.9% $40

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $282 in Tunapuna. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $75 in Tunapuna. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $320 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇨🇴 Medellin
🇹🇹 Tunapuna
🕒 Local time
22:50 10:50 PM
23:50 11:50 PM
1 h ahead of Medellin
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,486,723
17,758
Exchange rates and currency converter

TTD, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,605 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

Trinidad and Tobago Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 6.71 TTD (1 TTD = 0.149 USD). 1 EUR = 7.49 TTD (1 TTD = 0.133 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Medellin Tunapuna 1,640 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Medellin
  • Tunapuna

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
Medellin vs Tunapuna: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Tunapuna cheaper than Medellin?
Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 65%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $1,486 in Tunapuna. 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 Tunapuna, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $282 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.
Is eating out cheaper in Medellin or in Tunapuna?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $75 in Tunapuna. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
How do food prices compare in Medellin and in Tunapuna?
Interestingly, groceries are about 7% cheaper in Medellin – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.
Is $800 enough to cover costs in Medellin or in Tunapuna?
$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,639 in Medellin and $991 in Tunapuna. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.
Is Medellin or Tunapuna more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Tunapuna – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Medellin vs other spots: cost of living compared

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