Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Marta and Gabes

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.

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Cost of Living Index in Gabes
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Gabes Living Index

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Santa Marta

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,447

/mo nomad

Gabes

🇹🇳 Tunisia

$519

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

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

Santa Marta $1,447
Gabes $519

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

Santa Marta $1,693
Gabes $830

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

Santa Marta $1,939
Gabes $1,142

Santa Marta costs about 179% more than Gabes, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

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

$3.86 COP 12.1K

$0.79 TND 2.37

388.61%

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

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 COP 5,007

$0.43 TND 1.29

269.77%

White Bread (500g)

$2.17 COP 6,812

$0.25 TND 0.75

768.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.22 COP 3,823

$1.76 TND 5.31

-30.68%

Eggs

$2.46 COP 7,738

$1.50 TND 4.53

64.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.39 COP 26.4K

$12.02 TND 36.21

-30.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.57 COP 30.1K

$5.87 TND 17.67

63.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.26 COP 35.4K

$14.65 TND 44.14

-23.14%

Apples (1kg)

$4.13 COP 13.0K

$1.66 TND 5.00

148.80%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 COP 3,272

$2.91 TND 8.75

-64.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.11 COP 3,507

$0.87 TND 2.62

27.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.99 COP 6,268

$0.90 TND 2.70

121.11%

Potato (1kg)

$0.93 COP 2,914

$0.91 TND 2.73

2.20%

Onion (1kg)

$1.54 COP 4,844

$0.57 TND 1.72

170.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.96 COP 3,006

$0.36 TND 1.07

166.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 COP 1,938

$0.29 TND 0.86

113.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.13 COP 13.0K

$3.38 TND 10.17

22.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 COP 55.1K

$3.39 TND 10.21

416.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 COP 4,564

$0.67 TND 2.01

116.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.40 COP 4,416

$0.86 TND 2.59

62.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.96 COP 3,028

$0.17 TND 0.52

464.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$6.58 TND 19.83

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.07 COP 9,666

$0.29 TND 0.86

958.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.18 TND 0.53

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.91 TND 11.76

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,240

$0.81 TND 2.45

66.67%

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

$23.6K COP 74.2M

$39.0K TND 117.5K

-39.50%

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

$34.2K COP 107.5M

$28.2K TND 85.1K

21.04%

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

$159 COP 499.2K

$44.21 TND 133

258.95%

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

$9.23 COP 29.0K

$7.39 TND 22.26

24.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.79 COP 68.5K

$16.55 TND 49.85

31.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.36 COP 98.6K

$31.36 TND 94.5

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.80 TND 14.45

Cinema Ticket

$5.27 COP 16.6K

$3.43 TND 10.33

53.64%

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

$57.6 TND 173

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.9K COP 34.2M

$1,928 TND 5,808

464.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.4 COP 271.9K

$32.05 TND 96.6

169.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$62.8 COP 197.5K

$40.88 TND 123

53.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.6 COP 291.3K

$75.8 TND 228

22.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.7 COP 272.6K

$66.1 TND 199

31.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,096 COP 3.4M

$112 TND 339

875.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$752 COP 2.4M

$70.2 TND 211

971.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,095 COP 3.4M

$205 TND 616

435.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$620 COP 2.0M

$119 TND 359

420.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,110 COP 3.5M

$968 TND 2,916

14.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,191 COP 3.7M

$604 TND 1,820

97.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$526 COP 1.7M

$409 TND 1,232

28.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

19.54

62.83%

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

Last update for Santa Marta: October 27, 2026

Last update for Gabes: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Santa Marta

–

Gabes

$183 35.3%

Clothing & Footwear

Santa Marta

–

Gabes

$97 18.6%

Accommodation & Living

Santa Marta

–

Gabes

$70 13.5%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santa Marta

–

Gabes

$68 13.1%

Eating Out

Santa Marta

–

Gabes

$54 10.5%

Sport & Entertainment

Santa Marta

–

Gabes

$38 7.4%

Getting Around

Santa Marta

–

Gabes

$8.5 1.6%

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,096 in Santa Marta versus $112 in Gabes. 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

🇨🇴 Santa Marta

🇹🇳 Gabes

🕒 Local time

15:34 3:34 PM

21:34 9:34 PM

6 h ahead of Santa Marta

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

500,000

130,984

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Tunisian Dinar TND د.ت

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR

1 TND = 0.332 USD

1 TND = 0.298 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TND, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

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).

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).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Santa Marta Gabes 8,790 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Santa Marta
Gabes

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

Santa Marta vs Gabes: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Santa Marta is pricier by about 179%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,171 per month in Santa Marta and $779 in Gabes. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,447 in Santa Marta and $519 in Gabes. That makes Gabes about 64% cheaper.

Groceries cost about 43% more in Santa Marta, though the gap depends on what you buy.

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.

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.

If budget matters most, go with Gabes. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Santa Marta makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.