Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tobago and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Tobago: $1,214 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Tobago
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Tobago Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Tobago

🇹🇹 Trinidad And Tobago

$1,214

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,214 per month in Tobago vs $1,614 in Medellin, rent included.

Tobago $1,214
Medellin $1,614

A couple spends around $1,829 per month in Tobago vs $2,402 in Medellin, rent included.

Tobago $1,829
Medellin $2,402

A family of three spends $2,444 per month in Tobago vs $3,190 in Medellin, rent included.

Tobago $2,444
Medellin $3,190

Tobago is about 25% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Tobago sits 10% below the global median, while Medellin is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.11 TTD 68.0

$7.93 COP 25.2K

27.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.09 TTD 283

$46.13 COP 146.3K

-8.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.67 TTD 65.1

$9.50 COP 30.1K

1.79%

Cappuccino

$3.86 TTD 25.94

$3.11 COP 9,866

24.12%

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

$1.63 TTD 10.97

$1.83 COP 5,800

-10.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.64 TTD 11.04

$1.38 COP 4,360

18.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.65 TTD 24.56

$3.05 COP 9,672

19.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 TTD 30.12

$5.50 COP 17.4K

-18.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.52 TTD 16.94

$1.45 COP 4,600

73.79%

White Bread (500g)

$2.42 TTD 16.26

$2.36 COP 7,496

2.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 TTD 16.09

$1.68 COP 5,328

42.26%

Eggs

$4.94 TTD 33.23

$2.86 COP 9,077

72.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.39 TTD 42.96

$10.19 COP 32.3K

-37.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.20 TTD 48.41

$9.53 COP 30.2K

-24.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.00 TTD 40.39

$14.04 COP 44.5K

-57.26%

Apples (1kg)

$4.12 TTD 27.72

$4.07 COP 12.9K

1.23%

Banana (1kg)

$2.41 TTD 16.21

$1.50 COP 4,742

60.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.24 TTD 15.07

$2.17 COP 6,891

3.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.24 TTD 15.06

$2.31 COP 7,310

-3.03%

Potato (1kg)

$1.00 TTD 6.70

$1.93 COP 6,113

-48.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 TTD 10.67

$1.64 COP 5,196

-3.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.88 TTD 12.63

$1.13 COP 3,571

66.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 TTD 9.77

$1.25 COP 3,954

16.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.51 TTD 30.31

$3.99 COP 12.6K

13.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$22.33 TTD 150

$13.35 COP 42.3K

67.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.72 TTD 25.04

$1.70 COP 5,384

118.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.50 TTD 30.28

$2.37 COP 7,525

89.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.77 TTD 5.18

$1.21 COP 3,827

-36.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.5 COP 242.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.72 TTD 4.83

$1.32 COP 4,179

-45.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.14 COP 6,774

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.87 TTD 59.7

$8.47 COP 26.8K

4.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.03 TTD 6.93

$1.30 COP 4,114

-20.77%

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

$28.0K COP 88.7M

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

$35.4K COP 112.3M

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

$59.5 TTD 400

$172 COP 545.6K

-65.45%

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

$26.84 TTD 181

$13.37 COP 42.4K

100.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$73.2 TTD 492

$28.73 COP 91.1K

154.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.2 TTD 344

$45.24 COP 143.5K

13.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 COP 54.0K

Cinema Ticket

$7.86 TTD 52.9

$6.28 COP 19.9K

25.16%

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

$72.4 TTD 487

$770 COP 2.4M

-90.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,011 COP 28.6M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.66 TTD 300

$86.4 COP 274.0K

-48.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.85 TTD 322

$57.1 COP 181.1K

-16.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$141 TTD 949

$137 COP 432.9K

3.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.0 TTD 606

$97.9 COP 310.4K

-8.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$406 TTD 2,732

$1,055 COP 3.3M

-61.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$332 TTD 2,232

$616 COP 2.0M

-46.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$548 TTD 3,683

$1,892 COP 6.0M

-71.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$508 TTD 3,416

$1,023 COP 3.2M

-50.35%

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)

$730 TTD 4,912

$652 COP 2.1M

11.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

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

Last update for Tobago: October 11, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tobago

$332 27.3%

Medellin

$616 38.2% 85.6% $284

Groceries & Markets

Tobago

$310 25.6%

Medellin

$295 18.3% 5.1% $16

Eating Out

Tobago

$196 16.2%

Medellin

$168 10.4% 14.3% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tobago

$159 13.1%

Medellin

$214 13.3% 34.3% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Tobago

$146 12%

Medellin

$170 10.5% 16.8% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Tobago

$67 5.5%

Medellin

$58 3.6% 13.5% $9

Getting Around

Tobago

$3.8 * 0.3%

Medellin

$93 5.8% 2356% $90

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $406 in Tobago versus $1,055 in Medellin. 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 12% higher in Tobago, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $42.00 in Tobago versus $46.00 in Medellin. Groceries tell a different story – $310 in Tobago vs $295 in Medellin – so Medellin wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇹 Tobago

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

15:24 3:24 PM

14:24 2:24 PM

1 h behind Tobago

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

54,000

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

Tobago Medellin 1,730 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Tobago
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

Tobago vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 33%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,822 per month in Tobago and $2,421 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Tobago, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $42.00 in Tobago and $46.00 in Medellin. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 5% cheaper in Medellin – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Tobago, where all-in costs run around $1,214, than in Medellin at $1,614. In Tobago it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Tobago – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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