The core rulebook offers suggested obligation depending on your characters' starting party size. Does the extra suggested obligation for smaller groups give your characters any extra XP or starting cash to work with? I imagine that the larger obligation amount per character in small groups is meant to keep a reasonable likelihood that an obligation event will occur, but at the same time it would be nice for a small group to be beefed up a little since their smaller pool of talent will make adventuring a more difficult task.

It doesn't, but it does mean they can take more extra Obligation, which is helpful.

(You can take double your starting Obligation, maximum, with everything over your starting Obligation being useable for XP and Credits.)