Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Arima and Chaguanas

For one person, living costs are similar in Arima and in Chaguanas: $1,268 and $1,287 a month, rent and utilities included.

62

Cost of Living Index in Arima
Learn more

Arima Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Chaguanas
Learn more

Chaguanas Living Index

Jump to prices

Arima

🇹🇹 Trinidad And Tobago

$1,268

/mo nomad

Chaguanas

🇹🇹 Trinidad And Tobago

$1,287

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Arima and in Chaguanas

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

A single person spends $1,268 per month in Arima vs $1,287 in Chaguanas, rent included.

Arima $1,268
Chaguanas $1,287

A couple spends around $2,161 per month in Arima vs $2,082 in Chaguanas, rent included.

Arima $2,161
Chaguanas $2,082

A family of three spends $3,054 per month in Arima vs $2,876 in Chaguanas, rent included.

Arima $3,054
Chaguanas $2,876

Arima is about 1% cheaper than Chaguanas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Arima and Chaguanas are more affordable than the global median – Arima 6% lower, Chaguanas 5% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.50 TTD 70.7

$10.39 TTD 69.9

1.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$72.5 TTD 488

$59.9 TTD 403

21.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.77 TTD 59.0

$8.18 TTD 55.0

7.21%

Cappuccino

$3.68 TTD 24.73

$3.32 TTD 22.32

10.84%

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

$1.04 TTD 7.02

$1.26 TTD 8.44

-17.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.77 TTD 5.17

$1.00 TTD 6.71

-23.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.81 TTD 12.19

$1.73 TTD 11.64

4.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.92 TTD 19.66

$2.63 TTD 17.69

11.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.38 TTD 16.03

$2.39 TTD 16.07

-0.42%

White Bread (500g)

$2.48 TTD 16.66

$2.14 TTD 14.36

15.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.91 TTD 19.60

$2.17 TTD 14.61

34.10%

Eggs

$4.40 TTD 29.61

$3.87 TTD 26.01

13.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.58 TTD 44.27

$7.33 TTD 49.31

-10.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.67 TTD 44.89

$8.03 TTD 54.0

-16.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.71 TTD 58.6

$11.80 TTD 79.4

-26.19%

Apples (1kg)

$5.39 TTD 36.23

$2.97 TTD 19.98

81.48%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 TTD 15.41

$3.01 TTD 20.23

-23.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.78 TTD 25.39

$2.86 TTD 19.22

32.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.94 TTD 33.23

$5.01 TTD 33.68

-1.40%

Potato (1kg)

$1.32 TTD 8.91

$2.47 TTD 16.59

-46.56%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 TTD 6.73

$2.16 TTD 14.55

-53.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.34 TTD 9.04

$1.99 TTD 13.37

-32.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 TTD 6.38

$1.29 TTD 8.68

-26.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.82 TTD 32.42

$2.89 TTD 19.41

66.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.96 TTD 128

$19.92 TTD 134

-4.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.91 TTD 12.84

$1.91 TTD 12.87

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.95 TTD 19.85

$2.56 TTD 17.19

15.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.05 TTD 7.09

$0.76 TTD 5.10

38.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.73 TTD 4.90

$2.21 TTD 14.87

-66.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.72 TTD 4.85

$1.33 TTD 8.95

-45.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.69 TTD 98.8

$14.46 TTD 97.3

1.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.15 TTD 7.76

$1.12 TTD 7.52

2.68%

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

$26.9K TTD 180.7K

$33.1K TTD 223.0K

-18.95%

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

$35.5K TTD 238.7K

$33.6K TTD 226.2K

5.54%

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

$89.5 TTD 602

$103 TTD 691

-12.91%

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

$44.08 TTD 297

$38.71 TTD 260

13.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.4 TTD 386

$51.3 TTD 345

11.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.3 TTD 345

0.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$44.48 TTD 299

Cinema Ticket

$8.93 TTD 60.1

$8.58 TTD 57.7

4.08%

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

$178 TTD 1,197

$304 TTD 2,042

-41.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.7K TTD 72.3K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.5 TTD 414

$45.03 TTD 303

36.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.60 TTD 300

$42.30 TTD 285

5.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$145 TTD 975

$98.7 TTD 664

46.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$74.0 TTD 498

$106 TTD 716

-30.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$508 TTD 3,415

$463 TTD 3,112

9.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$363 TTD 2,439

$386 TTD 2,597

-6.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,049 TTD 7,055

$948 TTD 6,376

10.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$902 TTD 6,066

$759 TTD 5,106

18.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,222 TTD 8,219

$773 TTD 5,203

57.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.75

15.00%

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

Last update for Arima: October 12, 2026

Last update for Chaguanas: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Arima

$363 28.6%

Chaguanas

$386 30% 6.5% $23

Groceries & Markets

Arima

$314 24.7%

Chaguanas

$326 25.3% 3.9% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Arima

$191 15.1%

Chaguanas

$193 15% 0.9% $1.8

Eating Out

Arima

$177 13.9%

Chaguanas

$170 13.2% 3.5% $6.2

Clothing & Footwear

Arima

$146 11.5%

Chaguanas

$132 10.2% 10% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Arima

$69 5.5%

Chaguanas

$68 5.3% 1.1% $0.7

Getting Around

Arima

$8.6 * 0.7%

Chaguanas

$12 * 0.9% 39.2% $3.4

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $508 in Arima versus $463 in Chaguanas. 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 58% higher in Arima, 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 $73.0 in Arima versus $60.0 in Chaguanas. Groceries tell a different story – $314 in Arima vs $326 in Chaguanas – so Arima wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇹 Arima

🇹🇹 Chaguanas

🕒 Local time

12:45 12:45 PM

Same time as Arima

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

35,000

83,489

💱 Currency

Trinidad and Tobago Dollar TTD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 TTD = 0.149 USD

1 TTD = 0.132 EUR

1 TTD = 0.149 USD

1 TTD = 0.132 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Arima Chaguanas 19 km

From you

Arima
Chaguanas

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

Arima vs Chaguanas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chaguanas costs about 2% more than Arima, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,902 per month in Arima and $1,931 in Chaguanas. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,268 in Arima and $1,287 in Chaguanas. That's a gap of about 2%.

Kindergarten costs $178 per month in Arima and $304 in Chaguanas. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Arima, where all-in costs run around $1,268, than in Chaguanas at $1,287. In Arima it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chaguanas it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Arima – 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 Arima. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Chaguanas makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.