Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Arima and St.James

For one person, living is cheaper in St.James: $917 a month against $1,273 in Arima, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Arima outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

61

Cost of Living Index in Arima
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Arima Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in St.James
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St.James Living Index

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Arima

🇹🇹 Trinidad And Tobago

$1,273

/mo nomad

St.James

🇹🇹 Trinidad And Tobago

$917

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Arima and in St.James

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 St.James actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,273 per month in Arima vs $917 in St.James, rent included.

Arima $1,273
St.James $917

A couple spends around $2,161 per month in Arima vs $1,593 in St.James, rent included.

Arima $2,161
St.James $1,593

A family of three spends $3,049 per month in Arima vs $2,270 in St.James, rent included.

Arima $3,049
St.James $2,270

Arima costs about 39% more than St.James, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Arima and St.James are more affordable than the global median – Arima 6% lower, St.James 33% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.24 TTD 68.7

$10.13 TTD 68.0

1.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.8 TTD 502

$88.4 TTD 593

-15.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.91 TTD 59.8

$9.03 TTD 60.6

-1.33%

Cappuccino

$3.63 TTD 24.34

$3.65 TTD 24.49

-0.55%

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

$1.04 TTD 6.96

$0.99 TTD 6.67

5.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.72 TTD 4.84

$0.77 TTD 5.15

-6.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.81 TTD 12.15

$2.25 TTD 15.06

-19.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.91 TTD 19.53

$3.67 TTD 24.62

-20.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.39 TTD 16.05

$2.51 TTD 16.85

-4.78%

White Bread (500g)

$2.44 TTD 16.40

$2.48 TTD 16.67

-1.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.80 TTD 18.78

$2.80 TTD 18.82

Eggs

$4.41 TTD 29.56

$4.43 TTD 29.73

-0.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.49 TTD 43.52

$6.57 TTD 44.06

-1.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.67 TTD 44.76

$9.90 TTD 66.4

-32.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.20 TTD 61.8

$11.79 TTD 79.1

-21.97%

Apples (1kg)

$5.38 TTD 36.08

$5.66 TTD 37.97

-4.95%

Banana (1kg)

$2.24 TTD 15.06

$2.97 TTD 19.90

-24.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.61 TTD 24.23

$3.75 TTD 25.19

-3.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.77 TTD 32.02

$4.28 TTD 28.70

11.45%

Potato (1kg)

$1.34 TTD 8.96

$2.21 TTD 14.84

-39.37%

Onion (1kg)

$1.03 TTD 6.89

$1.87 TTD 12.54

-44.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 TTD 9.14

$1.91 TTD 12.84

-28.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 TTD 6.48

$1.35 TTD 9.08

-28.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.76 TTD 31.95

$5.73 TTD 38.48

-16.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.44 TTD 130

$19.28 TTD 129

0.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.83 TTD 12.28

$2.21 TTD 14.82

-17.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.10 TTD 20.79

$3.00 TTD 20.13

3.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.04 TTD 6.99

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.72 TTD 4.84

$1.01 TTD 6.78

-28.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 TTD 4.73

$1.23 TTD 8.26

-42.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.02 TTD 101

$14.65 TTD 98.3

2.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.13 TTD 7.57

$1.17 TTD 7.83

-3.42%

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

$27.4K TTD 183.9K

$37.2K TTD 249.9K

-26.40%

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

$36.4K TTD 244.1K

$40.7K TTD 273.4K

-10.72%

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

$91.2 TTD 612

$90.2 TTD 605

1.12%

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

$44.14 TTD 296

$50.9 TTD 341

-13.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.5 TTD 372

$56.0 TTD 376

-0.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 TTD 345

Cinema Ticket

$8.61 TTD 57.8

$9.06 TTD 60.8

-4.97%

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

$180 TTD 1,211

$398 TTD 2,669

-54.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.7K TTD 72.1K

$10.9K TTD 73.1K

-1.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.5 TTD 419

$54.3 TTD 364

15.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.47 TTD 292

$51.3 TTD 344

-15.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$144 TTD 969

$148 TTD 996

-2.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.7 TTD 488

$103 TTD 693

-29.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$510 TTD 3,422

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$372 TTD 2,495

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,048 TTD 7,030

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$895 TTD 6,007

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,200 TTD 8,052

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.75

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

Last update for Arima: October 25, 2026

Last update for St.James: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Arima

$372 29.2%

St.James

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Arima

$314 24.6%

St.James

$356 38.8% 13.5% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Arima

$191 15%

St.James

$197 21.5% 3.3% $6.2

Eating Out

Arima

$174 13.7%

St.James

$178 19.4% 2% $3.4

Clothing & Footwear

Arima

$145 11.4%

St.James

$161 17.5% 10.6% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Arima

$69 5.4%

St.James

$18 * 2% 73.6% $51

Getting Around

Arima

$8.4 * 0.7%

St.James

$7.2 * 0.8% 14.9% $1.3

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $75 in Arima versus $88 in St.James. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $314 vs $356 – making Arima the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇹 Arima

🇹🇹 St.James

🕒 Local time

19:09 7:09 PM

Same time as Arima

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

35,000

4,342

💱 Currency

Trinidad and Tobago Dollar TTD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 TTD = 0.149 USD

1 TTD = 0.133 EUR

1 TTD = 0.149 USD

1 TTD = 0.133 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Arima St.James 28 km

From you

Arima
St.James

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 St.James: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Arima costs about 39% more than St.James, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from leisure. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,909 per month in Arima and $1,375 in St.James. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,273 in Arima and $917 in St.James. That makes St.James about 28% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $180 per month in Arima and $398 in St.James. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in St.James, where all-in costs run around $917, than in Arima at $1,273. In St.James it covers expenses comfortably, while in Arima it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. St.James has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $917 in St.James to $1,273 in Arima. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.