Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Arouca and St.James

For one person, living is cheaper in Arouca: $771 a month against $917 in St.James, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

37

Cost of Living Index in Arouca
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Arouca Living Index
44

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

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Arouca

🇹🇹 Trinidad And Tobago

$771

/mo nomad

St.James

🇹🇹 Trinidad And Tobago

$917

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Arouca 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 Arouca and in St.James actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $771 in Arouca versus $917 in St.James.

Arouca $771
St.James $917

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,321 in Arouca versus $1,593 in St.James.

Arouca $1,321
St.James $1,593

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,871 in Arouca versus $2,270 in St.James.

Arouca $1,871
St.James $2,270

Living in Arouca costs roughly 16% less than in St.James, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Arouca 43% lower, St.James 33% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.45 TTD 70.1

$10.13 TTD 68.0

3.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.7 TTD 401

$88.4 TTD 593

-32.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.34 TTD 56.0

$9.03 TTD 60.6

-7.64%

Cappuccino

$3.80 TTD 25.48

$3.65 TTD 24.49

4.11%

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

$1.01 TTD 6.75

$0.99 TTD 6.67

2.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.76 TTD 5.09

$0.77 TTD 5.15

-1.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.83 TTD 12.27

$2.25 TTD 15.06

-18.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 TTD 16.81

$3.67 TTD 24.62

-31.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.01 TTD 13.47

$2.51 TTD 16.85

-19.92%

White Bread (500g)

$2.32 TTD 15.57

$2.48 TTD 16.67

-6.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.79 TTD 18.70

$2.80 TTD 18.82

-0.36%

Eggs

$3.89 TTD 26.07

$4.43 TTD 29.73

-12.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.46 TTD 43.36

$6.57 TTD 44.06

-1.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.15 TTD 68.1

$9.90 TTD 66.4

2.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.70 TTD 58.4

$11.79 TTD 79.1

-26.21%

Apples (1kg)

$5.68 TTD 38.08

$5.66 TTD 37.97

0.35%

Banana (1kg)

$2.57 TTD 17.24

$2.97 TTD 19.90

-13.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.62 TTD 24.28

$3.75 TTD 25.19

-3.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.22 TTD 28.29

$4.28 TTD 28.70

-1.40%

Potato (1kg)

$0.71 TTD 4.79

$2.21 TTD 14.84

-67.87%

Onion (1kg)

$0.71 TTD 4.75

$1.87 TTD 12.54

-62.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 TTD 9.64

$1.91 TTD 12.84

-24.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 TTD 7.79

$1.35 TTD 9.08

-14.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.67 TTD 38.06

$5.73 TTD 38.48

-1.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.88 TTD 120

$19.28 TTD 129

-7.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.53 TTD 10.29

$2.21 TTD 14.82

-30.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.98 TTD 20.00

$3.00 TTD 20.13

-0.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.87 TTD 5.83

$1.01 TTD 6.78

-13.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 TTD 6.15

$1.23 TTD 8.26

-25.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.87 TTD 99.8

$14.65 TTD 98.3

1.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 TTD 7.42

$1.17 TTD 7.83

-5.13%

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

$37.0K TTD 248.2K

$37.2K TTD 249.9K

-0.69%

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

$42.0K TTD 281.6K

$40.7K TTD 273.4K

2.99%

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

$45.02 TTD 302

$90.2 TTD 605

-50.11%

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

$42.61 TTD 286

$50.9 TTD 341

-16.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$46.33 TTD 311

$56.0 TTD 376

-17.27%

Cinema Ticket

$8.86 TTD 59.5

$9.06 TTD 60.8

-2.21%

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

$403 TTD 2,702

$398 TTD 2,669

1.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.0K TTD 74.0K

$10.9K TTD 73.1K

1.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.8 TTD 367

$54.3 TTD 364

0.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.44 TTD 245

$51.3 TTD 344

-28.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.1 TTD 598

$148 TTD 996

-39.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.0 TTD 584

$103 TTD 693

-15.83%

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 Arouca: October 26, 2026

Last update for St.James: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Arouca

$318 41.3%

St.James

$356 38.8% 11.8% $38

Eating Out

Arouca

$175 22.8%

St.James

$178 19.4% 1.2% $2.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Arouca

$134 17.4%

St.James

$197 21.5% 47.1% $63

Clothing & Footwear

Arouca

$120 15.6%

St.James

$161 17.5% 33.7% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Arouca

$18 * 2.3%

St.James

$18 * 2% 2.2% $0.4

Getting Around

Arouca

$5.5 * 0.7%

St.James

$7.2 * 0.8% 31.4% $1.7

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $60 in Arouca vs $88 in St.James for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $318 vs $356 per month, with Arouca cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇹 Arouca

🇹🇹 St.James

🕒 Local time

22:38 10:38 PM

Same time as Arouca

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,054

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

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Arouca St.James 22 km

From you

Arouca
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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

Arouca vs St.James: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $771 in Arouca and $917 in St.James, so Arouca is about 16% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,156 in Arouca and $1,375 in St.James to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Childcare runs $403 in Arouca versus $398 in St.James. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Arouca – a meal for two runs $60 versus $88 in St.James. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Arouca gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.