Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chaguanas and Arima

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

62

Cost of Living Index in Chaguanas
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Chaguanas Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Arima
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Arima Living Index

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Chaguanas

🇹🇹 Trinidad And Tobago

$1,287

/mo nomad

Arima

🇹🇹 Trinidad And Tobago

$1,268

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chaguanas and in Arima

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

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

Chaguanas $1,287
Arima $1,268

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

Chaguanas $2,082
Arima $2,161

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

Chaguanas $2,876
Arima $3,054

Chaguanas costs about 2% more than Arima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.39 TTD 69.9

$10.50 TTD 70.7

-1.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.9 TTD 403

$72.5 TTD 488

-17.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.18 TTD 55.0

$8.77 TTD 59.0

-6.73%

Cappuccino

$3.32 TTD 22.32

$3.68 TTD 24.73

-9.78%

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

$1.26 TTD 8.44

$1.04 TTD 7.02

21.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.00 TTD 6.71

$0.77 TTD 5.17

29.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.73 TTD 11.64

$1.81 TTD 12.19

-4.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 TTD 17.69

$2.92 TTD 19.66

-9.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.39 TTD 16.07

$2.38 TTD 16.03

0.42%

White Bread (500g)

$2.14 TTD 14.36

$2.48 TTD 16.66

-13.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.17 TTD 14.61

$2.91 TTD 19.60

-25.43%

Eggs

$3.87 TTD 26.01

$4.40 TTD 29.61

-12.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.33 TTD 49.31

$6.58 TTD 44.27

11.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.03 TTD 54.0

$6.67 TTD 44.89

20.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.80 TTD 79.4

$8.71 TTD 58.6

35.48%

Apples (1kg)

$2.97 TTD 19.98

$5.39 TTD 36.23

-44.90%

Banana (1kg)

$3.01 TTD 20.23

$2.29 TTD 15.41

31.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.86 TTD 19.22

$3.78 TTD 25.39

-24.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.01 TTD 33.68

$4.94 TTD 33.23

1.42%

Potato (1kg)

$2.47 TTD 16.59

$1.32 TTD 8.91

87.12%

Onion (1kg)

$2.16 TTD 14.55

$1.00 TTD 6.73

116.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.99 TTD 13.37

$1.34 TTD 9.04

48.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 TTD 8.68

$0.95 TTD 6.38

35.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.89 TTD 19.41

$4.82 TTD 32.42

-40.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.92 TTD 134

$18.96 TTD 128

5.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.91 TTD 12.87

$1.91 TTD 12.84

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.56 TTD 17.19

$2.95 TTD 19.85

-13.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.76 TTD 5.10

$1.05 TTD 7.09

-27.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.21 TTD 14.87

$0.73 TTD 4.90

202.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.33 TTD 8.95

$0.72 TTD 4.85

84.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.46 TTD 97.3

$14.69 TTD 98.8

-1.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.12 TTD 7.52

$1.15 TTD 7.76

-2.61%

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

$33.1K TTD 223.0K

$26.9K TTD 180.7K

23.39%

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

$33.6K TTD 226.2K

$35.5K TTD 238.7K

-5.25%

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

$103 TTD 691

$89.5 TTD 602

14.82%

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

$38.71 TTD 260

$44.08 TTD 297

-12.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.3 TTD 345

$57.4 TTD 386

-10.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.3 TTD 345

-0.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$44.48 TTD 299

Cinema Ticket

$8.58 TTD 57.7

$8.93 TTD 60.1

-3.92%

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

$304 TTD 2,042

$178 TTD 1,197

70.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.7K TTD 72.3K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.03 TTD 303

$61.5 TTD 414

-26.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.30 TTD 285

$44.60 TTD 300

-5.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.7 TTD 664

$145 TTD 975

-31.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 TTD 716

$74.0 TTD 498

43.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$463 TTD 3,112

$508 TTD 3,415

-8.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$386 TTD 2,597

$363 TTD 2,439

6.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$948 TTD 6,376

$1,049 TTD 7,055

-9.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$759 TTD 5,106

$902 TTD 6,066

-15.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$773 TTD 5,203

$1,222 TTD 8,219

-36.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.75

-13.04%

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

Last update for Chaguanas: October 10, 2026

Last update for Arima: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chaguanas

$386 30%

Arima

$363 28.6% 6.1% $23

Groceries & Markets

Chaguanas

$326 25.3%

Arima

$314 24.7% 3.8% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chaguanas

$193 15%

Arima

$191 15.1% 0.9% $1.8

Eating Out

Chaguanas

$170 13.2%

Arima

$177 13.9% 3.7% $6.2

Clothing & Footwear

Chaguanas

$132 10.2%

Arima

$146 11.5% 11.1% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Chaguanas

$68 5.3%

Arima

$69 5.5% 1.1% $0.7

Getting Around

Chaguanas

$12 * 0.9%

Arima

$8.6 * 0.7% 28.2% $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 $463 in Chaguanas versus $508 in Arima. 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 $60.0 in Chaguanas versus $73.0 in Arima. Groceries tell a different story – $326 in Chaguanas vs $314 in Arima – so Arima wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇹 Chaguanas

🇹🇹 Arima

🕒 Local time

11:45 11:45 AM

Same time as Chaguanas

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

83,489

35,000

💱 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

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Between locations

Chaguanas Arima 19 km

From you

Chaguanas
Arima

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

Chaguanas vs Arima: 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 $1,931 per month in Chaguanas and $1,902 in Arima. 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 $1,287 in Chaguanas and $1,268 in Arima. That's a gap of about 2%.

Kindergarten costs $304 per month in Chaguanas and $178 in Arima. 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.