Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Costa Rica and Trinidad And Tobago

Name: Trinidad And Tobago
Address: TT

For one person, living is cheaper in Trinidad And Tobago: $1,469 a month against $1,821 in Costa Rica, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

87

Cost of Living Index in Costa Rica
Learn more

Costa Rica Living Index
71

Cost of Living Index in Trinidad And Tobago
Learn more

Trinidad And Tobago Living Index

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🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,821

/mo nomad

🇹🇹 Trinidad And Tobago

$1,469

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Costa Rica and in Trinidad And Tobago

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

A single person spends $1,821 per month in Costa Rica vs $1,469 in Trinidad And Tobago, rent included.

Costa Rica $1,821
Trinidad And Tobago $1,469

A couple spends around $2,773 per month in Costa Rica vs $2,391 in Trinidad And Tobago, rent included.

Costa Rica $2,773
Trinidad And Tobago $2,391

A family of three spends $3,725 per month in Costa Rica vs $3,313 in Trinidad And Tobago, rent included.

Costa Rica $3,725
Trinidad And Tobago $3,313

Cost ranges are similar: Costa Rica spans $1,004–$2,114, Trinidad And Tobago $723–$1,628. City choice affects budget similarly in either country.

The cost of living in Costa Rica is about 24% higher than in Trinidad And Tobago on average.

Both Costa Rica and Trinidad And Tobago are pricier than the global median – Costa Rica by 34%, Trinidad And Tobago by 8%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.26 ₡5,082

$10.25 TTD 68.8

9.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.5 ₡24.6K

$79.8 TTD 535

-31.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.02 ₡4,973

$8.79 TTD 59.0

25.37%

Cappuccino

$4.43 ₡1,998

$3.81 TTD 25.58

16.27%

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

$2.34 ₡1,055

$1.11 TTD 7.47

110.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.84 ₡828

$0.81 TTD 5.41

127.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.26 ₡1,472

$2.19 TTD 14.72

48.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.55 ₡2,053

$2.89 TTD 19.43

57.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.45 ₡1,104

$2.41 TTD 16.17

1.66%

White Bread (500g)

$3.56 ₡1,608

$2.39 TTD 16.08

48.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.76 ₡1,245

$2.59 TTD 17.36

6.56%

Eggs

$3.97 ₡1,793

$4.19 TTD 28.12

-5.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.47 ₡4,726

$7.81 TTD 52.4

34.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.98 ₡4,505

$9.19 TTD 61.7

8.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.91 ₡6,275

$9.99 TTD 67.0

39.24%

Apples (1kg)

$5.06 ₡2,282

$5.00 TTD 33.54

1.20%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ₡763

$2.67 TTD 17.93

-36.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.45 ₡1,557

$3.10 TTD 20.80

11.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.23 ₡1,459

$4.76 TTD 31.96

-32.14%

Potato (1kg)

$3.44 ₡1,554

$1.73 TTD 11.61

98.84%

Onion (1kg)

$3.25 ₡1,465

$1.60 TTD 10.72

103.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 ₡492

$1.71 TTD 11.47

-36.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.67 ₡1,203

$1.31 TTD 8.76

103.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.38 ₡2,426

$5.83 TTD 39.12

-7.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.50 ₡6,993

$17.57 TTD 118

-11.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.75 ₡1,241

$1.96 TTD 13.18

40.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.30 ₡1,488

$3.17 TTD 21.27

4.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.13 ₡509

$0.90 TTD 6.07

25.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.5 ₡29.6K

$132 TTD 885

-50.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.17 ₡979

$1.05 TTD 7.03

106.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.02 ₡912

$0.93 TTD 6.24

117.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.94 ₡4,034

$14.46 TTD 97.1

-38.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.61 ₡726

$1.10 TTD 7.37

46.36%

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

$34.5K ₡15.6M

$37.0K TTD 248.1K

-6.67%

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

$37.4K ₡16.9M

$38.4K TTD 258.0K

-2.77%

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

$94.9 ₡42.8K

$86.6 TTD 581

9.62%

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

$31.42 ₡14.2K

$44.74 TTD 300

-29.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.6 ₡26.4K

$54.7 TTD 367

7.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.7 ₡29.6K

$53.8 TTD 361

22.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.20 ₡10.0K

$16.32 TTD 110

36.03%

Cinema Ticket

$8.10 ₡3,654

$8.99 TTD 60.4

-9.90%

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

$722 ₡325.8K

$281 TTD 1,889

156.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.9K ₡5.8M

$11.3K TTD 76.0K

13.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$75.5 ₡34.1K

$58.0 TTD 389

30.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.4 ₡25.5K

$45.88 TTD 308

22.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$128 ₡57.9K

$124 TTD 830

3.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 ₡48.8K

$90.0 TTD 604

20.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$960 ₡433.2K

$597 TTD 4,006

60.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$708 ₡319.5K

$415 TTD 2,786

70.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,749 ₡789.0K

$1,171 TTD 7,860

49.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,215 ₡548.3K

$799 TTD 5,361

52.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,656 ₡1.2M

$3,973 TTD 26.7K

-33.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,839 ₡829.7K

$1,925 TTD 12.9K

-4.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,058 ₡477.6K

$884 TTD 5,935

19.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.56

5.96

60.40%

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

Last update for Costa Rica: October 26, 2026

Last update for Trinidad And Tobago: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Costa Rica

$708 38.9%

Trinidad And Tobago

$415 28.2% 41.4% $293

Groceries & Markets

Costa Rica

$380 20.9%

Trinidad And Tobago

$334 22.7% 12.2% $46

Eating Out

Costa Rica

$218 12%

Trinidad And Tobago

$179 12.2% 18.3% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Costa Rica

$185 10.2%

Trinidad And Tobago

$186 12.7% 0.6% $1.1

Clothing & Footwear

Costa Rica

$166 9.1%

Trinidad And Tobago

$143 9.7% 13.8% $23

Getting Around

Costa Rica

$82 4.5%

Trinidad And Tobago

$141 9.6% 71.5% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Costa Rica

$82 4.5%

Trinidad And Tobago

$72 4.9% 12.3% $10

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $855 in Costa Rica vs $566 in Trinidad And Tobago. For reference, capital cities sit at $1,164 in San Jose and $1,003 in Port of Spain.

Average salary: $1,087 in Costa Rica vs $974 in Trinidad And Tobago. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 51% higher in Costa Rica.

Dining out costs 26% more in Trinidad And Tobago.

Public transport is 55% more expensive in Trinidad And Tobago.

Salaries are 12% higher in Costa Rica.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

🇹🇹 Trinidad And Tobago

🕒 Local time

03:31 3:31 AM

05:31 5:31 AM

2 h ahead of Costa Rica

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,044,197

1,369,125

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Trinidad and Tobago Dollar TTD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

1 TTD = 0.149 USD

1 TTD = 0.134 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TTD, USD, EUR to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 502 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

Trinidad and Tobago Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 6.71 TTD (1 TTD = 0.149 USD). 1 EUR = 7.47 TTD (1 TTD = 0.134 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Costa Rica Trinidad And Tobago 2,470 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Costa Rica
Trinidad And Tobago

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

Costa Rica vs Trinidad And Tobago: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Trinidad And Tobago is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 19% lower on average.

Housing costs more in Costa Rica: a central one-bedroom averages $855 versus $566 in Trinidad And Tobago.

Trinidad And Tobago is the budget-friendly choice for expats. But cost isn’t everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.