Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Port of Spain and Arima

For one person, living is cheaper in Arima: $1,268 a month against $1,632 in Port of Spain, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Port of Spain
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Port of Spain Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Arima
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Arima Living Index

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Port of Spain

🇹🇹 Trinidad And Tobago

$1,632

/mo nomad

Arima

🇹🇹 Trinidad And Tobago

$1,268

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Port of Spain 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 Port of Spain and in Arima actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,632 per month in Port of Spain vs $1,268 in Arima, rent included.

Port of Spain $1,632
Arima $1,268

A couple spends around $2,763 per month in Port of Spain vs $2,161 in Arima, rent included.

Port of Spain $2,763
Arima $2,161

A family of three spends $3,894 per month in Port of Spain vs $3,054 in Arima, rent included.

Port of Spain $3,894
Arima $3,054

Port of Spain costs about 29% more than Arima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Port of Spain sits 21% above the global median, while Arima is 6% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.39 TTD 69.9

$10.50 TTD 70.7

-1.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$88.1 TTD 592

$72.5 TTD 488

21.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.08 TTD 61.1

$8.77 TTD 59.0

3.53%

Cappuccino

$3.79 TTD 25.51

$3.68 TTD 24.73

2.99%

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

$0.99 TTD 6.67

$1.04 TTD 7.02

-4.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.77 TTD 5.15

$0.77 TTD 5.17

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.14 TTD 14.38

$1.81 TTD 12.19

18.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.61 TTD 24.29

$2.92 TTD 19.66

23.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.47 TTD 16.62

$2.38 TTD 16.03

3.78%

White Bread (500g)

$2.46 TTD 16.53

$2.48 TTD 16.66

-0.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.81 TTD 18.92

$2.91 TTD 19.60

-3.44%

Eggs

$4.46 TTD 30.03

$4.40 TTD 29.61

1.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.59 TTD 44.36

$6.58 TTD 44.27

0.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.89 TTD 66.5

$6.67 TTD 44.89

48.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.36 TTD 76.4

$8.71 TTD 58.6

30.42%

Apples (1kg)

$5.54 TTD 37.28

$5.39 TTD 36.23

2.78%

Banana (1kg)

$3.11 TTD 20.95

$2.29 TTD 15.41

35.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.70 TTD 24.86

$3.78 TTD 25.39

-2.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.38 TTD 29.46

$4.94 TTD 33.23

-11.34%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 TTD 14.54

$1.32 TTD 8.91

63.64%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 TTD 12.56

$1.00 TTD 6.73

87.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.90 TTD 12.77

$1.34 TTD 9.04

41.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.35 TTD 9.05

$0.95 TTD 6.38

42.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.90 TTD 39.69

$4.82 TTD 32.42

22.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.26 TTD 130

$18.96 TTD 128

1.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.21 TTD 14.85

$1.91 TTD 12.84

15.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.94 TTD 19.77

$2.95 TTD 19.85

-0.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.35 TTD 9.10

$1.05 TTD 7.09

28.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$135 TTD 908

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.06 TTD 7.10

$0.73 TTD 4.90

45.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.26 TTD 8.49

$0.72 TTD 4.85

75.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.48 TTD 97.4

$14.69 TTD 98.8

-1.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.16 TTD 7.84

$1.15 TTD 7.76

0.87%

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

$36.7K TTD 246.7K

$26.9K TTD 180.7K

36.55%

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

$41.2K TTD 276.9K

$35.5K TTD 238.7K

15.99%

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

$90.6 TTD 609

$89.5 TTD 602

1.23%

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

$51.6 TTD 347

$44.08 TTD 297

17.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.8 TTD 382

$57.4 TTD 386

-1.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.4 TTD 386

$51.3 TTD 345

11.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.93 TTD 87.0

Cinema Ticket

$8.69 TTD 58.4

$8.93 TTD 60.1

-2.69%

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

$394 TTD 2,649

$178 TTD 1,197

121.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.9K TTD 73.3K

$10.7K TTD 72.3K

1.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.4 TTD 366

$61.5 TTD 414

-11.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.7 TTD 347

$44.60 TTD 300

15.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$147 TTD 987

$145 TTD 975

1.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 TTD 703

$74.0 TTD 498

41.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,003 TTD 6,750

$508 TTD 3,415

97.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$515 TTD 3,465

$363 TTD 2,439

42.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,184 TTD 14.7K

$1,049 TTD 7,055

108.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,210 TTD 8,138

$902 TTD 6,066

34.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,493 TTD 30.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,984 TTD 13.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$757 TTD 5,090

$1,222 TTD 8,219

-38.07%

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 Port of Spain: October 13, 2026

Last update for Arima: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Port of Spain

$515 31.6%

Arima

$363 28.6% 29.6% $152

Groceries & Markets

Port of Spain

$354 21.7%

Arima

$314 24.7% 11.4% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Port of Spain

$199 12.2%

Arima

$191 15.1% 4.1% $8.1

Eating Out

Port of Spain

$181 11.1%

Arima

$177 13.9% 2.3% $4.2

Clothing & Footwear

Port of Spain

$161 9.9%

Arima

$146 11.5% 9% $14

Getting Around

Port of Spain

$148 9.1%

Arima

$8.6 * 0.7% 94.2% $139

Sport & Entertainment

Port of Spain

$75 4.6%

Arima

$69 5.5% 7.4% $5.5

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,003 in Port of Spain 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 61% 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 $88.0 in Port of Spain versus $73.0 in Arima. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $354 vs $314 – making Arima the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇹 Port of Spain

🇹🇹 Arima

🕒 Local time

14:29 2:29 PM

Same time as Port of Spain

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

37,074 Capital

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

Port of Spain Arima 26 km

From you

Port of Spain
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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

Port of Spain vs Arima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Port of Spain costs about 29% more than Arima, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,448 per month in Port of Spain 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 $1,632 in Port of Spain and $1,268 in Arima. That's a gap of about 29%.

Kindergarten costs $394 per month in Port of Spain 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 Port of Spain at $1,632. In Arima it covers expenses comfortably, while in Port of Spain 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.

If budget matters most, go with Arima. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Port of Spain makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.