Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Port of Spain and Santiago

For one person, living is cheaper in Santiago: $1,206 a month against $1,648 in Port of Spain, rent and utilities included – about $5,300 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
58

Cost of Living Index in Santiago
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Santiago Living Index

Jump to prices

Port of Spain

🇹🇹 Trinidad And Tobago

$1,648

/mo nomad

Santiago

🇨🇱 Chile

$1,206

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Port of Spain and in Santiago

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,648 in Port of Spain versus $1,206 in Santiago.

Port of Spain $1,648
Santiago $1,206

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,743 in Port of Spain versus $1,885 in Santiago.

Port of Spain $2,743
Santiago $1,885

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,838 in Port of Spain versus $2,564 in Santiago.

Port of Spain $3,838
Santiago $2,564

Living in Port of Spain is roughly 37% more expensive than in Santiago, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Port of Spain is 23% above, Santiago is 10% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.51 TTD 70.7

$10.19 CLP 9,954

3.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$88.3 TTD 594

$52.2 CLP 51.0K

69.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.06 TTD 61.0

$8.54 CLP 8,342

6.09%

Cappuccino

$3.83 TTD 25.76

$3.19 CLP 3,122

20.06%

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

$1.05 TTD 7.05

$1.68 CLP 1,641

-37.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.77 TTD 5.19

$1.22 CLP 1,194

-36.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.24 TTD 15.05

$4.21 CLP 4,110

-46.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.60 TTD 24.19

$4.66 CLP 4,550

-22.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.52 TTD 16.93

$1.32 CLP 1,286

90.91%

White Bread (500g)

$2.49 TTD 16.74

$1.80 CLP 1,760

38.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.84 TTD 19.09

$1.58 CLP 1,547

79.75%

Eggs

$4.30 TTD 28.95

$4.25 CLP 4,151

1.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.70 TTD 45.05

$11.19 CLP 10.9K

-40.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.03 TTD 67.5

$6.75 CLP 6,596

48.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.45 TTD 77.0

$10.67 CLP 10.4K

7.31%

Apples (1kg)

$5.60 TTD 37.69

$2.04 CLP 1,995

174.51%

Banana (1kg)

$3.03 TTD 20.41

$1.53 CLP 1,500

98.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.72 TTD 25.03

$1.59 CLP 1,553

133.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.36 TTD 29.34

$1.75 CLP 1,712

149.14%

Potato (1kg)

$2.21 TTD 14.87

$1.08 CLP 1,054

104.63%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 TTD 12.56

$1.51 CLP 1,480

23.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.85 TTD 12.47

$1.17 CLP 1,148

58.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.40 TTD 9.45

$1.07 CLP 1,043

30.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.78 TTD 38.90

$5.14 CLP 5,027

12.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.94 TTD 127

$5.88 CLP 5,745

222.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.32 TTD 15.62

$1.55 CLP 1,516

49.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 TTD 20.01

$2.27 CLP 2,223

30.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.34 TTD 9.04

$0.85 CLP 831

57.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$132 TTD 888

$41.50 CLP 40.6K

218.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.06 TTD 7.12

$0.39 CLP 383

171.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.28 TTD 8.60

$0.84 CLP 822

52.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.85 TTD 99.9

$11.94 CLP 11.7K

24.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.16 TTD 7.77

$1.50 CLP 1,470

-22.67%

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

$37.1K TTD 249.8K

$18.1K CLP 17.7M

105.05%

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

$40.6K TTD 272.9K

$21.6K CLP 21.1M

87.72%

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

$92.7 TTD 624

$151 CLP 147.7K

-38.62%

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

$52.0 TTD 350

$12.04 CLP 11.8K

331.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.1 TTD 384

$18.93 CLP 18.5K

201.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.3 TTD 385

$33.81 CLP 33.0K

69.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.18 TTD 88.7

$11.72 CLP 11.5K

12.46%

Cinema Ticket

$8.73 TTD 58.7

$7.37 CLP 7,202

18.45%

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

$392 TTD 2,638

$434 CLP 424.3K

-9.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.8K TTD 72.4K

$11.0K CLP 10.7M

-2.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.7 TTD 375

$50.9 CLP 49.7K

9.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.1 TTD 350

$29.16 CLP 28.5K

78.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$143 TTD 964

$67.4 CLP 65.8K

112.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 TTD 698

$80.3 CLP 78.4K

29.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,001 TTD 6,734

$555 CLP 542.0K

80.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$511 TTD 3,438

$372 CLP 364.0K

37.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,176 TTD 14.6K

$1,009 CLP 986.6K

115.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 TTD 8,077

$779 CLP 760.9K

54.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,579 TTD 30.8K

$2,671 CLP 2.6M

71.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,991 TTD 13.4K

$2,622 CLP 2.6M

-24.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$778 TTD 5,237

$791 CLP 773.5K

-1.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.75

5.39

6.68%

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

Last update for Port of Spain: October 5, 2026

Last update for Santiago: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Port of Spain

$511 31.3%

Santiago

$372 31.6% 27.1% $138

Groceries & Markets

Port of Spain

$356 21.8%

Santiago

$236 20% 33.7% $120

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Port of Spain

$202 12.4%

Santiago

$182 15.5% 9.8% $20

Eating Out

Port of Spain

$183 11.2%

Santiago

$187 15.9% 2.5% $4.6

Clothing & Footwear

Port of Spain

$160 9.8%

Santiago

$102 8.7% 35.8% $57

Getting Around

Port of Spain

$145 8.9%

Santiago

$50 4.2% 65.8% $95

Sport & Entertainment

Port of Spain

$75 4.6%

Santiago

$49 4.1% 35% $26

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,001 in Port of Spain and $555 in Santiago. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Santiago pays 2% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $88.0 in Port of Spain vs $52.0 in Santiago for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $356 vs $236 per month, with Santiago cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇹 Port of Spain

🇨🇱 Santiago

🕒 Local time

02:55 2:55 AM

03:55 3:55 AM

1 h ahead of Port of Spain

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

37,074 Capital

6,139,087 Capital

💱 Currency

Trinidad and Tobago Dollar TTD $

Chilean Peso CLP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 TTD = 0.149 USD

1 TTD = 0.133 EUR

10,000 CLP = 10.23 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.12 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CLP, USD, EUR to TTD – Trinidad and Tobago Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago Dollar ($)

Trinidad and Tobago Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 6.73 TTD (1 TTD = 0.149 USD). 1 EUR = 7.55 TTD (1 TTD = 0.133 EUR).

Chilean Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 977 CLP (1,000 CLP = 1.02 USD). 1 EUR = 1,096 CLP (10,000 CLP = 9.12 EUR).

USD to TTD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Port of Spain Santiago 5,000 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Port of Spain
Santiago

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 Santiago: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Santiago is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and transport. The 37% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 2% lower in Santiago. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,001 in Port of Spain versus $555 in Santiago. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,648 per month in Port of Spain versus $1,206 in Santiago – a 37% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Santiago runs roughly 218% less than in Port of Spain. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,206 in Santiago versus $1,648 in Port of Spain, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Santiago but tight or insufficient in Port of Spain. The gap between the two cities makes Santiago the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Expats usually find Santiago gentler on the wallet – expenses run 37% less than in Port of Spain. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.