Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Port of Spain and St.James

For one person, living is cheaper in St.James: $917 a month against $1,628 in Port of Spain, rent and utilities included – about $8,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Port of Spain
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Port of Spain Living Index
44

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

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Port of Spain

🇹🇹 Trinidad And Tobago

$1,628

/mo nomad

St.James

🇹🇹 Trinidad And Tobago

$917

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,628 in Port of Spain versus $917 in St.James.

Port of Spain $1,628
St.James $917

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,756 in Port of Spain versus $1,593 in St.James.

Port of Spain $2,756
St.James $1,593

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,884 in Port of Spain versus $2,270 in St.James.

Port of Spain $3,884
St.James $2,270

Living in Port of Spain is roughly 78% more expensive than in St.James, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Port of Spain is 20% above, St.James is 33% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.37 TTD 69.6

$10.13 TTD 68.0

2.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.9 TTD 603

$88.4 TTD 593

1.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.91 TTD 59.8

$9.03 TTD 60.6

-1.33%

Cappuccino

$3.79 TTD 25.42

$3.65 TTD 24.49

3.84%

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

$0.99 TTD 6.64

$0.99 TTD 6.67

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.77 TTD 5.18

$0.77 TTD 5.15

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.25 TTD 15.09

$2.25 TTD 15.06

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 TTD 24.61

$3.67 TTD 24.62

Milk (1 liter)

$2.46 TTD 16.52

$2.51 TTD 16.85

-1.99%

White Bread (500g)

$2.55 TTD 17.12

$2.48 TTD 16.67

2.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.79 TTD 18.75

$2.80 TTD 18.82

-0.36%

Eggs

$4.29 TTD 28.79

$4.43 TTD 29.73

-3.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.70 TTD 44.98

$6.57 TTD 44.06

1.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.93 TTD 66.7

$9.90 TTD 66.4

0.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.64 TTD 78.1

$11.79 TTD 79.1

-1.27%

Apples (1kg)

$5.53 TTD 37.09

$5.66 TTD 37.97

-2.30%

Banana (1kg)

$2.96 TTD 19.89

$2.97 TTD 19.90

-0.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.72 TTD 24.97

$3.75 TTD 25.19

-0.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.30 TTD 28.83

$4.28 TTD 28.70

0.47%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 TTD 14.16

$2.21 TTD 14.84

-4.52%

Onion (1kg)

$1.84 TTD 12.32

$1.87 TTD 12.54

-1.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.83 TTD 12.25

$1.91 TTD 12.84

-4.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 TTD 9.35

$1.35 TTD 9.08

2.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.92 TTD 39.74

$5.73 TTD 38.48

3.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.25 TTD 129

$19.28 TTD 129

-0.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.21 TTD 14.82

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 TTD 20.69

$3.00 TTD 20.13

2.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.30 TTD 8.70

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$132 TTD 884

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.01 TTD 6.77

$1.01 TTD 6.78

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.27 TTD 8.53

$1.23 TTD 8.26

3.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.62 TTD 98.1

$14.65 TTD 98.3

-0.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.17 TTD 7.84

$1.17 TTD 7.83

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

$36.9K TTD 247.3K

$37.2K TTD 249.9K

-1.05%

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

$41.2K TTD 276.5K

$40.7K TTD 273.4K

1.13%

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

$92.3 TTD 619

$90.2 TTD 605

2.27%

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

$51.8 TTD 348

$50.9 TTD 341

1.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.5 TTD 373

$56.0 TTD 376

-0.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.1 TTD 376

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.20 TTD 88.6

Cinema Ticket

$8.69 TTD 58.3

$9.06 TTD 60.8

-4.08%

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

$392 TTD 2,628

$398 TTD 2,669

-1.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.7K TTD 71.9K

$10.9K TTD 73.1K

-1.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.3 TTD 371

$54.3 TTD 364

1.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.5 TTD 352

$51.3 TTD 344

2.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$146 TTD 978

$148 TTD 996

-1.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 TTD 696

$103 TTD 693

0.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,003 TTD 6,729

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$514 TTD 3,451

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,212 TTD 14.8K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,198 TTD 8,042

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,566 TTD 30.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,031 TTD 13.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$756 TTD 5,070

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 25, 2026

Last update for St.James: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Port of Spain

$514 31.6%

St.James

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Port of Spain

$355 21.8%

St.James

$356 38.8% 0.3% $1.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Port of Spain

$200 12.3%

St.James

$197 21.5% 1.3% $2.5

Eating Out

Port of Spain

$181 11.1%

St.James

$178 19.4% 1.8% $3.2

Clothing & Footwear

Port of Spain

$161 9.9%

St.James

$161 17.5% 0% $0

Getting Around

Port of Spain

$144 8.9%

St.James

$7.2 * 0.8% 95% $137

Sport & Entertainment

Port of Spain

$73 4.5%

St.James

$18 * 2% 75.3% $55

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $90 in Port of Spain vs $88 in St.James. Groceries flip the comparison at $355 vs $356, with Port of Spain cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇹 Port of Spain

🇹🇹 St.James

🕒 Local time

02:33 2:33 AM

Same time as Port of Spain

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

37,074 Capital

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Port of Spain St.James 3 km

From you

Port of Spain
St.James

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 St.James: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

St.James is about 44% cheaper overall, especially in transport and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $2,442 in Port of Spain 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 $392 in Port of Spain versus $398 in St.James. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

All in, you’ll spend $1,628 per month in Port of Spain versus $917 in St.James – St.James is about 44% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $917 in St.James versus $1,628 in Port of Spain, a $1,200 budget is realistic in St.James but tight or insufficient in Port of Spain. The gap between the two cities makes St.James the clear choice for anyone on this budget.