Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between St.James and Arima

For one person, living is cheaper in St.James: $917 a month against $1,273 in Arima, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Arima outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

44

Cost of Living Index in St.James
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St.James Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Arima
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Arima Living Index

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St.James

🇹🇹 Trinidad And Tobago

$917

/mo nomad

Arima

🇹🇹 Trinidad And Tobago

$1,273

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $917 per month in St.James vs $1,273 in Arima, rent included.

St.James $917
Arima $1,273

A couple spends around $1,593 per month in St.James vs $2,161 in Arima, rent included.

St.James $1,593
Arima $2,161

A family of three spends $2,270 per month in St.James vs $3,049 in Arima, rent included.

St.James $2,270
Arima $3,049

St.James is about 28% cheaper than Arima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both St.James and Arima are more affordable than the global median – St.James 33% lower, Arima 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.13 TTD 68.0

$10.24 TTD 68.7

-1.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$88.4 TTD 593

$74.8 TTD 502

18.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.03 TTD 60.6

$8.91 TTD 59.8

1.35%

Cappuccino

$3.65 TTD 24.49

$3.63 TTD 24.34

0.55%

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

$0.99 TTD 6.67

$1.04 TTD 6.96

-4.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.77 TTD 5.15

$0.72 TTD 4.84

6.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.25 TTD 15.06

$1.81 TTD 12.15

24.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 TTD 24.62

$2.91 TTD 19.53

26.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.51 TTD 16.85

$2.39 TTD 16.05

5.02%

White Bread (500g)

$2.48 TTD 16.67

$2.44 TTD 16.40

1.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.80 TTD 18.82

$2.80 TTD 18.78

Eggs

$4.43 TTD 29.73

$4.41 TTD 29.56

0.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.57 TTD 44.06

$6.49 TTD 43.52

1.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.90 TTD 66.4

$6.67 TTD 44.76

48.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.79 TTD 79.1

$9.20 TTD 61.8

28.15%

Apples (1kg)

$5.66 TTD 37.97

$5.38 TTD 36.08

5.20%

Banana (1kg)

$2.97 TTD 19.90

$2.24 TTD 15.06

32.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.75 TTD 25.19

$3.61 TTD 24.23

3.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.28 TTD 28.70

$4.77 TTD 32.02

-10.27%

Potato (1kg)

$2.21 TTD 14.84

$1.34 TTD 8.96

64.93%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 TTD 12.54

$1.03 TTD 6.89

81.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.91 TTD 12.84

$1.36 TTD 9.14

40.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.35 TTD 9.08

$0.96 TTD 6.48

40.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.73 TTD 38.48

$4.76 TTD 31.95

20.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.28 TTD 129

$19.44 TTD 130

-0.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.21 TTD 14.82

$1.83 TTD 12.28

20.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 TTD 20.13

$3.10 TTD 20.79

-3.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.04 TTD 6.99

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.01 TTD 6.78

$0.72 TTD 4.84

40.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.23 TTD 8.26

$0.71 TTD 4.73

73.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.65 TTD 98.3

$15.02 TTD 101

-2.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.17 TTD 7.83

$1.13 TTD 7.57

3.54%

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

$37.2K TTD 249.9K

$27.4K TTD 183.9K

35.87%

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

$40.7K TTD 273.4K

$36.4K TTD 244.1K

12.01%

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

$90.2 TTD 605

$91.2 TTD 612

-1.11%

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

$50.9 TTD 341

$44.14 TTD 296

15.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.0 TTD 376

$55.5 TTD 372

0.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 TTD 345

Cinema Ticket

$9.06 TTD 60.8

$8.61 TTD 57.8

5.23%

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

$398 TTD 2,669

$180 TTD 1,211

120.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.9K TTD 73.1K

$10.7K TTD 72.1K

1.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.3 TTD 364

$62.5 TTD 419

-13.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.3 TTD 344

$43.47 TTD 292

18.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$148 TTD 996

$144 TTD 969

2.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 TTD 693

$72.7 TTD 488

42.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$510 TTD 3,422

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$372 TTD 2,495

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,048 TTD 7,030

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$895 TTD 6,007

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,200 TTD 8,052

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 St.James: October 24, 2026

Last update for Arima: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

St.James

$356 38.8%

Arima

$314 24.6% 11.9% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

St.James

$197 21.5%

Arima

$191 15% 3.2% $6.2

Eating Out

St.James

$178 19.4%

Arima

$174 13.7% 1.9% $3.4

Clothing & Footwear

St.James

$161 17.5%

Arima

$145 11.4% 9.6% $15

Sport & Entertainment

St.James

$18 * 2%

Arima

$69 5.4% 279% $51

Getting Around

St.James

$7.2 * 0.8%

Arima

$8.4 * 0.7% 17.5% $1.3

Accommodation & Living

St.James

- * 0%

Arima

$372 29.2%

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $88 in St.James versus $75 in Arima. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $356 vs $314 – making Arima the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇹 St.James

🇹🇹 Arima

🕒 Local time

18:13 6:13 PM

Same time as St.James

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,342

35,000

💱 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

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Highest

Between locations

St.James Arima 28 km

From you

St.James
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

St.James vs Arima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Arima costs about 39% more than St.James, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from leisure. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,375 per month in St.James and $1,909 in Arima. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $917 in St.James and $1,273 in Arima. That makes St.James about 28% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $398 per month in St.James and $180 in Arima. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in St.James, where all-in costs run around $917, than in Arima at $1,273. In St.James it covers expenses comfortably, while in Arima it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. St.James has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $917 in St.James to $1,273 in Arima. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.