Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between St.James and Arouca

For one person, living is cheaper in Arouca: $771 a month against $917 in St.James, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in St.James
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St.James Living Index
37

Cost of Living Index in Arouca
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Arouca Living Index

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St.James

🇹🇹 Trinidad And Tobago

$917

/mo nomad

Arouca

🇹🇹 Trinidad And Tobago

$771

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in St.James and in Arouca

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $917 in St.James versus $771 in Arouca.

St.James $917
Arouca $771

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,593 in St.James versus $1,321 in Arouca.

St.James $1,593
Arouca $1,321

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,270 in St.James versus $1,871 in Arouca.

St.James $2,270
Arouca $1,871

Living in St.James is roughly 19% more expensive than in Arouca, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: St.James 33% lower, Arouca 43% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.13 TTD 68.0

$10.45 TTD 70.1

-3.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$88.4 TTD 593

$59.7 TTD 401

48.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.03 TTD 60.6

$8.34 TTD 56.0

8.27%

Cappuccino

$3.65 TTD 24.49

$3.80 TTD 25.48

-3.95%

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

$0.99 TTD 6.67

$1.01 TTD 6.75

-1.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.77 TTD 5.15

$0.76 TTD 5.09

1.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.25 TTD 15.06

$1.83 TTD 12.27

22.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 TTD 24.62

$2.51 TTD 16.81

46.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.51 TTD 16.85

$2.01 TTD 13.47

24.88%

White Bread (500g)

$2.48 TTD 16.67

$2.32 TTD 15.57

6.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.80 TTD 18.82

$2.79 TTD 18.70

0.36%

Eggs

$4.43 TTD 29.73

$3.89 TTD 26.07

13.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.57 TTD 44.06

$6.46 TTD 43.36

1.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.90 TTD 66.4

$10.15 TTD 68.1

-2.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.79 TTD 79.1

$8.70 TTD 58.4

35.52%

Apples (1kg)

$5.66 TTD 37.97

$5.68 TTD 38.08

-0.35%

Banana (1kg)

$2.97 TTD 19.90

$2.57 TTD 17.24

15.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.75 TTD 25.19

$3.62 TTD 24.28

3.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.28 TTD 28.70

$4.22 TTD 28.29

1.42%

Potato (1kg)

$2.21 TTD 14.84

$0.71 TTD 4.79

211.27%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 TTD 12.54

$0.71 TTD 4.75

163.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.91 TTD 12.84

$1.44 TTD 9.64

32.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.35 TTD 9.08

$1.16 TTD 7.79

16.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.73 TTD 38.48

$5.67 TTD 38.06

1.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.28 TTD 129

$17.88 TTD 120

7.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.21 TTD 14.82

$1.53 TTD 10.29

44.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 TTD 20.13

$2.98 TTD 20.00

0.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.01 TTD 6.78

$0.87 TTD 5.83

16.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.23 TTD 8.26

$0.92 TTD 6.15

33.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.65 TTD 98.3

$14.87 TTD 99.8

-1.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.17 TTD 7.83

$1.11 TTD 7.42

5.41%

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

$37.2K TTD 249.9K

$37.0K TTD 248.2K

0.69%

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

$40.7K TTD 273.4K

$42.0K TTD 281.6K

-2.90%

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

$90.2 TTD 605

$45.02 TTD 302

100.42%

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

$50.9 TTD 341

$42.61 TTD 286

19.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.0 TTD 376

$46.33 TTD 311

20.87%

Cinema Ticket

$9.06 TTD 60.8

$8.86 TTD 59.5

2.26%

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

$398 TTD 2,669

$403 TTD 2,702

-1.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.9K TTD 73.1K

$11.0K TTD 74.0K

-1.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.3 TTD 364

$54.8 TTD 367

-0.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.3 TTD 344

$36.44 TTD 245

40.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$148 TTD 996

$89.1 TTD 598

66.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 TTD 693

$87.0 TTD 584

18.81%

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 Arouca: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

St.James

$356 38.8%

Arouca

$318 41.3% 10.6% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

St.James

$197 21.5%

Arouca

$134 17.4% 32% $63

Eating Out

St.James

$178 19.4%

Arouca

$175 22.8% 1.2% $2.2

Clothing & Footwear

St.James

$161 17.5%

Arouca

$120 15.6% 25.2% $41

Sport & Entertainment

St.James

$18 * 2%

Arouca

$18 * 2.3% 2.2% $0.4

Getting Around

St.James

$7.2 * 0.8%

Arouca

$5.5 * 0.7% 23.9% $1.7

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $88 in St.James vs $60 in Arouca for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $356 vs $318 per month, with Arouca cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇹 St.James

🇹🇹 Arouca

🕒 Local time

21:58 9:58 PM

Same time as St.James

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,342

12,054

💱 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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St.James Arouca 22 km

From you

St.James
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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

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

Total monthly costs including rent come to $917 in St.James and $771 in Arouca, so Arouca is about 16% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,375 in St.James and $1,156 in Arouca 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 $398 in St.James versus $403 in Arouca. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Arouca – a meal for two runs $60 versus $88 in St.James. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Arouca gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.