Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between St.James and Tobago

For one person, living is cheaper in St.James: $917 a month against $1,216 in Tobago, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Tobago outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

44

Cost of Living Index in St.James
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St.James Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Tobago
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Tobago Living Index

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St.James

🇹🇹 Trinidad And Tobago

$917

/mo nomad

Tobago

🇹🇹 Trinidad And Tobago

$1,216

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $917 per month in St.James vs $1,216 in Tobago, rent included.

St.James $917
Tobago $1,216

A couple spends around $1,593 per month in St.James vs $1,831 in Tobago, rent included.

St.James $1,593
Tobago $1,831

A family of three spends $2,270 per month in St.James vs $2,445 in Tobago, rent included.

St.James $2,270
Tobago $2,445

St.James is about 25% cheaper than Tobago, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both St.James and Tobago are more affordable than the global median – St.James 33% lower, Tobago 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.13 TTD 68.0

$9.94 TTD 66.7

1.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$88.4 TTD 593

$41.52 TTD 279

112.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.03 TTD 60.6

$9.65 TTD 64.8

-6.42%

Cappuccino

$3.65 TTD 24.50

$3.74 TTD 25.11

-2.41%

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

$0.99 TTD 6.67

$1.64 TTD 11.01

-39.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.77 TTD 5.15

$1.67 TTD 11.23

-53.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.25 TTD 15.07

$3.68 TTD 24.69

-38.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 TTD 24.64

$4.55 TTD 30.54

-19.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.51 TTD 16.86

$2.59 TTD 17.41

-3.09%

White Bread (500g)

$2.48 TTD 16.68

$2.39 TTD 16.05

3.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.80 TTD 18.83

$2.38 TTD 15.96

17.65%

Eggs

$4.43 TTD 29.75

$4.85 TTD 32.57

-8.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.57 TTD 44.08

$6.09 TTD 40.91

7.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.90 TTD 66.5

$7.49 TTD 50.3

32.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.79 TTD 79.2

$5.91 TTD 39.68

99.49%

Apples (1kg)

$5.66 TTD 37.99

$4.05 TTD 27.20

39.75%

Banana (1kg)

$2.97 TTD 19.91

$2.50 TTD 16.76

18.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.75 TTD 25.20

$2.34 TTD 15.73

60.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.28 TTD 28.72

$2.23 TTD 15.00

91.93%

Potato (1kg)

$2.21 TTD 14.84

$1.01 TTD 6.79

118.81%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 TTD 12.55

$1.59 TTD 10.70

17.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.91 TTD 12.85

$1.86 TTD 12.50

2.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.35 TTD 9.08

$1.44 TTD 9.64

-6.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.73 TTD 38.50

$4.48 TTD 30.06

27.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.28 TTD 129

$22.21 TTD 149

-13.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.21 TTD 14.83

$3.78 TTD 25.40

-41.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 TTD 20.14

$4.41 TTD 29.61

-31.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.72 TTD 4.83

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.01 TTD 6.79

$0.73 TTD 4.90

38.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.23 TTD 8.26

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.65 TTD 98.4

$8.68 TTD 58.2

68.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.17 TTD 7.84

$1.02 TTD 6.85

14.71%

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

$37.2K TTD 250.1K

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

$40.7K TTD 273.6K

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

$90.2 TTD 606

$59.4 TTD 399

52.00%

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

$50.9 TTD 342

$26.93 TTD 181

88.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.0 TTD 376

$73.1 TTD 491

-23.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.7 TTD 347

Cinema Ticket

$9.06 TTD 60.8

$7.96 TTD 53.4

13.82%

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

$398 TTD 2,671

$74.0 TTD 497

437.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.9K TTD 73.2K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.3 TTD 365

$44.79 TTD 301

21.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.3 TTD 344

$48.29 TTD 324

6.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$148 TTD 996

$138 TTD 927

7.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 TTD 694

$87.7 TTD 588

17.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$409 TTD 2,746

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$336 TTD 2,258

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$545 TTD 3,656

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$520 TTD 3,488

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$751 TTD 5,041

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 Tobago: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

St.James

$356 38.8%

Tobago

$311 25.6% 12.6% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

St.James

$197 21.5%

Tobago

$159 13.1% 19.2% $38

Eating Out

St.James

$178 19.4%

Tobago

$194 16% 9.3% $17

Clothing & Footwear

St.James

$161 17.5%

Tobago

$144 11.8% 10.8% $17

Sport & Entertainment

St.James

$18 * 2%

Tobago

$68 5.6% 273% $50

Getting Around

St.James

$7.2 * 0.8%

Tobago

$3.6 * 0.3% 49.7% $3.6

Accommodation & Living

St.James

- * 0%

Tobago

$336 27.7%

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 $42 in Tobago. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $356 vs $311 – making Tobago the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇹 St.James

🇹🇹 Tobago

🕒 Local time

06:20 6:20 AM

Same time as St.James

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,342

54,000

💱 Currency

Trinidad and Tobago Dollar TTD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 TTD = 0.149 USD

1 TTD = 0.134 EUR

1 TTD = 0.149 USD

1 TTD = 0.134 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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St.James Tobago 110 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 Tobago: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $917 in St.James, $1,216 in Tobago – roughly 33% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,375 per month in St.James and $1,823 in Tobago. 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 $1,216 in Tobago. That’s a gap of about 33%.

Kindergarten costs $398 per month in St.James and $74 in Tobago. 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 Tobago at $1,216. In St.James it covers expenses comfortably, while in Tobago 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 $1,216 in Tobago. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.