Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tobago and Arima

For one person, living costs are similar in Tobago and in Arima: $1,214 and $1,268 a month, rent and utilities included.

59

Cost of Living Index in Tobago
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Tobago Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Arima
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Arima Living Index

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Tobago

🇹🇹 Trinidad And Tobago

$1,214

/mo nomad

Arima

🇹🇹 Trinidad And Tobago

$1,268

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,214 per month in Tobago vs $1,268 in Arima, rent included.

Tobago $1,214
Arima $1,268

A couple spends around $1,829 per month in Tobago vs $2,161 in Arima, rent included.

Tobago $1,829
Arima $2,161

A family of three spends $2,444 per month in Tobago vs $3,054 in Arima, rent included.

Tobago $2,444
Arima $3,054

Tobago is about 4% cheaper than Arima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Tobago and Arima are more affordable than the global median – Tobago 10% lower, Arima 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.11 TTD 68.0

$10.50 TTD 70.7

-3.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.09 TTD 283

$72.5 TTD 488

-41.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.67 TTD 65.1

$8.77 TTD 59.0

10.26%

Cappuccino

$3.86 TTD 25.94

$3.68 TTD 24.73

4.89%

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

$1.63 TTD 10.97

$1.04 TTD 7.02

56.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.64 TTD 11.04

$0.77 TTD 5.17

112.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.65 TTD 24.56

$1.81 TTD 12.19

101.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 TTD 30.12

$2.92 TTD 19.66

53.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.52 TTD 16.94

$2.38 TTD 16.03

5.88%

White Bread (500g)

$2.42 TTD 16.26

$2.48 TTD 16.66

-2.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 TTD 16.09

$2.91 TTD 19.60

-17.87%

Eggs

$4.94 TTD 33.23

$4.40 TTD 29.61

12.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.39 TTD 42.96

$6.58 TTD 44.27

-2.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.20 TTD 48.41

$6.67 TTD 44.89

7.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.00 TTD 40.39

$8.71 TTD 58.6

-31.11%

Apples (1kg)

$4.12 TTD 27.72

$5.39 TTD 36.23

-23.56%

Banana (1kg)

$2.41 TTD 16.21

$2.29 TTD 15.41

5.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.24 TTD 15.07

$3.78 TTD 25.39

-40.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.24 TTD 15.06

$4.94 TTD 33.23

-54.66%

Potato (1kg)

$1.00 TTD 6.70

$1.32 TTD 8.91

-24.24%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 TTD 10.67

$1.00 TTD 6.73

59.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.88 TTD 12.63

$1.34 TTD 9.04

40.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 TTD 9.77

$0.95 TTD 6.38

52.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.51 TTD 30.31

$4.82 TTD 32.42

-6.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$22.33 TTD 150

$18.96 TTD 128

17.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.72 TTD 25.04

$1.91 TTD 12.84

94.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.50 TTD 30.28

$2.95 TTD 19.85

52.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.77 TTD 5.18

$1.05 TTD 7.09

-26.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.72 TTD 4.83

$0.73 TTD 4.90

-1.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.72 TTD 4.85

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.87 TTD 59.7

$14.69 TTD 98.8

-39.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.03 TTD 6.93

$1.15 TTD 7.76

-10.43%

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

$26.9K TTD 180.7K

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

$35.5K TTD 238.7K

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

$59.5 TTD 400

$89.5 TTD 602

-33.55%

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

$26.84 TTD 181

$44.08 TTD 297

-39.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$73.2 TTD 492

$57.4 TTD 386

27.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.2 TTD 344

$51.3 TTD 345

-0.33%

Cinema Ticket

$7.86 TTD 52.9

$8.93 TTD 60.1

-11.98%

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

$72.4 TTD 487

$178 TTD 1,197

-59.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.7K TTD 72.3K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.66 TTD 300

$61.5 TTD 414

-27.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.85 TTD 322

$44.60 TTD 300

7.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$141 TTD 949

$145 TTD 975

-2.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.0 TTD 606

$74.0 TTD 498

21.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$406 TTD 2,732

$508 TTD 3,415

-19.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$332 TTD 2,232

$363 TTD 2,439

-8.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$548 TTD 3,683

$1,049 TTD 7,055

-47.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$508 TTD 3,416

$902 TTD 6,066

-43.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$730 TTD 4,912

$1,222 TTD 8,219

-40.24%

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 Tobago: October 11, 2026

Last update for Arima: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tobago

$332 27.3%

Arima

$363 28.6% 9.3% $31

Groceries & Markets

Tobago

$310 25.6%

Arima

$314 24.7% 1.1% $3.3

Eating Out

Tobago

$196 16.2%

Arima

$177 13.9% 10.1% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tobago

$159 13.1%

Arima

$191 15.1% 19.8% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Tobago

$146 12%

Arima

$146 11.5% 0.5% $0.7

Sport & Entertainment

Tobago

$67 5.5%

Arima

$69 5.5% 3.5% $2.3

Getting Around

Tobago

$3.8 * 0.3%

Arima

$8.6 * 0.7% 125% $4.8

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $406 in Tobago versus $508 in Arima. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 67% higher in Arima, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $42.00 in Tobago versus $73.0 in Arima. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $310 vs $314 – making Tobago the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇹 Tobago

🇹🇹 Arima

🕒 Local time

14:26 2:26 PM

Same time as Tobago

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

54,000

35,000

💱 Currency

Trinidad and Tobago Dollar TTD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 TTD = 0.149 USD

1 TTD = 0.132 EUR

1 TTD = 0.149 USD

1 TTD = 0.132 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Tobago Arima 95 km

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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

Tobago vs Arima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Arima costs about 4% more than Tobago, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,822 per month in Tobago and $1,902 in Arima. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Tobago, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,214 in Tobago and $1,268 in Arima. That's a gap of about 4%.

Kindergarten costs $72.4 per month in Tobago and $178 in Arima. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Tobago, where all-in costs run around $1,214, than in Arima at $1,268. In Tobago it covers expenses comfortably, while in Arima it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Tobago – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Tobago. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Arima makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.