Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tobago and Port of Spain

For one person, living is cheaper in Tobago: $1,214 a month against $1,632 in Port of Spain, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Tobago
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Tobago Living Index
79

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

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Tobago

🇹🇹 Trinidad And Tobago

$1,214

/mo nomad

Port of Spain

🇹🇹 Trinidad And Tobago

$1,632

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tobago and in Port of Spain

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 Port of Spain actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,214 in Tobago versus $1,632 in Port of Spain.

Tobago $1,214
Port of Spain $1,632

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,829 in Tobago versus $2,763 in Port of Spain.

Tobago $1,829
Port of Spain $2,763

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,444 in Tobago versus $3,894 in Port of Spain.

Tobago $2,444
Port of Spain $3,894

Living in Tobago costs roughly 26% less than in Port of Spain, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Tobago is 10% below, Port of Spain is 21% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.11 TTD 68.0

$10.39 TTD 69.9

-2.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.09 TTD 283

$88.1 TTD 592

-52.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.67 TTD 65.1

$9.08 TTD 61.1

6.50%

Cappuccino

$3.86 TTD 25.94

$3.79 TTD 25.51

1.85%

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

$1.63 TTD 10.97

$0.99 TTD 6.67

64.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.64 TTD 11.04

$0.77 TTD 5.15

112.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.65 TTD 24.56

$2.14 TTD 14.38

70.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 TTD 30.12

$3.61 TTD 24.29

24.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.52 TTD 16.94

$2.47 TTD 16.62

2.02%

White Bread (500g)

$2.42 TTD 16.26

$2.46 TTD 16.53

-1.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 TTD 16.09

$2.81 TTD 18.92

-14.95%

Eggs

$4.94 TTD 33.23

$4.46 TTD 30.03

10.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.39 TTD 42.96

$6.59 TTD 44.36

-3.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.20 TTD 48.41

$9.89 TTD 66.5

-27.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.00 TTD 40.39

$11.36 TTD 76.4

-47.18%

Apples (1kg)

$4.12 TTD 27.72

$5.54 TTD 37.28

-25.63%

Banana (1kg)

$2.41 TTD 16.21

$3.11 TTD 20.95

-22.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.24 TTD 15.07

$3.70 TTD 24.86

-39.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.24 TTD 15.06

$4.38 TTD 29.46

-48.86%

Potato (1kg)

$1.00 TTD 6.70

$2.16 TTD 14.54

-53.70%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 TTD 10.67

$1.87 TTD 12.56

-14.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.88 TTD 12.63

$1.90 TTD 12.77

-1.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 TTD 9.77

$1.35 TTD 9.05

7.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.51 TTD 30.31

$5.90 TTD 39.69

-23.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$22.33 TTD 150

$19.26 TTD 130

15.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.72 TTD 25.04

$2.21 TTD 14.85

68.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.50 TTD 30.28

$2.94 TTD 19.77

53.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.77 TTD 5.18

$1.35 TTD 9.10

-42.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$135 TTD 908

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.72 TTD 4.83

$1.06 TTD 7.10

-32.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.26 TTD 8.49

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.87 TTD 59.7

$14.48 TTD 97.4

-38.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.03 TTD 6.93

$1.16 TTD 7.84

-11.21%

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

$36.7K TTD 246.7K

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

$41.2K TTD 276.9K

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

$59.5 TTD 400

$90.6 TTD 609

-34.36%

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

$26.84 TTD 181

$51.6 TTD 347

-48.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$73.2 TTD 492

$56.8 TTD 382

28.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.2 TTD 344

$57.4 TTD 386

-10.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.93 TTD 87.0

Cinema Ticket

$7.86 TTD 52.9

$8.69 TTD 58.4

-9.55%

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

$72.4 TTD 487

$394 TTD 2,649

-81.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.9K TTD 73.3K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.66 TTD 300

$54.4 TTD 366

-17.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.85 TTD 322

$51.7 TTD 347

-7.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$141 TTD 949

$147 TTD 987

-3.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.0 TTD 606

$105 TTD 703

-13.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$406 TTD 2,732

$1,003 TTD 6,750

-59.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$332 TTD 2,232

$515 TTD 3,465

-35.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$548 TTD 3,683

$2,184 TTD 14.7K

-74.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$508 TTD 3,416

$1,210 TTD 8,138

-58.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,493 TTD 30.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,984 TTD 13.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$730 TTD 4,912

$757 TTD 5,090

-3.50%

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 Port of Spain: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tobago

$332 27.3%

Port of Spain

$515 31.6% 55.2% $183

Groceries & Markets

Tobago

$310 25.6%

Port of Spain

$354 21.7% 14.1% $44

Eating Out

Tobago

$196 16.2%

Port of Spain

$181 11.1% 8% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tobago

$159 13.1%

Port of Spain

$199 12.2% 24.8% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Tobago

$146 12%

Port of Spain

$161 9.9% 10.4% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Tobago

$67 5.5%

Port of Spain

$75 4.6% 11.8% $7.9

Getting Around

Tobago

$3.8 * 0.3%

Port of Spain

$148 9.1% 3787% $144

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $406 in Tobago and $1,003 in Port of Spain. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Port of Spain pays 4% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $42.00 in Tobago vs $88.0 in Port of Spain for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $310 vs $354 per month, with Tobago cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇹 Tobago

🇹🇹 Port of Spain

🕒 Local time

15:54 3:54 PM

Same time as Tobago

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

54,000

37,074 Capital

💱 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

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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 Port of Spain: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tobago is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and utilities. The 34% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 4% lower in Port of Spain. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $406 in Tobago versus $1,003 in Port of Spain. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $72.4 in Tobago versus $394 in Port of Spain. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Tobago – a meal for two runs $42.00 versus $88.0 in Port of Spain. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,214 in Tobago versus $1,632 in Port of Spain, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Tobago but tight or insufficient in Port of Spain. The gap between the two cities makes Tobago the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Safety-wise, Tobago and Port of Spain are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Tobago gentler on the wallet – expenses run 34% less than in Port of Spain. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.