Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tobago and St.James

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.

58

Cost of Living Index in Tobago
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Tobago Living Index
44

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

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Tobago

🇹🇹 Trinidad And Tobago

$1,216

/mo nomad

St.James

🇹🇹 Trinidad And Tobago

$917

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

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

Tobago $1,216
St.James $917

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

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

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

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

Tobago costs about 33% more than St.James, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.94 TTD 66.7

$10.13 TTD 68.0

-1.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.52 TTD 279

$88.4 TTD 593

-53.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.65 TTD 64.8

$9.03 TTD 60.6

6.87%

Cappuccino

$3.74 TTD 25.11

$3.65 TTD 24.50

2.47%

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

$1.64 TTD 11.01

$0.99 TTD 6.67

65.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 TTD 11.23

$0.77 TTD 5.15

116.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.68 TTD 24.69

$2.25 TTD 15.07

63.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.55 TTD 30.54

$3.67 TTD 24.64

23.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.59 TTD 17.41

$2.51 TTD 16.86

3.19%

White Bread (500g)

$2.39 TTD 16.05

$2.48 TTD 16.68

-3.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.38 TTD 15.96

$2.80 TTD 18.83

-15.00%

Eggs

$4.85 TTD 32.57

$4.43 TTD 29.75

9.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.09 TTD 40.91

$6.57 TTD 44.08

-7.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.49 TTD 50.3

$9.90 TTD 66.5

-24.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.91 TTD 39.68

$11.79 TTD 79.2

-49.87%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 TTD 27.20

$5.66 TTD 37.99

-28.45%

Banana (1kg)

$2.50 TTD 16.76

$2.97 TTD 19.91

-15.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.34 TTD 15.73

$3.75 TTD 25.20

-37.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.23 TTD 15.00

$4.28 TTD 28.72

-47.90%

Potato (1kg)

$1.01 TTD 6.79

$2.21 TTD 14.84

-54.30%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 TTD 10.70

$1.87 TTD 12.55

-14.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.86 TTD 12.50

$1.91 TTD 12.85

-2.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.44 TTD 9.64

$1.35 TTD 9.08

6.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.48 TTD 30.06

$5.73 TTD 38.50

-21.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$22.21 TTD 149

$19.28 TTD 129

15.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.78 TTD 25.40

$2.21 TTD 14.83

71.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 TTD 29.61

$3.00 TTD 20.14

47.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.72 TTD 4.83

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.73 TTD 4.90

$1.01 TTD 6.79

-27.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.23 TTD 8.26

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.68 TTD 58.2

$14.65 TTD 98.4

-40.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 TTD 6.85

$1.17 TTD 7.84

-12.82%

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)

$59.4 TTD 399

$90.2 TTD 606

-34.21%

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

$26.93 TTD 181

$50.9 TTD 342

-47.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$73.1 TTD 491

$56.0 TTD 376

30.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.7 TTD 347

Cinema Ticket

$7.96 TTD 53.4

$9.06 TTD 60.8

-12.14%

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

$74.0 TTD 497

$398 TTD 2,671

-81.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.9K TTD 73.2K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.79 TTD 301

$54.3 TTD 365

-17.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.29 TTD 324

$51.3 TTD 344

-5.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 TTD 927

$148 TTD 996

-6.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.7 TTD 588

$103 TTD 694

-15.19%

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 Tobago: October 25, 2026

Last update for St.James: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tobago

$336 27.7%

St.James

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Tobago

$311 25.6%

St.James

$356 38.8% 14.4% $45

Eating Out

Tobago

$194 16%

St.James

$178 19.4% 8.5% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tobago

$159 13.1%

St.James

$197 21.5% 23.7% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Tobago

$144 11.8%

St.James

$161 17.5% 12.1% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Tobago

$68 5.6%

St.James

$18 * 2% 73.2% $50

Getting Around

Tobago

$3.6 * 0.3%

St.James

$7.2 * 0.8% 98.9% $3.6

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 $42 in Tobago versus $88 in St.James. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $311 vs $356 – making Tobago the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇹 Tobago

🇹🇹 St.James

🕒 Local time

07:17 7:17 AM

Same time as Tobago

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

54,000

4,342

💱 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

On the map

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Tobago St.James 110 km

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

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

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,823 per month in Tobago and $1,375 in St.James. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,216 in Tobago and $917 in St.James. That’s a gap of about 33%.

Kindergarten costs $74 per month in Tobago and $398 in St.James. 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.