Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Trinidad And Tobago and Costa Rica

For one person, living is cheaper in Trinidad And Tobago: $1,469 a month against $1,821 in Costa Rica, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Trinidad And Tobago
Costa Rica
🇹🇹 Trinidad And Tobago
$1,469
/mo nomad
🇨🇷 Costa Rica
$1,821
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Trinidad And Tobago and in Costa Rica

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Trinidad And Tobago and in Costa Rica actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,469 per month in Trinidad And Tobago vs $1,821 in Costa Rica, rent included.

  • Trinidad And Tobago $1,469
  • Costa Rica $1,821

A couple spends around $2,391 per month in Trinidad And Tobago vs $2,773 in Costa Rica, rent included.

  • Trinidad And Tobago $2,391
  • Costa Rica $2,773

A family of three spends $3,313 per month in Trinidad And Tobago vs $3,725 in Costa Rica, rent included.

  • Trinidad And Tobago $3,313
  • Costa Rica $3,725

Cost ranges are similar: Trinidad And Tobago spans $723–$1,628, Costa Rica $1,004–$2,114. City choice affects budget similarly in either country.

The cost of living in Trinidad And Tobago is roughly 19% lower than in Costa Rica on average.

Both Trinidad And Tobago and Costa Rica are pricier than the global median – Trinidad And Tobago by 8%, Costa Rica by 34%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Trinidad And Tobago
Costa Rica
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.25 TTD 69.0
$11.26 ₡5,069
-8.97%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$79.8 TTD 537
$54.5 ₡24.5K
46.30%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.79 TTD 59.2
$11.02 ₡4,960
-20.24%
Cappuccino
$3.81 TTD 25.66
$4.43 ₡1,993
-14.00%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.11 TTD 7.49
$2.34 ₡1,052
-52.56%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.81 TTD 5.42
$1.84 ₡826
-55.98%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.19 TTD 14.76
$3.26 ₡1,469
-32.82%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.89 TTD 19.49
$4.55 ₡2,047
-36.48%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Trinidad And Tobago
Costa Rica
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.41 TTD 16.22
$2.45 ₡1,101
-1.63%
White Bread (500g)
$2.39 TTD 16.13
$3.56 ₡1,603
-32.87%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.59 TTD 17.41
$2.76 ₡1,241
-6.16%
Eggs
$4.19 TTD 28.21
$3.97 ₡1,789
5.54%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.81 TTD 52.6
$10.47 ₡4,713
-25.41%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.19 TTD 61.9
$9.98 ₡4,493
-7.92%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.99 TTD 67.3
$13.91 ₡6,259
-28.18%
Apples (1kg)
$5.00 TTD 33.65
$5.06 ₡2,276
-1.19%
Banana (1kg)
$2.67 TTD 17.99
$1.69 ₡761
57.99%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.10 TTD 20.87
$3.45 ₡1,553
-10.14%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.76 TTD 32.07
$3.23 ₡1,455
47.37%
Potato (1kg)
$1.73 TTD 11.65
$3.44 ₡1,550
-49.71%
Onion (1kg)
$1.60 TTD 10.76
$3.25 ₡1,461
-50.77%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.71 TTD 11.51
$1.09 ₡490
56.88%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.31 TTD 8.79
$2.67 ₡1,200
-50.94%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.83 TTD 39.24
$5.38 ₡2,420
8.36%
Wine (Bottle)
$17.57 TTD 118
$15.50 ₡6,975
13.35%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.96 TTD 13.22
$2.75 ₡1,238
-28.73%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.17 TTD 21.34
$3.30 ₡1,484
-3.94%
🚌 Getting Around
Trinidad And Tobago
Costa Rica
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.90 TTD 6.09
$1.13 ₡508
-20.35%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$132 TTD 888
$65.5 ₡29.5K
101.25%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.05 TTD 7.05
$2.17 ₡976
-51.61%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.93 TTD 6.26
$2.02 ₡910
-53.96%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$14.46 TTD 97.4
$8.94 ₡4,023
61.74%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.10 TTD 7.39
$1.61 ₡724
-31.68%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$37.0K TTD 248.9K
$34.5K ₡15.5M
7.14%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$38.4K TTD 258.8K
$37.4K ₡16.8M
2.85%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Trinidad And Tobago
Costa Rica
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$86.6 TTD 583
$94.9 ₡42.7K
-8.77%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$44.74 TTD 301
$31.42 ₡14.1K
42.39%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$54.7 TTD 368
$58.6 ₡26.3K
-6.58%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Trinidad And Tobago
Costa Rica
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$53.8 TTD 362
$65.7 ₡29.6K
-18.08%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$16.32 TTD 110
$22.20 ₡9,989
-26.49%
Cinema Ticket
$8.99 TTD 60.6
$8.10 ₡3,645
10.99%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Trinidad And Tobago
Costa Rica
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$281 TTD 1,895
$722 ₡324.9K
-61.02%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.3K TTD 76.3K
$12.9K ₡5.8M
-12.26%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Trinidad And Tobago
Costa Rica
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$58.0 TTD 391
$75.5 ₡34.0K
-23.17%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$45.88 TTD 309
$56.4 ₡25.4K
-18.70%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$124 TTD 833
$128 ₡57.7K
-3.53%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$90.0 TTD 606
$108 ₡48.7K
-16.76%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Trinidad And Tobago
Costa Rica
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$597 TTD 4,019
$960 ₡432.0K
-37.84%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$415 TTD 2,794
$708 ₡318.6K
-41.40%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,171 TTD 7,884
$1,749 ₡786.9K
-33.05%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$799 TTD 5,378
$1,215 ₡546.8K
-34.27%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,973 TTD 26.8K
$2,656 ₡1.2M
49.60%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,925 TTD 13.0K
$1,839 ₡827.5K
4.70%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Trinidad And Tobago
Costa Rica
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$884 TTD 5,954
$1,058 ₡476.3K
-16.47%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.96
9.56
-37.66%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Trinidad And Tobago: October 26, 2026

Last update for Costa Rica: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Trinidad And Tobago
$415
Costa Rica
$708 70.6% $293
Groceries & Markets
Trinidad And Tobago
$334
Costa Rica
$380 13.8% $46
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Trinidad And Tobago
$186
Costa Rica
$185 0.6% $1.1
Eating Out
Trinidad And Tobago
$179
Costa Rica
$218 22.3% $40
Clothing & Footwear
Trinidad And Tobago
$143
Costa Rica
$166 16% $23
Getting Around
Trinidad And Tobago
$141
Costa Rica
$82 41.7% $59
Sport & Entertainment
Trinidad And Tobago
$72
Costa Rica
$82 14.1% $10

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $566 in Trinidad And Tobago vs $855 in Costa Rica. For reference, capital cities sit at $1,003 in Port of Spain and $1,164 in San Jose.

Average salary: $974 in Trinidad And Tobago vs $1,087 in Costa Rica. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 51% higher in Costa Rica.

Dining out costs 26% more in Trinidad And Tobago.

Public transport is 55% more expensive in Trinidad And Tobago.

Salaries are 12% higher in Costa Rica.

Good to know
🇹🇹 Trinidad And Tobago
🇨🇷 Costa Rica
🕒 Local time
04:37 4:37 AM
02:37 2:37 AM
2 h behind Trinidad And Tobago
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,369,125
5,044,197
Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to TTD – Trinidad and Tobago Dollar Converter

Trinidad and Tobago Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 6.73 TTD (1 TTD = 0.148 USD). 1 EUR = 7.5 TTD (1 TTD = 0.133 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 450 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 501 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Trinidad And Tobago Costa Rica 2,470 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Trinidad And Tobago
  • Costa Rica

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
Trinidad And Tobago vs Costa Rica: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which country is cheaper: Costa Rica or Trinidad And Tobago?
Trinidad And Tobago is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 19% lower on average.
Is rent more expensive in Costa Rica or in Trinidad And Tobago?
Housing costs more in Costa Rica: a central one-bedroom averages $855 versus $566 in Trinidad And Tobago.
Which country is better for expats: Costa Rica or Trinidad And Tobago?
Trinidad And Tobago is the budget-friendly choice for expats. But cost isn’t everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.

Trinidad And Tobago vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar countries

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?