How much does it cost to live in Port of Spain?
Typical Month (Mid Range)
$1,859 (TTD 12,580)
Housing, food, transport, mobile, coworking and gym.
Updated September 2026 · Sources cited: expatexchange.com, terracaribbean.com
- Typical Month (Lower End)
- $958 (TTD 6,486)
- Typical Month (Premium)
- $2,469 (TTD 16,712)
- Furnished 1-bed rent
- $750 (TTD 5,075)
Good to know
Good to Know
- Live, current short-term furnished-rental listing data for Port of Spain is genuinely thin online — most of what's findable is either vague expat-blog ranges or long-term unfurnished lease listings, so treat exact housing numbers as directional rather than precise; networking with local Facebook expat groups or a local agent tends to surface better short-term furnished options than portals do.
- Woodbrook (especially around Ariapita Avenue) is the liveliest, most walkable base with restaurants and bars, but it's also noisy at night; St. Clair, right next door, is quieter and is where many diplomats and longer-term expats choose to live instead.
- Carnival season (typically February) drives a sharp, temporary spike in short-term furnished rental demand and price in Port of Spain — booking well ahead or avoiding that window saves money.
- Eating local — roti, doubles, and other street/local food — is dramatically cheaper than imported or Western-style restaurant food, so grocery and dining budgets swing a lot depending on how much imported/packaged food you buy versus local produce and street food.
- PTSC buses and maxi-taxis are cash-only — carry small TTD denominations, especially for maxi-taxis where exact fare is appreciated.
- There is no metro, tram or light rail in Trinidad and Tobago — getting around Port of Spain realistically means PTSC buses, maxi-taxis, route/PH taxis, or ride-hailing apps like Drop and Reach.
- The coworking scene is thin — Regus (Invaders Bay Tower) and The Worx appear to be the only dedicated coworking options actually in Port of Spain, so choices and pricing flexibility are limited compared to larger nomad hubs.
- Most US, UK, EU and Commonwealth passport holders don't need to arrange any visa in advance for a stay of up to 90 days, which comfortably covers a multi-month nomad stint without extra visa cost.
- Digicel is the dominant mobile carrier; prepaid data-heavy plans exist but current TTD pricing wasn't clearly published on the carrier's own site at the time of research, so it's worth checking in-store or in-app rates on arrival.
Monthly Totals
- Mid-range month
- TTD 12,580
Includes 6 estimated components
- Lean month
- TTD 6,486
Includes 4 estimated components
- Comfortable month
- TTD 16,712
Includes 7 estimated components
Living Costs
- Where nomads live
- There is no large, well-documented 'digital nomad' cluster in Port of Spain the way there is in some other Caribbean cities. The closest thing is Woodbrook (especially around Ariapita Avenue, the city's restaurant/bar strip) for younger expats who want walkability and nightlife, and the adjacent St. Clair district for expats/diplomats who prioritize quiet and security. Housing figures below are grounded in these two areas; where a source only gave a city-wide range (common for Port of Spain, since live short-term-rental listing data is thin), that is noted.
Housing (per month)
- Mid-range 1-bed
- TTD 5,075
Estimated
Expat Exchange cost-of-living guide states a 'nice 1 bedroom apartment in the city' runs $500–$1,000 USD/month; $750 used as the midpoint, so classified as estimated.
Published in USD
- Budget studio / 1-bed
- TTD 4,400
Estimated
Terra Caribbean (real estate agency) rental market overview states fully furnished studios in Woodbrook/central Port of Spain range TT$3,800–5,000/month; TT$4,400 used as the midpoint, so classified as estimated rather than a single quoted listing.
- Premium apartment
- TTD 7,782
Estimated
Same Expat Exchange guide states a 'nice 2 bedroom apartment' runs $800–$1,500 USD/month; $1,150 used as the midpoint, so classified as estimated. Note: some sources describe an even higher luxury tier ($4,000–$7,000/month) for gated, pooled residences in Westmoorings/Glencoe favored by diplomats, but those areas sit well outside the ~10-minute city-center radius so are not used as the primary premium figure here.
Published in USD
- Private room in a shared home
- TTD 3,000
Estimated
No live listings for a private room in a shared home were found for Port of Spain. Estimated as roughly two-thirds of the furnished-studio figure below, which is the closest documented tier; treat as a rough placeholder, not a sourced figure.
Groceries
- Groceries for one (month)
- TTD 2,600
Estimated
No single aggregator figure for a total monthly grocery basket in Port of Spain was found. Extrapolated from the per-item staple prices below (milk, bread, rice, eggs, cheese) plus typical produce/protein spend for one person cooking most meals; treat as a rough estimate, not a directly sourced total.
Sample prices
Milk (1 Liter)
- Milk (1 Liter)
- TTD 18
Survey / cost-of-living site
CityCost.org cost-of-living aggregator lists milk (1 liter) at TTD 17.82 / $2.64 USD.
White Bread (500g Loaf)
- White Bread (500g Loaf)
- TTD 18
Survey / cost-of-living site
CityCost.org lists white bread (500g) at TTD 18.30 / $2.71 USD.
White Rice (1kg)
- White Rice (1kg)
- TTD 18
Survey / cost-of-living site
CityCost.org lists white rice (1kg) at TTD 17.93 / $2.65 USD.
Eggs (Dozen, Large)
- Eggs (Dozen, Large)
- TTD 34
Survey / cost-of-living site
CityCost.org lists eggs at TTD 34.06 / $5.04 USD.
Local Cheese (1kg)
- Local Cheese (1kg)
- TTD 52
Survey / cost-of-living site
CityCost.org lists local cheese (1kg) at TTD 52.0 / $7.70 USD.
Eating out
- Cheap meal
- TTD 38
Estimated
CityCost.org lists a fast food combo meal (e.g., McDonald's-style) at TTD 51.0 / $7.54 USD. [Adjusted 2026-09-18: the source's 51 TTD reduced by 25%; see "adjusted".]
- High-end meal
- TTD 338
Estimated
No specific source quoted a high-end per-person meal price for Port of Spain. Estimated based on typical upscale restaurant pricing in the Woodbrook/St. Clair area relative to the mid-range figure above; treat as a rough placeholder.
Published in USD
- Mid-range meal
- TTD 114
Estimated
Expat Exchange states dinner at a moderately priced restaurant in Port of Spain runs $15–$30 USD per person; $22.50 used as the midpoint, so classified as estimated. [Adjusted 2026-09-18: the source's 152 TTD reduced by 25%; see "adjusted".]
Published in USD
Work, Transport & Essentials
Coworking
- Venue
- Regus Invaders Bay Tower, Port of Spain
- Day pass
- TTD 1,019
Operator's own price
Regus Invaders Bay Tower (Port of Spain) lists 'Day Offices From TTD 1,019 per person per day'; this is a private day office rather than a pure hot-desk day pass, as no separate hot-desk day-pass figure was published.
- Monthly hot desk
- TTD 2,985
Operator's own price
Regus states its one Port of Spain coworking location rents a desk for TTD 2,985/month, based on Regus.com pricing tied to a 24-month contract; actual price varies by term and headcount.
Transport
- How to get there
- PTSC bus
- What the pass covers
- PTSC Travel Card exists for unlimited travel on specific routes but current pricing is not published online; most nomads pay per-ride in cash.
- Single ride
- TTD 7.00
Estimated
Estimated as the midpoint of the TT$4–10 one-way PTSC bus fare range reported for main routes in 2024–2025; PTSC fares vary by distance and no single official flat fare is published.
- Monthly pass
- Not available
PTSC (the state bus operator) offers a 'Travel Card' allowing unlimited travel on specific routes, but no current published price for the card could be located in available sources.
Mobile & data
- Carrier
- Digicel
- Monthly plan
- TTD 300
Operator's own price
Digicel's own postpaid page lists 'My Choice Plan for TT300 VAT Incl.', which bundles calls, roaming data and local minutes; exact GB allowance is not itemized on the page.
- Data allowance
- Bundled voice + data allowance under Digicel's 'My Choice' postpaid plan (exact GB not published); prepaid alternatives like the 'D' Freedom' plan advertise 60GB any-use data but list no fixed TTD price online.
Short Stays (per night)
- Seasonal pricing
- Yes
- Why
- Carnival season (February–March, peaking a week or two before Ash Wednesday) drives accommodation prices more than double normal rates; October also shows significant pricing peaks driven by festival events including Divali and the Film Festival.
Low season
- Budget
- TTD 455
AirROI bottom-quartile Airbnb entry-level properties (Apr 2025–Mar 2026 annual data)
- Luxury
- TTD 1,850
AirROI top-10% best-in-class properties; represents mid-to-upper premium end in off-season
- Premium
- TTD 1,170
AirROI top-25% strong-performing Airbnb listings (Apr 2025–Mar 2026)
- Standard
- TTD 730
AirROI median Airbnb property (Apr 2025–Mar 2026); typical low-season nights in August–December
High season
- Budget
- TTD 1,650
Cara Hotels Claxton Bay, Carnival-week rate per night inclusive of breakfast (Feb 2026 actual)
- Luxury
- TTD 4,415
Source reports floor of $500+ for well-located luxury properties during Carnival 2026; Hyatt at top end of market
- Premium
- TTD 4,415
Hyatt Regency with breakfast and taxes during Carnival peak (Feb 2026)
- Standard
- TTD 4,330
Hyatt Regency Trinidad peak Carnival nightly rate, limited availability (Feb 2026)
Low-season months
- August
- December
High-season months
- February
- March
- October
Sources cited for this category
These are the sources cited in this cost of living research for this city. Individual figures may not each trace to one of them.
More About Port of Spain
Data last updated September 2026 · Verify anything important.