U.S. expat says Trinidad move cut family costs to about $3,000 a month

Chantel Henry says moving from the U.S. to Trinidad and Tobago changed the math for her family: four people now live on about $3,000 a month. For households squeezed by housing, childcare and everyday bills, her budget shows how location can reshape what “affordable” looks like.

Henry, founder of Easy Life Abroad, told CNBC Make It that she was building a career in Atlanta as a media consultant for NFL and NBA players when she met her future husband at a work conference in 2013. He was from Trinidad and Tobago, and before they married, he invited her to visit so she could decide whether she could see herself living there.

She said Trinidad felt more centered on family and community than the lifestyle she had known in Atlanta. Henry described seeing young children take maxi taxis, minibuses that follow set routes, to school on their own, and said everyday interactions often included formal greetings for adults.

A lower monthly burn rate

The biggest change in Henry’s budget appears to be housing. She told CNBC Make It she once paid $1,500 a month for a one-bedroom apartment in Atlanta. In 2018, Henry and her husband bought a three-bedroom home in Trinidad and Tobago, where their monthly mortgage payment is $500. She said the home is about 12 minutes from the beach.

Other recurring bills are also lower than many U.S. households might expect. Henry said her family pays about $20 a month for electricity and about $75 a month for phone and internet service. She drives a Chevrolet truck that costs roughly $400 a month including insurance, after previously driving a Mercedes-Benz in Atlanta.

Henry said her family’s total monthly spending is about $3,000. Their grocery bill is around $400 a month, which she said gives her room to try local dishes without pushing the budget too far. Her two children are homeschooled and take part in eight extracurricular activities, including music and sports, for a combined cost of about $477 a month.

Healthcare and lifestyle trade-offs

Henry also pointed to healthcare costs as a meaningful difference. She told CNBC Make It that one medication that would cost $500 without insurance in the U.S. costs $10 at her local pharmacy in Trinidad.

Her move also changed how she thinks about success. Henry said she now associates it with working from home while watching her children climb fruit trees in the yard. She said local markets have become part of her children’s education, giving them practice with budgeting, mental math, negotiation and conversation.

The relocation came with trade-offs. Henry said adapting to a new culture took time, and living far from her immediate family has been difficult. She also said there have been two crime-related states of emergency since she moved to Trinidad and Tobago.

Some U.S. conveniences are harder to replace. Henry said she misses taking trains for sightseeing in Washington, D.C., and New York. Shopping habits changed too: she now refreshes her wardrobe twice a year instead of buying clothes every other weekend.

Henry told CNBC Make It she does not think every family needs to leave the U.S. to improve its quality of life. Her view is that Trinidad and Tobago gave her family lower living costs, more access to nature, the ability to homeschool and a broader worldview for her children.

This story draws on original reporting from CNBC.