Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Berlin and Philipsburg

For one person, living is cheaper in Berlin: $2,551 a month against $3,130 in Philipsburg, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Philipsburg outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

124

Cost of Living Index in Berlin
Learn more

Berlin Living Index
148

Cost of Living Index in Philipsburg
Learn more

Philipsburg Living Index

Jump to prices

Berlin

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,551

/mo nomad

Philipsburg

🇸🇽 Sint Maarten

$3,130

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Berlin and in Philipsburg

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

A single person spends $2,551 per month in Berlin vs $3,130 in Philipsburg, rent included.

Berlin $2,551
Philipsburg $3,130

A couple spends around $3,845 per month in Berlin vs $6,084 in Philipsburg, rent included.

Berlin $3,845
Philipsburg $6,084

A family of three spends $5,139 per month in Berlin vs $9,037 in Philipsburg, rent included.

Berlin $5,139
Philipsburg $9,037

Berlin is about 19% cheaper than Philipsburg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Berlin and Philipsburg sit above the global median – Berlin by 89%, Philipsburg by 132%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.81

$15.39 ANG 27.56

8.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.7 €68.2

$69.4 ANG 124

10.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.47 €11.98

$8.30 ANG 14.85

62.29%

Cappuccino

$4.37 €3.89

$4.42 ANG 7.92

-1.13%

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

$3.48 €3.09

$2.88 ANG 5.16

20.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.12 €2.77

$4.01 ANG 7.19

-22.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.34 €4.75

$2.95 ANG 5.28

81.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.39 €3.91

$6.45 ANG 11.54

-31.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 €1.13

$2.98 ANG 5.33

-57.38%

White Bread (500g)

$2.33 €2.08

$2.66 ANG 4.75

-12.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.40 €3.02

$2.55 ANG 4.57

33.33%

Eggs

$4.50 €4.00

$6.55 ANG 11.73

-31.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.78 €14.93

$18.45 ANG 33.02

-9.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.91 €10.59

$13.94 ANG 24.96

-14.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.90 €15.92

$14.88 ANG 26.64

20.30%

Apples (1kg)

$3.46 €3.07

$5.10 ANG 9.13

-32.16%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 €1.73

$5.19 ANG 9.30

-62.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.26 €2.90

$8.87 ANG 15.88

-63.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.71 €3.30

$7.49 ANG 13.40

-50.47%

Potato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$3.92 ANG 7.02

-46.43%

Onion (1kg)

$2.09 €1.86

$4.08 ANG 7.31

-48.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.42 €1.27

$4.95 ANG 8.86

-71.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 €0.84

$1.35 ANG 2.42

-29.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.44 €9.29

$8.23 ANG 14.72

26.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.58 €5.85

$10.82 ANG 19.37

-39.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 €1.13

$4.89 ANG 8.75

-74.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 €1.85

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.34 €3.86

$2.20 ANG 3.94

97.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$71.6 €63.7

$1.53 ANG 2.74

4579.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.26 €4.68

$15.17 ANG 27.15

-65.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.09 €2.75

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$36.34 €32.32

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.31 €2.05

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

$32.4K €28.8K

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

$38.6K €34.3K

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

$382 €340

$152 ANG 272

150.79%

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

$18.83 €16.75

$32.61 ANG 58.4

-42.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.57 €43.20

$65.5 ANG 117

-25.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.21 €35.76

$61.9 ANG 111

-35.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.90 €31.04

Cinema Ticket

$15.73 €14.00

$10.95 ANG 19.60

43.65%

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

$142 €126

$255 ANG 456

-44.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.8K €14.0K

$12.2K ANG 21.8K

29.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$95.4 €84.8

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.32 €41.20

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.4

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$143 €128

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,469 €1,306

$2,117 ANG 3,789

-30.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,114 €991

$2,020 ANG 3,616

-44.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,751 €2,447

$6,570 ANG 11.8K

-58.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,107 €1,875

$6,514 ANG 11.7K

-67.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,454 €7,520

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,435 €4,834

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,543 €3,151

$1,117 ANG 1,999

217.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.8

-24.00%

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

Last update for Berlin: October 12, 2026

Last update for Philipsburg: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Berlin

$1.1K 43.7%

Philipsburg

$2K 64.5% 81.3% $906

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Berlin

$449 17.6%

Philipsburg

$250 8% 44.3% $199

Groceries & Markets

Berlin

$343 13.4%

Philipsburg

$494 * 15.8% 44.1% $151

Eating Out

Berlin

$288 11.3%

Philipsburg

$256 8.2% 11% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Berlin

$175 6.9%

Philipsburg

- * 0% 100%

Getting Around

Berlin

$110 4.3%

Philipsburg

$26 * 0.8% 76.7% $84

Sport & Entertainment

Berlin

$72 2.8%

Philipsburg

$84 2.7% 17% $12

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,469 in Berlin versus $2,117 in Philipsburg. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 217% higher in Berlin, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $77.0 in Berlin versus $69.0 in Philipsburg. Groceries tell a different story – $343 in Berlin vs $494 in Philipsburg – so Berlin wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Berlin

🇸🇽 Philipsburg

🕒 Local time

23:28 11:28 PM

17:28 5:28 PM

6 h behind Berlin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,769,962 Capital

1,900 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Netherlands Antillean Guilder ANG ƒ

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 ANG = 0.559 USD

1 ANG = 0.497 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ANG, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Netherlands Antillean Guilder exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.79 ANG (1 ANG = 0.559 USD). 1 EUR = 2.01 ANG (1 ANG = 0.497 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Berlin Philipsburg 7,520 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Berlin
Philipsburg

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

Berlin vs Philipsburg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Philipsburg is pricier by about 23%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,826 per month in Berlin and $4,696 in Philipsburg. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Berlin, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,551 in Berlin and $3,130 in Philipsburg. That's a gap of about 23%.

Public transport costs about 4580% less in Berlin. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$2,500 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,551 in Berlin and $3,130 in Philipsburg. You'll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Berlin – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Berlin. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Philipsburg makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.