For one person, living is cheaper in China: $791 a month against $3,791 in Sint Maarten, rent and utilities included – about $36,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.
How much you'll spend in China and in Sint Maarten
Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in China and in Sint Maarten actually costs, broken down by who's living it.
Monthly costs for one person with rent: $791 in China versus $3,791 in Sint Maarten.
China $791
Sint Maarten $3,791
Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,251 in China versus $6,693 in Sint Maarten.
China $1,251
Sint Maarten $6,693
Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,711 in China versus $9,595 in Sint Maarten.
China $1,711
Sint Maarten $9,595
📏
Internal cost variation is higher in Sint Maarten: monthly costs span $2,291 to $3,850, compared to $465–$1,222 in China. City choice carries more weight in Sint Maarten.
🌍
Living in China costs about 79% less than in Sint Maarten on average.
📊
China (42% below) and Sint Maarten (179% above) straddle the global median.
Currency
No currencies found
🍽 Eating Out
China
Sint Maarten
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.98¥19.78
$17.29ANG 30.94
-82.76%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$22.09¥147
$73.7ANG 132
-70.02%
Fast Food Meal(McDonalds, etc)
$5.20¥34.55
$10.04ANG 17.98
-48.21%
Cappuccino
$2.97¥19.71
$4.59ANG 8.22
-35.29%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite(0.33 liter bottle)
$0.48¥3.18
$3.06ANG 5.47
-84.31%
Water(0.33 liter bottle)
$0.30¥2.00
$3.52ANG 6.31
-91.48%
Local Beer(0.5 liter draught)
$1.08¥7.17
$4.07ANG 7.29
-73.46%
Imported Beer(0.33 liter bottle)
$2.28¥15.13
$5.46ANG 9.77
-58.24%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
China
Sint Maarten
Difference
Milk(1 liter)
$1.80¥11.94
$3.58ANG 6.42
-49.72%
White Bread(500g)
$1.68¥11.13
$2.73ANG 4.89
-38.46%
Rice(white)(1kg)
$0.92¥6.13
$3.07ANG 5.50
-70.03%
Eggs
$1.61¥10.72
$5.17ANG 9.26
-68.86%
Local Cheese(1kg)
$13.38¥88.9
$20.47ANG 36.65
-34.64%
Chicken Fillets(1kg)
$3.35¥22.25
$14.53ANG 26.00
-76.94%
Beef Round Steak(1kg)
$11.35¥75.4
$16.11ANG 28.83
-29.55%
Apples(1kg)
$1.82¥12.11
$5.27ANG 9.43
-65.46%
Banana(1kg)
$1.31¥8.68
$5.13ANG 9.17
-74.46%
Oranges(1kg)
$1.49¥9.88
$8.86ANG 15.87
-83.18%
Tomato(1kg)
$1.27¥8.46
$7.36ANG 13.17
-82.74%
Potato(1kg)
$0.71¥4.73
$4.25ANG 7.61
-83.29%
Onion(1kg)
$0.93¥6.20
$3.70ANG 6.62
-74.86%
Lettuce(1 head)
$0.62¥4.11
$3.94ANG 7.06
-84.26%
Water(1.5 liter bottle)
$0.56¥3.73
$1.38ANG 2.47
-59.42%
Cigarettes 20 Pack(Marlboro, Camel)
$3.78¥25.12
$7.92ANG 14.18
-52.27%
Wine(Bottle)
$12.13¥80.6
$11.19ANG 20.03
8.40%
Local Beer(0.5 liter bottle)
$0.83¥5.53
$5.13ANG 9.18
-83.82%
Imported Beer(0.33 liter bottle)
$1.68¥11.19
$1.79ANG 3.21
-6.15%
🚌 Getting Around
China
Sint Maarten
Difference
One-way Ticket(Public Transport)
$0.29¥1.91
$3.03ANG 5.42
-90.43%
Public Transport Monthly Pass(Regular Price)
$17.83¥118
$1.54ANG 2.76
1057.79%
Taxi Start(Normal Tariff)
$1.49¥9.88
$20.09ANG 35.96
-92.58%
Taxi(Normal Tariff)(1km)
$0.37¥2.49
-
-
Taxi 1hour Waiting(Normal Tariff)
$7.10¥47.17
-
-
Gasoline(1 liter)
$1.26¥8.36
$1.32ANG 2.36
-4.55%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l(Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$19.4K¥129.2K
-
-
Compact Sedan 1.6l(Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$17.5K¥116.5K
-
-
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
China
Sint Maarten
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment(Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage)(85m2)
$54.6¥363
$392ANG 701
-86.08%
SIM Card Monthly Plan(Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$8.73¥58.0
$37.70ANG 67.5
-76.84%
Internet(50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$11.07¥73.5
$77.5ANG 139
-85.71%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
China
Sint Maarten
Difference
Gym Membership(Monthly)
$40.77¥271
$65.9ANG 118
-38.16%
Tennis Court(1 Hour on Weekend)
$14.48¥96.2
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$6.78¥45.05
$9.15ANG 16.38
-25.90%
🧸 Childcare & Education
China
Sint Maarten
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child(Monthly)
$517¥3,433
$582ANG 1,041
-11.19%
International Primary School, 1 Child(Yearly)
$19.8K¥131.6K
$11.9KANG 21.3K
66.38%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
China
Sint Maarten
Difference
Jeans(Levis 501 Or Similar)
$46.53¥309
$50.8ANG 91.0
-8.44%
Summer Dress(H&M, Zara, etc)
$35.66¥237
$40.58ANG 72.6
-12.12%
Sport Shoes(Adidas, Nike)
$77.0¥512
$101ANG 181
-23.79%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$80.3¥533
$59.3ANG 106
35.33%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
China
Sint Maarten
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center(Monthly)
$386¥2,564
$2,277ANG 4,075
-83.06%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center(Monthly)
$235¥1,558
$2,260ANG 4,045
-89.62%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center(Monthly)
$822¥5,461
$6,574ANG 11.8K
-87.50%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center(Monthly)
$453¥3,011
$6,431ANG 11.5K
-92.95%
Buy Apartment in City Center(m2)
$4,697¥31.2K
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center(m2)
$2,372¥15.8K
$12.0KANG 21.5K
-80.27%
💵 Salaries & Financials
China
Sint Maarten
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary(After Tax)
$1,093¥7,264
$1,833ANG 3,280
-40.35%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate(Annual %)
3.46
5
-30.80%
CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.
Last update for China: October 24, 2026
Last update for Sint Maarten: October 24, 2026
Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Share of the monthly basket for a family of three, rent included.
🏠Accommodation & Living
China
$235 29.6%
Sint Maarten
$2.3K 59.6% ↑ 864%$2K
🛒Groceries & Markets
China
$210 26.5%
Sint Maarten
$512 13.5% ↑ 144%$302
👕👟Clothing & Footwear
China
$108 13.6%
Sint Maarten
$113 3% ↑ 5.1%$5.5
🍽Eating Out
China
$88 11.1%
Sint Maarten
$281 7.4% ↑ 219%$193
🧾Monthly Utilities & Internet
China
$74 9.4%
Sint Maarten
$507 13.4% ↑ 582%$433
🎉Sport & Entertainment
China
$54 6.9%
Sint Maarten
$84 2.2% ↑ 55.1%$30
🚌Getting Around
China
$22 2.8%
Sint Maarten
$34 * 0.9% ↑ 51.1%$11
Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.
🏠Accommodation & Living
China
$453 26.5%
Sint Maarten
$6.4K 67% ↑ 1319%$6K
🛒Groceries & Markets
China
$483 28.3%
Sint Maarten
$1.2K 12.4% ↑ 147%$709
👕👟Clothing & Footwear
China
$239 14%
Sint Maarten
$252 2.6% ↑ 5.1%$12
🍽Eating Out
China
$284 16.6%
Sint Maarten
$934 9.7% ↑ 229%$650
🧾Monthly Utilities & Internet
China
$83 4.9%
Sint Maarten
$545 5.7% ↑ 556%$462
🎉Sport & Entertainment
China
$123 7.2%
Sint Maarten
$168 * 1.8% ↑ 36.8%$45
🚌Getting Around
China
$45 2.6%
Sint Maarten
$74 * 0.8% ↑ 62.5%$28
Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.
Cost Breakdown
🏠National rent averages: $298 in China, $2,231 in Sint Maarten. Capital cities: $933 in Beijing (Pekin) vs $2,126 in Philipsburg.
💰National salary averages: $873 in China, $2,053 in Sint Maarten. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.
Cost Highlights
⭐Rent is 649% higher in Sint Maarten.
⭐Dining out costs 355% more in Sint Maarten.
⭐Public transport is 800% more expensive in China.
⭐Salaries are about 2.4 times higher in Sint Maarten, and purchasing power comes out stronger in China.
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
China vs Sint Maarten: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which country is more expensive to live in: China or Sint Maarten?
At $791 per month in China and $3,791 in Sint Maarten, China comes out about 79% cheaper. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.
How do rents compare between China and Sint Maarten?
Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $2,231 in Sint Maarten and $298 in China. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.
How do I choose between living in China and in Sint Maarten?
It depends on what you’re after: China wins on affordability, while salaries, visas, language, and lifestyle can tip the balance either way.