Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monaco and St Thomas

For one person, living is cheaper in St Thomas: $4,391 a month against $10.4K in Monaco, rent and utilities included – about $72,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Monaco outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

504

Cost of Living Index in Monaco
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Monaco Living Index
212

Cost of Living Index in St Thomas
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St Thomas Living Index

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Monaco

🇲🇨 Monaco

$10.4K

/mo nomad

St Thomas

🇻🇮 U.S. Virgin Islands

$4,391

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Monaco and in St Thomas

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $10.4K in Monaco versus $4,391 in St Thomas.

Monaco $10.4K
St Thomas $4,391

Estimated couple costs with rent: $11.9K in Monaco versus $7,217 in St Thomas.

Monaco $11.9K
St Thomas $7,217

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $13.4K in Monaco versus $10.0K in St Thomas.

Monaco $13.4K
St Thomas $10.0K

Living in Monaco is roughly 137% more expensive than in St Thomas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Monaco 669% above, St Thomas 224% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.81 €17.62

$22.90 $22.90

-13.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$166 €148

$171 $171

-3.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.38 €11.01

$13.62 $13.62

-9.10%

Cappuccino

$3.61 €3.21

$5.98 $5.98

-39.63%

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

$6.11 €5.43

$3.95 $3.95

54.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.57 €4.07

$3.39 $3.39

34.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.98 €8.87

$5.07 $5.07

96.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.70 €7.74

$6.92 $6.92

25.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 €1.62

$2.77 $2.77

-34.30%

White Bread (500g)

$3.24 €2.88

$6.67 $6.67

-51.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.08 €3.63

$18.43 $18.43

-77.86%

Eggs

$4.97 €4.42

$8.95 $8.95

-44.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.90 €12.36

$11.19 $11.19

24.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$16.91 €15.04

$28.68 $28.68

-41.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.47 €16.43

$39.99 $39.99

-53.81%

Apples (1kg)

$3.25 €2.89

$12.11 $12.11

-73.16%

Banana (1kg)

$2.73 €2.43

$11.00 $11.00

-75.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.69 €2.39

$12.23 $12.23

-78.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.57 €3.17

$19.61 $19.61

-81.80%

Potato (1kg)

$2.37 €2.10

$1.95 $1.95

21.54%

Onion (1kg)

$2.85 €2.54

$9.04 $9.04

-68.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.89 €1.68

$8.08 $8.08

-76.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$7.79 €6.93

$5.40 $5.40

44.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.26 €12.69

Wine (Bottle)

$6.61 €5.88

$25.24 $25.24

-73.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.56 €1.39

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.40 €3.92

$6.17 $6.17

-28.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.27 €2.02

$1.96 $1.96

15.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$23.50 €20.90

$61.0 $61.0

-61.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$19.69 $19.69

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.61 €1.43

$3.18 $3.18

-49.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$90.6 €80.6

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.23 €1.98

$1.42 $1.42

57.04%

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

$48.8K €43.4K

$54.6K $54.6K

-10.64%

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

$38.4K €34.2K

$48.6K $48.6K

-20.89%

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

$424 €377

$463 $463

-8.54%

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

$42.44 €37.75

$102 $102

-58.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$62.7 €55.7

$150 $150

-58.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$229 €204

$162 $162

41.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$52.6 €46.74

Cinema Ticket

$13.53 €12.03

$10.03 $10.03

34.90%

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

$2,155 €1,917

$1,477 $1,477

45.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$44.4K €39.5K

$22.4K $22.4K

97.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$152 €136

$113 $113

35.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$82.0 €72.9

$147 $147

-44.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$170 €151

$199 $199

-14.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$722 €642

$151 $151

378.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$9,333 €8,302

$1,584 $1,584

489.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$8,266 €7,353

$1,793 $1,793

360.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$16.5K €14.7K

$3,222 $3,222

413.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$8,429 €7,498

$4,208 $4,208

100.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$72.1K €64.2K

$4,853 $4,853

1386.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$55.0K €48.9K

$10.9K $10.9K

406.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$8,751 €7,784

$2,792 $2,792

213.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.25

9.45

-65.61%

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

Last update for Monaco: October 19, 2026

Last update for St Thomas: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Monaco

$8.3K 79.3%

St Thomas

$1.8K 40.8% 78.3% $6.5K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Monaco

$529 5.1%

St Thomas

$714 16.3% 35.2% $186

Clothing & Footwear

Monaco

$507 4.9%

St Thomas

$274 6.3% 45.9% $232

Groceries & Markets

Monaco

$473 4.5%

St Thomas

$958 * 21.8% 102% $485

Eating Out

Monaco

$349 3.4%

St Thomas

$364 8.3% 4.4% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Monaco

$256 2.5%

St Thomas

$182 4.2% 28.8% $74

Getting Around

Monaco

$41 * 0.4%

St Thomas

$104 2.4% 157% $64

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $9,333 in Monaco and $1,584 in St Thomas. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Monaco pays 213% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $166 in Monaco vs $171 in St Thomas for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $473 vs $958 per month, with Monaco cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇨 Monaco

🇻🇮 St Thomas

🕒 Local time

12:50 12:50 PM

06:50 6:50 AM

6 h behind Monaco

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

39,050 Capital

20,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Monaco St Thomas 7,210 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Monaco
St Thomas

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

Monaco vs St Thomas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monaco and St Thomas differ by about 137% in total monthly costs ($10.4K vs $4,391 including rent). St Thomas is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 213% higher in Monaco, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $9,333 in Monaco versus $1,584 in St Thomas. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in St Thomas – a meal for two runs $171 versus $166 in Monaco. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $10.4K per month in Monaco versus $4,391 in St Thomas – a 137% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Both cities are expensive relative to $5,000. St Thomas is the more realistic option, but even there you'll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Monaco and St Thomas are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find St Thomas gentler on the wallet – expenses run 137% less than in Monaco. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.