Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Philipsburg

For one person, living is cheaper in Montreal: $2,067 a month against $3,119 in Philipsburg, rent and utilities included – about $12,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Philipsburg outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

100

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index

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Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,067

/mo nomad

Philipsburg

🇸🇽 Sint Maarten

$3,119

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montreal 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 Montreal and in Philipsburg actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,067 per month in Montreal vs $3,119 in Philipsburg, rent included.

Montreal $2,067
Philipsburg $3,119

A couple spends around $3,179 per month in Montreal vs $6,130 in Philipsburg, rent included.

Montreal $3,179
Philipsburg $6,130

A family of three spends $4,291 per month in Montreal vs $9,141 in Philipsburg, rent included.

Montreal $4,291
Philipsburg $9,141

Montreal is about 34% cheaper than Philipsburg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Montreal and Philipsburg sit above the global median – Montreal by 53%, Philipsburg by 131%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.89 CA$26.48

$15.25 ANG 27.30

23.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$72.6 CA$102

$70.0 ANG 125

3.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.79 CA$15.13

$8.19 ANG 14.66

31.75%

Cappuccino

$3.98 CA$5.58

$4.36 ANG 7.80

-8.72%

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

$2.02 CA$2.83

$2.85 ANG 5.11

-29.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 CA$2.29

$4.01 ANG 7.18

-59.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.32 CA$8.86

$2.92 ANG 5.22

116.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.06 CA$9.90

$6.41 ANG 11.47

10.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.33 CA$3.27

$2.92 ANG 5.23

-20.21%

White Bread (500g)

$3.25 CA$4.55

$2.60 ANG 4.65

25.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 CA$4.58

$2.47 ANG 4.43

31.98%

Eggs

$3.48 CA$4.87

$6.58 ANG 11.78

-47.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.73 CA$19.25

$18.77 ANG 33.59

-26.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.48 CA$16.09

$14.04 ANG 25.14

-18.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.26 CA$19.99

$15.10 ANG 27.04

-5.56%

Apples (1kg)

$3.52 CA$4.94

$5.24 ANG 9.38

-32.82%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 CA$2.04

$5.27 ANG 9.43

-72.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.41 CA$4.78

$9.04 ANG 16.17

-62.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.20 CA$4.49

$7.56 ANG 13.53

-57.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 CA$2.71

$3.88 ANG 6.95

-50.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.78 CA$2.50

$3.99 ANG 7.14

-55.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.52 CA$3.53

$4.94 ANG 8.85

-48.99%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 CA$2.22

$1.30 ANG 2.33

21.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.51 CA$16.13

$8.09 ANG 14.47

42.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.57 CA$14.82

$10.94 ANG 19.59

-3.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.35 CA$3.29

$5.10 ANG 9.13

-53.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.90 CA$4.06

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.61 CA$3.66

$2.22 ANG 3.97

17.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.5 CA$110

$1.46 ANG 2.62

5273.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.17 CA$4.45

$15.16 ANG 27.13

-79.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 CA$2.09

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.49 CA$46.94

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 CA$1.91

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

$28.0K CA$39.3K

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

$21.1K CA$29.6K

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

$77.6 CA$109

$152 ANG 272

-49.00%

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

$35.63 CA$49.94

$32.07 ANG 57.4

11.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.73 CA$61.3

$66.1 ANG 118

-33.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.07 CA$42.16

$62.8 ANG 112

-52.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.97 CA$27.99

Cinema Ticket

$11.27 CA$15.80

$10.83 ANG 19.38

4.06%

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

$522 CA$732

$246 ANG 440

112.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.8K CA$24.9K

$12.2K ANG 21.8K

46.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.0 CA$82.7

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.01 CA$54.7

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.8 CA$140

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$154

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,298 CA$1,820

$2,120 ANG 3,795

-38.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$970 CA$1,360

$2,008 ANG 3,594

-51.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,323 CA$3,257

$6,575 ANG 11.8K

-64.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,689 CA$2,368

$6,612 ANG 11.8K

-74.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,004 CA$7,014

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,736 CA$5,237

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,943 CA$4,125

$1,137 ANG 2,036

158.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.51

-9.80%

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

Last update for Montreal: November 3, 2026

Last update for Philipsburg: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$970 47%

Philipsburg

–

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$357 17.3%

Philipsburg

–

Eating Out

Montreal

$292 14.1%

Philipsburg

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$157 7.6%

Philipsburg

–

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$138 6.7%

Philipsburg

–

Getting Around

Montreal

$100 4.8%

Philipsburg

–

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$53 2.6%

Philipsburg

–

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,298 in Montreal versus $2,120 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 in Montreal are about 2.6 times higher, 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 $73 in Montreal versus $70 in Philipsburg. Groceries tell a different story – $357 in Montreal vs $497 in Philipsburg – so Montreal wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇸🇽 Philipsburg

🕒 Local time

01:24 1:24 AM

02:24 2:24 AM

1 h ahead of Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

1,900 Capital

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Netherlands Antillean Guilder ANG ƒ

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.713 USD

1 CAD = 0.635 EUR

1 ANG = 0.559 USD

1 ANG = 0.498 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ANG, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.713 USD). 1 EUR = 1.57 CAD (1 CAD = 0.635 EUR).

Netherlands Antillean Guilder exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1.79 ANG (1 ANG = 0.559 USD). 1 EUR = 2.01 ANG (1 ANG = 0.498 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Montreal Philipsburg 3,210 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

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Montreal
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

Montreal vs Philipsburg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Philipsburg costs about 51% more than Montreal, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,100 per month in Montreal and $4,679 in Philipsburg. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Montreal, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,298 there versus $2,120 in Philipsburg.

Groceries cost about 39% more in Philipsburg, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $73 in Montreal and $70 in Philipsburg. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$2,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,067 in Montreal and $3,119 in Philipsburg. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Montreal has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,067 in Montreal to $3,119 in Philipsburg. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.