Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Philipsburg and Buenos Aires

For one person, living is cheaper in Buenos Aires: $1,685 a month against $3,149 in Philipsburg, rent and utilities included – about $17,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

148

Cost of Living Index in Philipsburg
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Philipsburg Living Index
81

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index

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Philipsburg

🇸🇽 Sint Maarten

$3,149

/mo nomad

Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,685

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Philipsburg and in Buenos Aires

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,149 in Philipsburg versus $1,685 in Buenos Aires.

Philipsburg $3,149
Buenos Aires $1,685

Estimated couple costs with rent: $6,004 in Philipsburg versus $2,742 in Buenos Aires.

Philipsburg $6,004
Buenos Aires $2,742

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $8,859 in Philipsburg versus $3,799 in Buenos Aires.

Philipsburg $8,859
Buenos Aires $3,799

Living in Philipsburg is roughly 87% more expensive than in Buenos Aires, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Philipsburg 135% above, Buenos Aires 26% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.49 ANG 27.73

$18.73 ARS 28.4K

-17.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.8 ANG 127

$64.5 ARS 97.8K

9.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.04 ANG 14.39

$12.88 ARS 19.5K

-37.58%

Cappuccino

$4.38 ANG 7.83

$3.98 ARS 6,029

10.05%

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

$2.90 ANG 5.19

$2.05 ARS 3,103

41.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.11 ANG 7.35

$1.55 ARS 2,349

165.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.97 ANG 5.31

$3.84 ARS 5,830

-22.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.55 ANG 11.72

$4.60 ARS 6,970

42.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.06 ANG 5.48

$1.44 ARS 2,181

112.50%

White Bread (500g)

$2.64 ANG 4.72

$2.46 ARS 3,738

7.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.53 ANG 4.53

$1.63 ARS 2,467

55.21%

Eggs

$6.54 ANG 11.70

$2.89 ARS 4,385

126.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.69 ANG 33.46

$10.65 ARS 16.1K

75.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.75 ANG 24.61

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

37.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.89 ANG 26.66

$13.74 ARS 20.8K

8.37%

Apples (1kg)

$5.07 ANG 9.07

$2.75 ARS 4,166

84.36%

Banana (1kg)

$5.07 ANG 9.08

$2.18 ARS 3,300

132.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$9.20 ANG 16.46

$1.45 ARS 2,205

534.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.58 ANG 13.57

$1.99 ARS 3,013

280.90%

Potato (1kg)

$4.06 ANG 7.27

$1.24 ARS 1,885

227.42%

Onion (1kg)

$4.04 ANG 7.22

$1.27 ARS 1,921

218.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$4.88 ANG 8.74

$1.70 ARS 2,575

187.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 ANG 2.40

$1.73 ARS 2,617

-22.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.16 ANG 14.61

$4.18 ARS 6,337

95.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.82 ANG 19.37

$5.80 ARS 8,790

86.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.13 ANG 9.19

$2.09 ARS 3,163

145.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 ARS 4,198

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ANG 4.05

$0.75 ARS 1,132

201.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$1.47 ANG 2.63

$27.15 ARS 41.2K

-94.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$15.04 ANG 26.92

$1.62 ARS 2,451

828.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.98 ARS 1,481

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.72 ARS 11.7K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 ARS 2,058

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

$28.0K ARS 42.5M

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

$34.5K ARS 52.4M

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

$152 ANG 271

$216 ARS 326.9K

-29.72%

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

$32.40 ANG 58.0

$25.61 ARS 38.8K

26.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$65.8 ANG 118

$31.36 ARS 47.6K

109.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.7 ANG 112

$49.82 ARS 75.6K

25.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.06 ARS 25.9K

Cinema Ticket

$10.92 ANG 19.54

$10.43 ARS 15.8K

4.70%

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

$248 ANG 443

$466 ARS 706.7K

-46.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.0K ANG 21.4K

$9,057 ARS 13.7M

32.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$122 ARS 185.2K

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$97.4 ARS 147.8K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 ARS 177.4K

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$140 ARS 211.9K

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,145 ANG 3,840

$763 ARS 1.2M

181.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,994 ANG 3,570

$505 ARS 766.1K

294.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$6,614 ANG 11.8K

$1,598 ARS 2.4M

313.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$6,466 ANG 11.6K

$1,185 ARS 1.8M

445.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,678 ARS 4.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,858 ARS 2.8M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,132 ANG 2,026

$954 ARS 1.4M

18.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

-91.27%

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

Last update for Philipsburg: October 5, 2026

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Philipsburg

$2K 64.2%

Buenos Aires

$505 30.4% 74.7% $1.5K

Groceries & Markets

Philipsburg

$496 * 16%

Buenos Aires

$284 17.1% 42.8% $212

Eating Out

Philipsburg

$256 8.3%

Buenos Aires

$279 16.8% 8.8% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Philipsburg

$250 8%

Buenos Aires

$273 16.4% 9.1% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Philipsburg

$85 2.7%

Buenos Aires

$71 4.3% 16.4% $14

Getting Around

Philipsburg

$26 * 0.8%

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2% 43.4% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Philipsburg

- * 0%

Buenos Aires

$214 12.9%

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 $2,145 in Philipsburg and $763 in Buenos Aires. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Philipsburg pays 19% 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: $71.0 in Philipsburg vs $64.0 in Buenos Aires for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $496 vs $284 per month, with Buenos Aires cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇽 Philipsburg

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🕒 Local time

06:23 6:23 AM

07:23 7:23 AM

1 h ahead of Philipsburg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,900 Capital

2,891,082 Capital

💱 Currency

Netherlands Antillean Guilder ANG ƒ

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

1 ANG = 0.559 USD

1 ANG = 0.499 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ARS, USD, EUR to ANG – Netherlands Antillean Guilder Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🌐 Netherlands Antillean Guilder (ƒ)

Netherlands Antillean Guilder exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.79 ANG (1 ANG = 0.559 USD). 1 EUR = 2.01 ANG (1 ANG = 0.499 EUR).

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,699 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR).

USD to ANG in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Philipsburg Buenos Aires 5,870 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Philipsburg
Buenos Aires

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

Philipsburg vs Buenos Aires: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Philipsburg and Buenos Aires differ by about 87% in total monthly costs ($3,149 vs $1,685 including rent). Buenos Aires is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 19% higher in Philipsburg, 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: $2,145 in Philipsburg versus $763 in Buenos Aires. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $248 in Philipsburg versus $466 in Buenos Aires. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 75% higher in Philipsburg. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,685 in Buenos Aires versus $3,149 in Philipsburg, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Buenos Aires but tight or insufficient in Philipsburg. The gap between the two cities makes Buenos Aires the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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, Philipsburg and Buenos Aires 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 Buenos Aires gentler on the wallet – expenses run 87% less than in Philipsburg. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.