Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Philipsburg and Calgary

For one person, living is cheaper in Calgary: $2,232 a month against $3,149 in Philipsburg, rent and utilities included – about $11,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Philipsburg outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Philipsburg
🇸🇽 Sint Maarten
$3,149
/mo nomad
Calgary
🇨🇦 Canada
$2,232
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Philipsburg and in Calgary

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 Calgary actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,149 in Philipsburg versus $2,232 in Calgary.

  • Philipsburg $3,149
  • Calgary $2,232

Estimated couple costs with rent: $6,004 in Philipsburg versus $3,363 in Calgary.

  • Philipsburg $6,004
  • Calgary $3,363

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $8,859 in Philipsburg versus $4,493 in Calgary.

  • Philipsburg $8,859
  • Calgary $4,493

Living in Philipsburg is roughly 41% more expensive than in Calgary, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Philipsburg 135% above, Calgary 67% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Philipsburg
Calgary
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$15.49 ANG 27.73
$17.22 CA$24.54
-10.05%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$70.8 ANG 127
$71.2 CA$101
-0.53%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.04 ANG 14.39
$10.56 CA$15.06
-23.86%
Cappuccino
$4.38 ANG 7.83
$3.77 CA$5.38
16.18%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.90 ANG 5.19
$1.91 CA$2.73
51.83%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.11 ANG 7.35
$1.84 CA$2.63
123.37%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.97 ANG 5.31
$4.86 CA$6.93
-38.89%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.55 ANG 11.72
$5.55 CA$7.91
18.02%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Philipsburg
Calgary
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$3.06 ANG 5.48
$1.88 CA$2.68
62.77%
White Bread (500g)
$2.64 ANG 4.72
$2.73 CA$3.89
-3.30%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.53 ANG 4.53
$5.34 CA$7.61
-52.62%
Eggs
$6.54 ANG 11.70
$3.77 CA$5.37
73.47%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$18.69 ANG 33.46
$11.29 CA$16.09
65.54%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$13.75 ANG 24.61
$11.46 CA$16.34
19.98%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.89 ANG 26.66
$18.26 CA$26.03
-18.46%
Apples (1kg)
$5.07 ANG 9.07
$4.64 CA$6.62
9.27%
Banana (1kg)
$5.07 ANG 9.08
$1.44 CA$2.05
252.08%
Oranges (1kg)
$9.20 ANG 16.46
$4.22 CA$6.02
118.01%
Tomato (1kg)
$7.58 ANG 13.57
$3.86 CA$5.50
96.37%
Potato (1kg)
$4.06 ANG 7.27
$2.62 CA$3.74
54.96%
Onion (1kg)
$4.04 ANG 7.22
$2.66 CA$3.79
51.88%
Lettuce (1 head)
$4.88 ANG 8.74
$2.59 CA$3.69
88.42%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.34 ANG 2.40
$1.53 CA$2.19
-12.42%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$8.16 ANG 14.61
$14.26 CA$20.32
-42.78%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.82 ANG 19.37
$15.27 CA$21.76
-29.14%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$5.13 ANG 9.19
$2.41 CA$3.44
112.86%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$3.09 CA$4.41
-
🚌 Getting Around
Philipsburg
Calgary
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.26 ANG 4.05
$2.88 CA$4.11
-21.53%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$1.47 ANG 2.63
$88.7 CA$126
-98.34%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$15.04 ANG 26.92
$3.23 CA$4.61
365.63%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
-
$1.38 CA$1.97
-
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
-
$26.49 CA$37.75
-
Gasoline (1 liter)
-
$1.18 CA$1.68
-
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
-
$28.3K CA$40.3K
-
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
-
$20.7K CA$29.5K
-
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Philipsburg
Calgary
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$152 ANG 271
$159 CA$227
-4.87%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$32.40 ANG 58.0
$37.61 CA$53.6
-13.85%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$65.8 ANG 118
$49.68 CA$70.8
32.45%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Philipsburg
Calgary
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$62.7 ANG 112
$53.3 CA$75.9
17.75%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$18.31 CA$26.10
-
Cinema Ticket
$10.92 ANG 19.54
$14.08 CA$20.06
-22.44%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Philipsburg
Calgary
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$248 ANG 443
$809 CA$1,154
-69.39%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.0K ANG 21.4K
$15.9K CA$22.6K
-24.41%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Philipsburg
Calgary
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
-
$58.8 CA$83.8
-
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
-
$38.84 CA$55.4
-
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
-
$91.4 CA$130
-
Men's Leather Business Shoes
-
$109 CA$155
-
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Philipsburg
Calgary
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,145 ANG 3,840
$1,237 CA$1,764
73.39%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,994 ANG 3,570
$996 CA$1,420
100.23%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$6,614 ANG 11.8K
$1,908 CA$2,720
246.62%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$6,466 ANG 11.6K
$1,671 CA$2,382
286.95%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$3,530 CA$5,032
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$3,336 CA$4,755
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Philipsburg
Calgary
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,132 ANG 2,026
$3,130 CA$4,461
-63.84%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5
4.51
10.86%

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

Last update for Philipsburg: October 5, 2026

Last update for Calgary: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Philipsburg
$2K
Calgary
$996 50.1% $998
Groceries & Markets
Philipsburg
$496 *
Calgary
$387 22% $109
Eating Out
Philipsburg
$256
Calgary
$265 3.4% $8.6
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Philipsburg
$250
Calgary
$247 1.3% $3.2
Sport & Entertainment
Philipsburg
$85
Calgary
$81 3.7% $3.1
Getting Around
Philipsburg
$26 *
Calgary
$110 332% $85
Clothing & Footwear
Philipsburg
- *
Calgary
$134

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 $1,237 in Calgary. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Calgary pays 177% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $71.0 in Philipsburg vs $71.0 in Calgary. Groceries flip the comparison at $496 vs $387, with Calgary cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇸🇽 Philipsburg
🇨🇦 Calgary
🕒 Local time
04:10 4:10 AM
02:10 2:10 AM
2 h behind Philipsburg
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,900 Capital
1,267,344
Exchange rates and currency converter

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

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 = 0.498 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 CAD (1 CAD = 0.702 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 CAD (1 CAD = 0.626 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Philipsburg Calgary 5,770 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Philipsburg
  • Calgary

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 Calgary: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Calgary cheaper than Philipsburg?
Calgary is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, utilities, and leisure. The 41% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Philipsburg or Calgary?
On paper, salaries run 177% lower in Calgary. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
What is the rent difference between Philipsburg and Calgary?
Rent for a central apartment: $2,145 in Philipsburg versus $1,237 in Calgary. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Is eating out cheaper in Philipsburg or in Calgary?
Dining out is cheaper in Calgary – a meal for two runs $71.0 versus $71.0 in Philipsburg. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
What are total monthly expenses in Philipsburg and in Calgary?
All in, you'll spend $3,149 per month in Philipsburg versus $2,232 in Calgary – a 41% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Is $2,500 a realistic budget for living in Philipsburg or in Calgary?
At $2,232 in Calgary versus $3,149 in Philipsburg, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Calgary but tight or insufficient in Philipsburg. The gap between the two cities makes Calgary the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is it better to live in Philipsburg or in Calgary?
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.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Calgary gentler on the wallet – expenses run 41% less than in Philipsburg. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

Philipsburg vs other spots: cost of living compared

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