Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Philipsburg and Santiago

For one person, living is cheaper in Santiago: $1,206 a month against $3,149 in Philipsburg, rent and utilities included – about $23,300 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
58

Cost of Living Index in Santiago
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Santiago Living Index

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Philipsburg

🇸🇽 Sint Maarten

$3,149

/mo nomad

Santiago

🇨🇱 Chile

$1,206

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Philipsburg and in Santiago

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,149 in Philipsburg versus $1,206 in Santiago.

Philipsburg $3,149
Santiago $1,206

Estimated couple costs with rent: $6,004 in Philipsburg versus $1,885 in Santiago.

Philipsburg $6,004
Santiago $1,885

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $8,859 in Philipsburg versus $2,564 in Santiago.

Philipsburg $8,859
Santiago $2,564

Living in Philipsburg is roughly 161% more expensive than in Santiago, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Philipsburg is 135% above, Santiago is 10% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.49 ANG 27.73

$10.19 CLP 9,931

52.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.8 ANG 127

$52.2 CLP 50.9K

35.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.04 ANG 14.39

$8.54 CLP 8,323

-5.85%

Cappuccino

$4.38 ANG 7.83

$3.19 CLP 3,115

37.30%

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

$2.90 ANG 5.19

$1.68 CLP 1,637

72.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.11 ANG 7.35

$1.22 CLP 1,191

236.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.97 ANG 5.31

$4.21 CLP 4,101

-29.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.55 ANG 11.72

$4.66 CLP 4,539

40.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.06 ANG 5.48

$1.32 CLP 1,283

131.82%

White Bread (500g)

$2.64 ANG 4.72

$1.80 CLP 1,756

46.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.53 ANG 4.53

$1.58 CLP 1,543

60.13%

Eggs

$6.54 ANG 11.70

$4.25 CLP 4,141

53.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.69 ANG 33.46

$11.19 CLP 10.9K

67.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.75 ANG 24.61

$6.75 CLP 6,580

103.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.89 ANG 26.66

$10.67 CLP 10.4K

39.55%

Apples (1kg)

$5.07 ANG 9.07

$2.04 CLP 1,991

148.53%

Banana (1kg)

$5.07 ANG 9.08

$1.53 CLP 1,497

231.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$9.20 ANG 16.46

$1.59 CLP 1,549

478.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.58 ANG 13.57

$1.75 CLP 1,708

333.14%

Potato (1kg)

$4.06 ANG 7.27

$1.08 CLP 1,051

275.93%

Onion (1kg)

$4.04 ANG 7.22

$1.51 CLP 1,476

167.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$4.88 ANG 8.74

$1.17 CLP 1,145

317.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 ANG 2.40

$1.07 CLP 1,041

25.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.16 ANG 14.61

$5.14 CLP 5,015

58.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.82 ANG 19.37

$5.88 CLP 5,732

84.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.13 ANG 9.19

$1.55 CLP 1,513

230.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 CLP 2,218

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ANG 4.05

$0.85 CLP 829

165.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$1.47 ANG 2.63

$41.50 CLP 40.5K

-96.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$15.04 ANG 26.92

$0.39 CLP 383

3756.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.84 CLP 820

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.94 CLP 11.6K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 CLP 1,467

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

$18.1K CLP 17.7M

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

$21.6K CLP 21.1M

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

$152 ANG 271

$151 CLP 147.3K

0.28%

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

$32.40 ANG 58.0

$12.04 CLP 11.7K

169.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$65.8 ANG 118

$18.93 CLP 18.5K

247.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.7 ANG 112

$33.81 CLP 33.0K

85.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.72 CLP 11.4K

Cinema Ticket

$10.92 ANG 19.54

$7.37 CLP 7,185

48.17%

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

$248 ANG 443

$434 CLP 423.3K

-42.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.0K ANG 21.4K

$11.0K CLP 10.7M

8.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.9 CLP 49.6K

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.16 CLP 28.4K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.4 CLP 65.7K

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.3 CLP 78.2K

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,145 ANG 3,840

$555 CLP 540.8K

286.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,994 ANG 3,570

$372 CLP 363.2K

435.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$6,614 ANG 11.8K

$1,009 CLP 984.3K

555.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$6,466 ANG 11.6K

$779 CLP 759.1K

730.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,671 CLP 2.6M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,622 CLP 2.6M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,132 ANG 2,026

$791 CLP 771.7K

43.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.39

-7.24%

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

Last update for Philipsburg: October 5, 2026

Last update for Santiago: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Philipsburg

$2K 64.2%

Santiago

$372 31.6% 81.3% $1.6K

Groceries & Markets

Philipsburg

$496 * 16%

Santiago

$236 20% 52.4% $260

Eating Out

Philipsburg

$256 8.3%

Santiago

$187 15.9% 27% $69

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Philipsburg

$250 8%

Santiago

$182 15.5% 27.1% $68

Sport & Entertainment

Philipsburg

$85 2.7%

Santiago

$49 4.1% 42.6% $36

Getting Around

Philipsburg

$26 * 0.8%

Santiago

$50 4.2% 93.7% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Philipsburg

- * 0%

Santiago

$102 8.7%

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 $555 in Santiago. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Philipsburg pays 43% 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 $52.0 in Santiago for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $496 vs $236 per month, with Santiago cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇽 Philipsburg

🇨🇱 Santiago

🕒 Local time

05:43 5:43 AM

06:43 6:43 AM

1 h ahead of Philipsburg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,900 Capital

6,139,087 Capital

💱 Currency

Netherlands Antillean Guilder ANG ƒ

Chilean Peso CLP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 ANG = 0.559 USD

1 ANG = 0.499 EUR

10,000 CLP = 10.26 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.15 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CLP, 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).

Chilean Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 975 CLP (1,000 CLP = 1.03 USD). 1 EUR = 1,093 CLP (10,000 CLP = 9.15 EUR).

USD to ANG in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Philipsburg Santiago 5,780 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Philipsburg
Santiago

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 Santiago: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Santiago wins on cost – living expenses run 161% lower than in Philipsburg. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Santiago the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 43% 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 $555 in Santiago. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 110% higher in Philipsburg. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Santiago – a meal for two runs $52.0 versus $71.0 in Philipsburg. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,206 in Santiago versus $3,149 in Philipsburg, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Santiago but tight or insufficient in Philipsburg. The gap between the two cities makes Santiago 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.

Expats usually find Santiago gentler on the wallet – expenses run 161% less than in Philipsburg. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.