Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seattle, WA and Philipsburg

For one person, living is cheaper in Philipsburg: $3,149 a month against $3,744 in Seattle, WA, rent and utilities included – about $7,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

184

Cost of Living Index in Seattle, WA
Learn more

Seattle, WA Living Index
148

Cost of Living Index in Philipsburg
Learn more

Philipsburg Living Index

Jump to prices

Seattle, WA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,744

/mo nomad

Philipsburg

🇸🇽 Sint Maarten

$3,149

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,744 in Seattle, WA versus $3,149 in Philipsburg.

Seattle, WA $3,744
Philipsburg $3,149

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,703 in Seattle, WA versus $6,004 in Philipsburg.

Seattle, WA $5,703
Philipsburg $6,004

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,661 in Seattle, WA versus $8,859 in Philipsburg.

Seattle, WA $7,661
Philipsburg $8,859

Living in Seattle, WA is roughly 19% more expensive than in Philipsburg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Seattle, WA 179% above, Philipsburg 135% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.56 $24.56

$15.49 ANG 27.73

58.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$99.5 $99.5

$70.8 ANG 127

40.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.30 $15.30

$8.04 ANG 14.39

90.30%

Cappuccino

$6.62 $6.62

$4.38 ANG 7.83

51.14%

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

$3.25 $3.25

$2.90 ANG 5.19

12.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.11 $3.11

$4.11 ANG 7.35

-24.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.77 $7.77

$2.97 ANG 5.31

161.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.93 $7.93

$6.55 ANG 11.72

21.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 $1.21

$3.06 ANG 5.48

-60.46%

White Bread (500g)

$4.94 $4.94

$2.64 ANG 4.72

87.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.17 $6.17

$2.53 ANG 4.53

143.87%

Eggs

$4.96 $4.96

$6.54 ANG 11.70

-24.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.00 $19.00

$18.69 ANG 33.46

1.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$18.69 $18.69

$13.75 ANG 24.61

35.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.14 $23.14

$14.89 ANG 26.66

55.41%

Apples (1kg)

$5.93 $5.93

$5.07 ANG 9.07

16.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 $1.94

$5.07 ANG 9.08

-61.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.19 $5.19

$9.20 ANG 16.46

-43.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.55 $6.55

$7.58 ANG 13.57

-13.59%

Potato (1kg)

$3.62 $3.62

$4.06 ANG 7.27

-10.84%

Onion (1kg)

$3.16 $3.16

$4.04 ANG 7.22

-21.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.91 $2.91

$4.88 ANG 8.74

-40.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.38 $2.38

$1.34 ANG 2.40

77.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.36 $12.36

$8.16 ANG 14.61

51.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.02 $15.02

$10.82 ANG 19.37

38.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.30 $4.30

$5.13 ANG 9.19

-16.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.69 $5.69

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.05 $3.05

$2.26 ANG 4.05

34.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$109 $109

$1.47 ANG 2.63

7287.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.64 $2.64

$15.04 ANG 26.92

-82.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.74 $1.74

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.02 $30.02

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 $1.46

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

$36.7K $36.7K

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

$25.7K $25.7K

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

$299 $299

$152 ANG 271

97.62%

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

$69.7 $69.7

$32.40 ANG 58.0

115.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$90.1 $90.1

$65.8 ANG 118

36.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$80.0 $80.0

$62.7 ANG 112

27.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.62 $35.62

Cinema Ticket

$17.33 $17.33

$10.92 ANG 19.54

58.70%

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

$2,986 $2,986

$248 ANG 443

1105.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.3K $31.3K

$12.0K ANG 21.4K

161.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$77.7 $77.7

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.9 $54.9

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$126 $126

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$165 $165

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,407 $2,407

$2,145 ANG 3,840

12.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,963 $1,963

$1,994 ANG 3,570

-1.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,788 $4,788

$6,614 ANG 11.8K

-27.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,561 $3,561

$6,466 ANG 11.6K

-44.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,430 $7,430

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,010 $5,010

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,280 $6,280

$1,132 ANG 2,026

454.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.85

37.00%

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

Last update for Seattle, WA: October 6, 2026

Last update for Philipsburg: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seattle, WA

$2K 51.6%

Philipsburg

$2K 64.2% 1.6% $31

Groceries & Markets

Seattle, WA

$541 14.2%

Philipsburg

$496 * 16% 8.2% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seattle, WA

$459 12.1%

Philipsburg

$250 8% 45.6% $210

Eating Out

Seattle, WA

$402 10.6%

Philipsburg

$256 8.3% 36.2% $145

Clothing & Footwear

Seattle, WA

$191 5%

Philipsburg

- * 0% 100%

Getting Around

Seattle, WA

$132 3.5%

Philipsburg

$26 * 0.8% 80.7% $107

Sport & Entertainment

Seattle, WA

$115 3%

Philipsburg

$85 2.7% 26.2% $30

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 $2,407 in Seattle, WA and $2,145 in Philipsburg. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Seattle, WA pays 455% 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: $99.0 in Seattle, WA vs $71.0 in Philipsburg for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $541 vs $496 per month, with Philipsburg cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Seattle, WA

🇸🇽 Philipsburg

🕒 Local time

07:03 7:03 AM

10:03 10:03 AM

3 h ahead of Seattle, WA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

737,015

1,900 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Netherlands Antillean Guilder ANG ƒ

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1 ANG = 0.559 USD

1 ANG = 0.499 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ANG, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🌐 Netherlands Antillean Guilder (ƒ)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

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).

ANG to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Seattle, WA Philipsburg 6,250 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Seattle, WA
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

Seattle, WA vs Philipsburg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Philipsburg wins on cost – living expenses run 19% lower than in Seattle, WA. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Philipsburg the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 455% higher in Seattle, WA, 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: $2,407 in Seattle, WA versus $2,145 in Philipsburg. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 9% higher in Seattle, WA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Philipsburg – a meal for two runs $71.0 versus $99.0 in Seattle, WA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Philipsburg is the more realistic option, but even there you'll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both work as nomad bases, but Philipsburg delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $3,149 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Philipsburg hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Philipsburg gentler on the wallet – expenses run 19% less than in Seattle, WA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.