Cost of Living Comparison Between Sint Maarten and China Cost of Living Comparison Between Sint Maarten and China

Name: China
Address: CN

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,373 in Sint Maarten versus $712 in China.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $6,072 in Sint Maarten versus $1,131 in China.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $8,771 in Sint Maarten versus $1,550 in China.

Living in Sint Maarten is roughly 374% more expensive than in China on average.

Sint Maarten (152% above) and China (47% below) straddle the global median.

Sint Maarten ($3,135–$3,648) and China ($532–$1,192) have similar cost spreads. Where you settle within each country has roughly equal impact on the budget.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.97 ANG 30.29

$2.86 ¥19.35

493.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$86.3 ANG 154

$23.44 ¥159

268.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.66 ANG 15.45

$4.84 ¥32.75

78.93%

Cappuccino

$3.83 ANG 6.83

$3.11 ¥21.06

23.15%

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

$2.91 ANG 5.19

$0.44 ¥3.00

561.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.54 ANG 6.31

$0.29 ¥1.99

1120.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.91 ANG 5.20

$0.98 ¥6.64

196.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.52 ANG 8.07

$2.05 ¥13.88

120.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.56 ANG 6.35

$1.84 ¥12.47

93.48%

White Bread (500g)

$2.72 ANG 4.85

$1.62 ¥10.94

67.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.70 ANG 4.82

$0.93 ¥6.28

190.32%

Eggs

$5.17 ANG 9.23

$1.63 ¥11.03

217.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.57 ANG 33.14

$13.15 ¥89.0

41.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.45 ANG 27.58

$3.26 ¥22.09

373.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.17 ANG 28.86

$10.62 ¥71.9

52.26%

Apples (1kg)

$4.50 ANG 8.03

$1.80 ¥12.19

150.00%

Banana (1kg)

$3.27 ANG 5.83

$1.30 ¥8.77

151.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.97 ANG 10.66

$1.46 ¥9.90

308.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.84 ANG 8.64

$1.20 ¥8.15

303.33%

Potato (1kg)

$3.21 ANG 5.72

$0.76 ¥5.14

322.37%

Onion (1kg)

$3.49 ANG 6.24

$0.88 ¥5.93

296.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.85 ANG 6.87

$0.57 ¥3.86

575.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 ANG 3.06

$0.54 ¥3.63

216.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.97 ANG 14.22

$3.42 ¥23.17

133.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.55 ANG 20.61

$11.75 ¥79.5

-1.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.09 ANG 3.73

$0.80 ¥5.40

161.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 ANG 3.80

$1.62 ¥10.95

31.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.24 ANG 4.00

$0.43 ¥2.94

420.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$91.2 ANG 163

$20.47 ¥139

345.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$10.17 ANG 18.15

$1.36 ¥9.24

647.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$5.30 ANG 9.47

$0.35 ¥2.39

1414.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.87 ANG 10.49

$6.50 ¥43.97

-9.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ANG 2.65

$1.12 ¥7.59

32.14%

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

$18.5K ANG 33.0K

$19.5K ¥131.8K

-4.94%

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

$15.3K ANG 27.4K

$16.9K ¥114.1K

-9.07%

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

$373 ANG 665

$51.7 ¥350

620.72%

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

$38.15 ANG 68.1

$10.17 ¥68.8

275.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.7 ANG 121

$11.16 ¥75.5

506.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.8 ANG 114

$39.62 ¥268

60.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.19 ANG 41.40

$14.53 ¥98.3

59.60%

Cinema Ticket

$12.94 ANG 23.10

$6.38 ¥43.19

102.82%

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

$697 ANG 1,245

$407 ¥2,756

71.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.8K ANG 21.1K

$17.8K ¥120.7K

-33.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.3 ANG 124

$45.53 ¥308

52.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.90 ANG 81.9

$32.31 ¥219

42.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.2 ANG 141

$72.6 ¥491

9.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$69.3 ANG 124

$74.4 ¥504

-6.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,268 ANG 4,049

$443 ¥2,996

412.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,300 ANG 4,105

$258 ¥1,747

790.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$6,518 ANG 11.6K

$910 ¥6,162

615.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$6,522 ANG 11.6K

$543 ¥3,677

1100.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,934 ¥33.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.8K ANG 21.1K

$2,398 ¥16.2K

392.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,811 ANG 3,233

$1,065 ¥7,205

70.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.5

4.06

35.47%

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

Last update for Sint Maarten: July 11, 2026

Last update for China: July 13, 2026

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $2,194 in Sint Maarten, $287 in China. Capital cities: $1,988 in Philipsburg vs $894 in Beijing (Pekin).

National salary averages: $2,039 in Sint Maarten, $855 in China. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 664% higher in Sint Maarten.

Dining out costs 238% more in Sint Maarten.

Public transport is 72% more expensive in Sint Maarten.

Salaries are 138% higher in Sint Maarten, and purchasing power comes out stronger in China.

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

Sint Maarten vs China: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $862 per month in China and $3,392 in Sint Maarten, there's a 293% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Day-to-day life is simply cheaper in China: lower food prices, cheaper commutes, smaller household bills. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent in Sint Maarten is consistently higher than in China across the board, especially in major cities. Housing is usually the single biggest driver of the overall cost difference between the two countries.

In China, $2,000 covers most cities easily; in Sint Maarten it stretches only to regional areas and falls short in the capital – you'll need to make trade-offs on housing or lifestyle.

It depends on what you're after: China wins on affordability; Sint Maarten may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.