Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sint Maarten and Costa Rica

Name: Costa Rica
Address: CR

For one person, living is cheaper in Costa Rica: $1,821 a month against $3,791 in Sint Maarten, rent and utilities included – about $23,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

184

Cost of Living Index in Sint Maarten
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Sint Maarten Living Index
87

Cost of Living Index in Costa Rica
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Costa Rica Living Index

Jump to prices

🇸🇽 Sint Maarten

$3,791

/mo nomad

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,821

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sint Maarten and in Costa Rica

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

A single person spends $3,791 per month in Sint Maarten vs $1,821 in Costa Rica, rent included.

Sint Maarten $3,791
Costa Rica $1,821

A couple spends around $6,693 per month in Sint Maarten vs $2,773 in Costa Rica, rent included.

Sint Maarten $6,693
Costa Rica $2,773

A family of three spends $9,595 per month in Sint Maarten vs $3,725 in Costa Rica, rent included.

Sint Maarten $9,595
Costa Rica $3,725

The regional cost range is wider in Sint Maarten ($2,291–$3,850) than in Costa Rica ($1,004–$2,114), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in Sint Maarten is about 108% higher than in Costa Rica on average.

Both Sint Maarten and Costa Rica are pricier than the global median – Sint Maarten by 179%, Costa Rica by 34%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.29 ANG 30.94

$11.26 ₡5,085

53.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.7 ANG 132

$54.5 ₡24.6K

35.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.04 ANG 17.98

$11.02 ₡4,975

-8.89%

Cappuccino

$4.59 ANG 8.22

$4.43 ₡1,999

3.61%

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

$3.06 ANG 5.47

$2.34 ₡1,055

30.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.52 ANG 6.31

$1.84 ₡829

91.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.07 ANG 7.29

$3.26 ₡1,473

24.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.46 ANG 9.77

$4.55 ₡2,054

20.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.58 ANG 6.42

$2.45 ₡1,105

46.12%

White Bread (500g)

$2.73 ANG 4.89

$3.56 ₡1,608

-23.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.07 ANG 5.50

$2.76 ₡1,245

11.23%

Eggs

$5.17 ANG 9.26

$3.97 ₡1,794

30.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$20.47 ANG 36.65

$10.47 ₡4,728

95.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.53 ANG 26.00

$9.98 ₡4,507

45.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.11 ANG 28.83

$13.91 ₡6,278

15.82%

Apples (1kg)

$5.27 ANG 9.43

$5.06 ₡2,283

4.15%

Banana (1kg)

$5.13 ANG 9.17

$1.69 ₡764

203.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$8.86 ANG 15.87

$3.45 ₡1,558

156.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.36 ANG 13.17

$3.23 ₡1,460

127.86%

Potato (1kg)

$4.25 ANG 7.61

$3.44 ₡1,555

23.55%

Onion (1kg)

$3.70 ANG 6.62

$3.25 ₡1,465

13.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.94 ANG 7.06

$1.09 ₡492

261.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 ANG 2.47

$2.67 ₡1,204

-48.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.92 ANG 14.18

$5.38 ₡2,427

47.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.19 ANG 20.03

$15.50 ₡6,996

-27.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.13 ANG 9.18

$2.75 ₡1,241

86.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.79 ANG 3.21

$3.30 ₡1,489

-45.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.03 ANG 5.42

$1.13 ₡509

168.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$1.54 ANG 2.76

$65.5 ₡29.6K

-97.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$20.09 ANG 35.96

$2.17 ₡979

825.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.02 ₡913

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.94 ₡4,036

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 ANG 2.36

$1.61 ₡726

-18.01%

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

$34.5K ₡15.6M

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

$37.4K ₡16.9M

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

$392 ANG 701

$94.9 ₡42.9K

312.79%

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

$37.70 ANG 67.5

$31.42 ₡14.2K

19.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$77.5 ANG 139

$58.6 ₡26.4K

32.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.9 ANG 118

$65.7 ₡29.7K

0.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.20 ₡10.0K

Cinema Ticket

$9.15 ANG 16.38

$8.10 ₡3,656

12.96%

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

$582 ANG 1,041

$722 ₡325.9K

-19.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ANG 21.3K

$12.9K ₡5.8M

-7.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.8 ANG 91.0

$75.5 ₡34.1K

-32.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.58 ANG 72.6

$56.4 ₡25.5K

-28.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ANG 181

$128 ₡57.9K

-21.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.3 ANG 106

$108 ₡48.8K

-45.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,277 ANG 4,075

$960 ₡433.4K

137.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,260 ANG 4,045

$708 ₡319.6K

219.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$6,574 ANG 11.8K

$1,749 ₡789.4K

275.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$6,431 ANG 11.5K

$1,215 ₡548.5K

429.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,656 ₡1.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$12.0K ANG 21.5K

$1,839 ₡830.1K

553.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,833 ANG 3,280

$1,058 ₡477.8K

73.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.56

-47.70%

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

Last update for Sint Maarten: October 24, 2026

Last update for Costa Rica: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sint Maarten

$2.3K 59.6%

Costa Rica

$708 38.9% 68.7% $1.6K

Groceries & Markets

Sint Maarten

$512 13.5%

Costa Rica

$380 20.9% 25.8% $132

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sint Maarten

$507 13.4%

Costa Rica

$185 10.2% 63.5% $322

Eating Out

Sint Maarten

$281 7.4%

Costa Rica

$218 12% 22.3% $63

Clothing & Footwear

Sint Maarten

$113 3%

Costa Rica

$166 9.1% 46.3% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Sint Maarten

$84 2.2%

Costa Rica

$82 4.5% 2.8% $2.3

Getting Around

Sint Maarten

$34 * 0.9%

Costa Rica

$82 4.5% 144% $49

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $2,231 in Sint Maarten vs $855 in Costa Rica. For reference, capital cities sit at $2,126 in Philipsburg and $1,164 in San Jose.

Average salary: $2,053 in Sint Maarten vs $1,087 in Costa Rica. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 161% higher in Sint Maarten.

Dining out costs 85% more in Sint Maarten.

Public transport is 3250% more expensive in Costa Rica.

Salaries are 89% higher in Sint Maarten.

Good to know

🇸🇽 Sint Maarten

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

🕒 Local time

22:34 10:34 PM

20:34 8:34 PM

2 h behind Sint Maarten

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

43,847

5,044,197

💱 Currency

Netherlands Antillean Guilder ANG ƒ

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 ANG = 0.559 USD

1 ANG = 0.5 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🌐 Netherlands Antillean Guilder (ƒ)

Netherlands Antillean Guilder exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1.79 ANG (1 ANG = 0.559 USD). 1 EUR = 2 ANG (1 ANG = 0.5 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to ANG in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Sint Maarten Costa Rica 2,440 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Sint Maarten
Costa Rica

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

Sint Maarten vs Costa Rica: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Costa Rica is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 52% lower on average.

Housing costs more in Sint Maarten: a central one-bedroom averages $2,231 versus $855 in Costa Rica.

Costa Rica is the budget-friendly choice for expats. But cost isn’t everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.