Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between St John and St Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands

For one person, living is cheaper in St John: $322 a month against $4,405 in St Thomas, rent and utilities included – about $49,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

211

Cost of Living Index in St Thomas
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St Thomas Living Index

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St John

🇻🇮 U.S. Virgin Islands

$322

/mo nomad

St Thomas

🇻🇮 U.S. Virgin Islands

$4,405

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in St John and in St Thomas

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $322 in St John versus $4,405 in St Thomas.

St John $322
St Thomas $4,405

Estimated couple costs with rent: $927 in St John versus $7,271 in St Thomas.

St John $927
St Thomas $7,271

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,531 in St John versus $10.1K in St Thomas.

St John $1,531
St Thomas $10.1K

Living in St John costs roughly 93% less than in St Thomas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: St John is 76% below, St Thomas is 224% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.06 $20.06

$22.53 $22.53

-10.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$174 $174

$169 $169

3.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.39 $13.39

Cappuccino

$7.14 $7.14

$6.00 $6.00

19.00%

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

$2.94 $2.94

$3.88 $3.88

-24.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.96 $1.96

$3.43 $3.43

-42.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$4.97 $4.97

61.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.09 $8.09

$7.02 $7.02

15.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.77 $2.77

White Bread (500g)

$6.70 $6.70

Rice (white) (1kg)

$18.56 $18.56

Eggs

$8.84 $8.84

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.47 $11.47

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$29.17 $29.17

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$39.88 $39.88

Apples (1kg)

$12.14 $12.14

Banana (1kg)

$10.95 $10.95

Oranges (1kg)

$11.95 $11.95

Tomato (1kg)

$19.65 $19.65

Potato (1kg)

$1.97 $1.97

Onion (1kg)

$8.71 $8.71

Lettuce (1 head)

$8.22 $8.22

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$5.39 $5.39

Wine (Bottle)

$25.08 $25.08

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.95 $5.95

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.95 $1.95

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.0 $61.0

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$19.99 $19.99

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.05 $3.05

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.62 $1.62

$1.44 $1.44

12.50%

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

$54.0K $54.0K

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

$48.2K $48.2K

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

$462 $462

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

$98.9 $98.9

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$147 $147

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$163 $163

Cinema Ticket

$10.18 $10.18

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

$1,471 $1,471

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.3K $13.3K

$22.1K $22.1K

-39.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$116 $116

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$147 $147

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$204 $204

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$148 $148

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,589 $1,589

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,813 $1,813

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,239 $3,239

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,321 $4,321

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$12.8K $12.8K

$4,840 $4,840

165.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.0K $11.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,075 $5,075

$2,724 $2,724

86.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.05

9.45

-25.40%

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

Last update for St John: October 24, 2026

Last update for St Thomas: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

St John

–

St Thomas

$1.8K 41.2%

Groceries & Markets

St John

–

St Thomas

$960 * 21.8%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

St John

–

St Thomas

$708 16.1%

Eating Out

St John

–

St Thomas

$361 8.2%

Clothing & Footwear

St John

–

St Thomas

$276 6.3%

Sport & Entertainment

St John

–

St Thomas

$183 4.2%

Getting Around

St John

–

St Thomas

$104 2.4%

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

Cost Breakdown

St John pays 86% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out at a mid-range restaurant: $174 in St John vs $169 in St Thomas for two.

Good to know

🇻🇮 St John

🇻🇮 St Thomas

🕒 Local time

22:09 10:09 PM

Same time as St John

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,743

20,000

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

St John St Thomas 17 km

From you

St John
St Thomas

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

St John vs St Thomas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $322 in St John and $4,405 in St Thomas, so St John is about 93% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 86% higher in St John, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Dining out is cheaper in St Thomas – a meal for two runs $169 versus $174 in St John. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $322 per month in St John versus $4,405 in St Thomas – St John is about 93% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $322 in St John versus $4,405 in St Thomas, a $1,200 budget is realistic in St John but tight or insufficient in St Thomas. The gap between the two cities makes St John 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.