Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between St Thomas and Cruz Bay

For one person, living is cheaper in Cruz Bay: $2,889 a month against $4,391 in St Thomas, rent and utilities included – about $18,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in St Thomas
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St Thomas Living Index

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St Thomas

🇻🇮 U.S. Virgin Islands

$4,391

/mo nomad

Cruz Bay

🇻🇮 U.S. Virgin Islands

$2,889

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in St Thomas and in Cruz Bay

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $4,391 in St Thomas versus $2,889 in Cruz Bay.

St Thomas $4,391
Cruz Bay $2,889

Estimated couple costs with rent: $7,217 in St Thomas versus $4,680 in Cruz Bay.

St Thomas $7,217
Cruz Bay $4,680

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $10.0K in St Thomas versus $6,471 in Cruz Bay.

St Thomas $10.0K
Cruz Bay $6,471

Living in St Thomas is roughly 52% more expensive than in Cruz Bay, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: St Thomas 224% above, Cruz Bay 113% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.90 $22.90

$30.27 $30.27

-24.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$171 $171

$91.8 $91.8

86.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.62 $13.62

$17.12 $17.12

-20.44%

Cappuccino

$5.98 $5.98

$8.84 $8.84

-32.35%

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

$3.95 $3.95

$2.91 $2.91

35.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.39 $3.39

$3.98 $3.98

-14.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.07 $5.07

$8.19 $8.19

-38.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.92 $6.92

$8.95 $8.95

-22.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.77 $2.77

$7.80 $7.80

-64.49%

White Bread (500g)

$6.67 $6.67

Rice (white) (1kg)

$18.43 $18.43

Eggs

$8.95 $8.95

$5.03 $5.03

77.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.19 $11.19

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$28.68 $28.68

$15.56 $15.56

84.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$39.99 $39.99

Apples (1kg)

$12.11 $12.11

$8.88 $8.88

36.37%

Banana (1kg)

$11.00 $11.00

Oranges (1kg)

$12.23 $12.23

Tomato (1kg)

$19.61 $19.61

Potato (1kg)

$1.95 $1.95

Onion (1kg)

$9.04 $9.04

Lettuce (1 head)

$8.08 $8.08

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$5.40 $5.40

Wine (Bottle)

$25.24 $25.24

$24.92 $24.92

1.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.17 $6.17

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.96 $1.96

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.0 $61.0

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$19.69 $19.69

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.18 $3.18

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 $1.42

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

$54.6K $54.6K

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

$48.6K $48.6K

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

$463 $463

$354 $354

30.86%

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

$102 $102

$140 $140

-27.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$150 $150

$60.3 $60.3

148.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$162 $162

$89.3 $89.3

81.77%

Cinema Ticket

$10.03 $10.03

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

$1,477 $1,477

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.4K $22.4K

$13.2K $13.2K

69.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$113 $113

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$147 $147

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$199 $199

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$151 $151

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,584 $1,584

$1,820 $1,820

-12.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,793 $1,793

$1,489 $1,489

20.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,222 $3,222

$3,491 $3,491

-7.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,208 $4,208

$3,521 $3,521

19.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,853 $4,853

$10.9K $10.9K

-55.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$10.9K $10.9K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,792 $2,792

$6,318 $6,318

-55.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.45

89.00%

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

Last update for St Thomas: October 18, 2026

Last update for Cruz Bay: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

St Thomas

$1.8K 40.8%

Cruz Bay

–

Groceries & Markets

St Thomas

$958 * 21.8%

Cruz Bay

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

St Thomas

$714 16.3%

Cruz Bay

–

Eating Out

St Thomas

$364 8.3%

Cruz Bay

–

Clothing & Footwear

St Thomas

$274 6.3%

Cruz Bay

–

Sport & Entertainment

St Thomas

$182 4.2%

Cruz Bay

–

Getting Around

St Thomas

$104 2.4%

Cruz Bay

–

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 $1,584 in St Thomas and $1,820 in Cruz Bay. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cruz Bay pays 126% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $171 in St Thomas vs $92.0 in Cruz Bay for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $958 vs $270 per month, with Cruz Bay cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇻🇮 St Thomas

🇻🇮 Cruz Bay

🕒 Local time

06:52 6:52 AM

Same time as St Thomas

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

20,000

2,743

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

St Thomas Cruz Bay 13 km

From you

St Thomas
Cruz Bay

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 Thomas vs Cruz Bay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

St Thomas and Cruz Bay differ by about 52% in total monthly costs ($4,391 vs $2,889 including rent). Cruz Bay is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 126% lower in Cruz Bay. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,584 in St Thomas versus $1,820 in Cruz Bay. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Cruz Bay – a meal for two runs $92.0 versus $171 in St Thomas. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $4,391 per month in St Thomas versus $2,889 in Cruz Bay – a 52% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Both cities are expensive relative to $3,000. Cruz Bay is the more realistic option, but even there you'll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.

Safety-wise, St Thomas and Cruz Bay are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Cruz Bay gentler on the wallet – expenses run 52% less than in St Thomas. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.