Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between the United States and Suriname

For one person, living is cheaper in Suriname: $1,017 a month against $2,734 in the United States, rent and utilities included – about $20,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

United States
Suriname
🇺🇸 United States
$2,734
/mo nomad
🇸🇷 Suriname
$1,017
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in the United States and in Suriname

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

A single person spends $2,734 per month in the United States vs $1,017 in Suriname, rent included.

  • United States $2,734
  • Suriname $1,017

A couple spends around $3,985 per month in the United States vs $1,669 in Suriname, rent included.

  • United States $3,985
  • Suriname $1,669

A family of three spends $5,235 per month in the United States vs $2,322 in Suriname, rent included.

  • United States $5,235
  • Suriname $2,322

The regional cost range is wider in the United States ($979–$5,160) than in Suriname ($198–$1,035), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in the United States is about 169% higher than in Suriname on average.

The United States sits 101% above the global median, while Suriname is 25% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
United States
Suriname
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$20.03 $20.03
$13.01 SRD 487
53.96%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$80.0 $80.0
$46.07 SRD 1,725
73.74%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.80 $11.80
$10.51 SRD 393
12.27%
Cappuccino
$5.55 $5.55
$2.86 SRD 107
94.06%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.66 $2.66
$1.42 SRD 53.2
87.32%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.17 $2.17
$0.86 SRD 32.22
152.33%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.12 $6.12
$2.38 SRD 88.9
157.14%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.94 $7.94
$3.80 SRD 142
108.95%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
United States
Suriname
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.04 $1.04
$1.87 SRD 70.1
-44.39%
White Bread (500g)
$3.59 $3.59
$1.35 SRD 50.4
165.93%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$4.52 $4.52
$1.43 SRD 53.4
216.08%
Eggs
$4.28 $4.28
$3.08 SRD 115
38.96%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$13.22 $13.22
$11.73 SRD 439
12.70%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$12.60 $12.60
$6.32 SRD 237
99.37%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.60 $17.60
$10.08 SRD 378
74.60%
Apples (1kg)
$5.30 $5.30
$4.90 SRD 183
8.16%
Banana (1kg)
$1.69 $1.69
$2.40 SRD 89.8
-29.58%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.44 $4.44
$3.67 SRD 138
20.98%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.77 $4.77
$5.96 SRD 223
-19.97%
Potato (1kg)
$2.97 $2.97
$1.25 SRD 46.93
137.60%
Onion (1kg)
$3.15 $3.15
$2.01 SRD 75.4
56.72%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.20 $2.20
$1.52 SRD 57.1
44.74%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.35 $2.35
$1.36 SRD 51.0
72.79%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$10.98 $10.98
$5.62 SRD 210
95.37%
Wine (Bottle)
$15.05 $15.05
$8.03 SRD 301
87.42%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.06 $2.06
$2.07 SRD 77.6
-0.48%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.79 $3.79
$3.80 SRD 142
-0.26%
🚌 Getting Around
United States
Suriname
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.94 $1.94
$0.54 SRD 20.34
259.26%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$59.4 $59.4
$31.74 SRD 1,189
87.11%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.58 $3.58
$2.12 SRD 79.4
68.87%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.88 $1.88
$1.52 SRD 56.8
23.68%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$29.84 $29.84
$7.13 SRD 267
318.51%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.02 $1.02
$1.13 SRD 42.31
-9.73%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$28.8K $28.8K
$24.9K SRD 931.3K
15.60%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.2K $26.2K
$24.8K SRD 928.3K
5.69%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
United States
Suriname
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$218 $218
$37.09 SRD 1,389
487.65%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$62.5 $62.5
$25.34 SRD 949
146.53%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$74.5 $74.5
$30.87 SRD 1,156
141.17%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
United States
Suriname
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$41.86 $41.86
$13.67 SRD 512
206.22%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$22.81 $22.81
$20.46 SRD 766
11.49%
Cinema Ticket
$14.70 $14.70
$4.96 SRD 186
196.37%
🧸 Childcare & Education
United States
Suriname
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,489 $1,489
$63.5 SRD 2,378
2244.29%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$25.3K $25.3K
$1,780 SRD 66.6K
1318.54%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
United States
Suriname
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$54.3 $54.3
$33.01 SRD 1,236
64.62%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$42.71 $42.71
$20.92 SRD 783
104.16%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$94.1 $94.1
$66.2 SRD 2,480
42.07%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$114 $114
$103 SRD 3,865
9.99%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
United States
Suriname
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,659 $1,659
$480 SRD 18.0K
245.97%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,348 $1,348
$262 SRD 9,819
413.83%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,682 $2,682
$945 SRD 35.4K
183.70%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,169 $2,169
$503 SRD 18.8K
331.44%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,283 $3,283
$460 SRD 17.2K
613.49%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,482 $2,482
$401 SRD 15.0K
519.38%
💵 Salaries & Financials
United States
Suriname
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$4,296 $4,296
$285 SRD 10.7K
1407.00%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.55
16.25
-59.69%

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

Last update for the United States: October 25, 2026

Last update for Suriname: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
United States
$1.3K
Suriname
$262 80.5% $1.1K
Groceries & Markets
United States
$415
Suriname
$295 29% $120
Monthly Utilities & Internet
United States
$355
Suriname
$93 73.7% $262
Eating Out
United States
$328
Suriname
$199 39.5% $129
Clothing & Footwear
United States
$137
Suriname
$101 26.7% $37
Getting Around
United States
$80
Suriname
$44 45.6% $37
Sport & Entertainment
United States
$71
Suriname
$24 66.9% $48

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $1,620 in the United States vs $478 in Suriname. For reference, capital cities sit at $2,768 in Washington, DC and $478 in Paramaribo.

Average salary: $4,549 in the United States vs $289 in Suriname. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 239% higher in the United States.

Dining out costs 70% more in the United States.

Public transport is 97% more expensive in the United States.

Salaries are about 16 times higher in the United States, and purchasing power comes out stronger in the United States.

Good to know
🇺🇸 United States
🇸🇷 Suriname
🕒 Local time
05:28 5:28 AM
06:28 6:28 AM
1 h ahead of the United States
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
340,110,988
563,402
Exchange rates and currency converter

SRD, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.899 EUR).

Surinamese Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 37.44 SRD (100 SRD = 2.67 USD). 1 EUR = 41.67 SRD (100 SRD = 2.4 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • United States Suriname 4,640 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight
From you
  • United States
  • Suriname

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
United States vs Suriname: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do Suriname and the United States compare in cost of living?
Suriname is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 63% lower on average.
How do rents compare between Suriname and the United States?
Housing costs more in the United States: a central one-bedroom averages $1,620 versus $478 in Suriname.
Where are groceries and transport cheaper: Suriname or the United States?
Groceries, public transport, and eating out all cost less in Suriname, adding to the overall 169% price gap.
How far does $2,000 go in Suriname compared to the United States?
$2,000 buys a comfortable lifestyle in Suriname, but in the United States it only works with careful planning outside the capital. Same money, very different lives.
How do I choose between living in Suriname and in the United States?
Suriname is the budget-friendly choice for expats. But cost isn’t everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.

United States vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar countries

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?