Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Vancouver and Philipsburg

For one person, living is cheaper in Vancouver: $2,684 a month against $3,149 in Philipsburg, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

128

Cost of Living Index in Vancouver
Learn more

Vancouver Living Index
148

Cost of Living Index in Philipsburg
Learn more

Philipsburg Living Index

Jump to prices

Vancouver

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,684

/mo nomad

Philipsburg

🇸🇽 Sint Maarten

$3,149

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Vancouver and in Philipsburg

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,684 in Vancouver versus $3,149 in Philipsburg.

Vancouver $2,684
Philipsburg $3,149

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,878 in Vancouver versus $6,004 in Philipsburg.

Vancouver $3,878
Philipsburg $6,004

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,072 in Vancouver versus $8,859 in Philipsburg.

Vancouver $5,072
Philipsburg $8,859

Living in Vancouver costs roughly 15% less than in Philipsburg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Vancouver 100% above, Philipsburg 135% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.30 CA$24.66

$15.49 ANG 27.73

11.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.0 CA$98.3

$70.8 ANG 127

-2.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.56 CA$15.05

$8.04 ANG 14.39

31.34%

Cappuccino

$3.89 CA$5.54

$4.38 ANG 7.83

-11.19%

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

$2.05 CA$2.93

$2.90 ANG 5.19

-29.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 CA$2.31

$4.11 ANG 7.35

-60.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.54 CA$7.90

$2.97 ANG 5.31

86.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.33 CA$9.02

$6.55 ANG 11.72

-3.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.31 CA$3.30

$3.06 ANG 5.48

-24.51%

White Bread (500g)

$2.50 CA$3.56

$2.64 ANG 4.72

-5.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.44 CA$6.33

$2.53 ANG 4.53

75.49%

Eggs

$4.07 CA$5.80

$6.54 ANG 11.70

-37.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.28 CA$16.08

$18.69 ANG 33.46

-39.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.42 CA$19.13

$13.75 ANG 24.61

-2.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.10 CA$28.65

$14.89 ANG 26.66

34.99%

Apples (1kg)

$4.06 CA$5.78

$5.07 ANG 9.07

-19.92%

Banana (1kg)

$1.33 CA$1.90

$5.07 ANG 9.08

-73.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.91 CA$5.57

$9.20 ANG 16.46

-57.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.05 CA$5.78

$7.58 ANG 13.57

-46.57%

Potato (1kg)

$2.72 CA$3.88

$4.06 ANG 7.27

-33.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.89 CA$4.12

$4.04 ANG 7.22

-28.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.53 CA$3.61

$4.88 ANG 8.74

-48.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 CA$2.31

$1.34 ANG 2.40

20.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$15.57 CA$22.19

$8.16 ANG 14.61

90.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.05 CA$20.03

$10.82 ANG 19.37

29.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.69 CA$3.83

$5.13 ANG 9.19

-47.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.99 CA$4.26

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.44 CA$3.48

$2.26 ANG 4.05

7.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$83.4 CA$119

$1.47 ANG 2.63

5570.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.71 CA$3.87

$15.04 ANG 26.92

-81.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 CA$2.24

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.39 CA$44.75

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 CA$1.96

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

$28.1K CA$40.0K

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

$19.8K CA$28.2K

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

$81.2 CA$116

$152 ANG 271

-46.43%

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

$37.45 CA$53.4

$32.40 ANG 58.0

15.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.4 CA$73.2

$65.8 ANG 118

-21.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.47 CA$62.0

$62.7 ANG 112

-30.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.53 CA$17.86

Cinema Ticket

$12.54 CA$17.88

$10.92 ANG 19.54

14.84%

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

$1,094 CA$1,560

$248 ANG 443

341.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.9K CA$28.4K

$12.0K ANG 21.4K

66.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.0 CA$81.3

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.73 CA$46.66

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.6 CA$132

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.2 CA$134

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,745 CA$2,488

$2,145 ANG 3,840

-18.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,484 CA$2,115

$1,994 ANG 3,570

-25.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,998 CA$4,273

$6,614 ANG 11.8K

-54.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,422 CA$3,453

$6,466 ANG 11.6K

-62.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,002 CA$11.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,457 CA$9,204

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,799 CA$5,416

$1,132 ANG 2,026

235.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.28

-14.40%

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

Last update for Vancouver: October 3, 2026

Last update for Philipsburg: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Vancouver

$1.5K 56.6%

Philipsburg

$2K 64.2% 34.4% $511

Groceries & Markets

Vancouver

$399 15.2%

Philipsburg

$496 * 16% 24.5% $98

Eating Out

Vancouver

$272 10.4%

Philipsburg

$256 8.3% 5.6% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Vancouver

$170 6.5%

Philipsburg

$250 8% 46.9% $80

Clothing & Footwear

Vancouver

$124 4.8%

Philipsburg

- * 0% 100%

Getting Around

Vancouver

$104 4%

Philipsburg

$26 * 0.8% 75.4% $78

Sport & Entertainment

Vancouver

$69 2.6%

Philipsburg

$85 2.7% 23.3% $16

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 $1,745 in Vancouver and $2,145 in Philipsburg. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Vancouver pays 236% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $69.0 in Vancouver vs $71.0 in Philipsburg for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $399 vs $496 per month, with Vancouver cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Vancouver

🇸🇽 Philipsburg

🕒 Local time

03:16 3:16 AM

06:16 6:16 AM

3 h ahead of Vancouver

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

631,486

1,900 Capital

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Netherlands Antillean Guilder ANG ƒ

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.702 USD

1 CAD = 0.626 EUR

1 ANG = 0.559 USD

1 ANG = 0.499 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ANG, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 CAD (1 CAD = 0.702 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 CAD (1 CAD = 0.626 EUR).

Netherlands Antillean Guilder exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.79 ANG (1 ANG = 0.559 USD). 1 EUR = 2.01 ANG (1 ANG = 0.499 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Vancouver Philipsburg 6,340 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Vancouver
Philipsburg

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

Vancouver vs Philipsburg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Vancouver wins on cost – living expenses run 17% lower than in Philipsburg. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Vancouver the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 236% higher in Vancouver, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,745 in Vancouver versus $2,145 in Philipsburg. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 25% higher in Philipsburg. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Vancouver – a meal for two runs $69.0 versus $71.0 in Philipsburg. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $3,000. Vancouver 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.

Expats usually find Vancouver gentler on the wallet – expenses run 17% less than in Philipsburg. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.