How Much Do Things Cost in SXM?
On forums, blogs (including this one), and word of mouth, we keep hearing that things in St. Maarten are pricier than in the states… but what exactly does “pricier” mean? Isn’t it subjective? The only way to truly answer the question is through objective means. I normally throw away my receipts after I come back home from grocery shopping, but today, I have decided to keep it. Here, I have decided to list all the things I’ve bought and the price in US dollars.
As of 2011, the exchange rate at most grocery stores on the Dutch side is US$1 = 1.8 NAF. On the French side it is 1 Euro = US$1.40. Keep in mind that unlike the states, there are no sales taxes here in St. Maarten. Some grocery stores like Gourmet Marche and Grand Marche also give 5% discount to AUC students with ID.
I will continually update this list as I go grocery shopping in the future!
For cost of supplies at Cost-U-Less and Ace Hardware Megastore, please check out this post: Cost of Supplies
Hey Benji,
Do you know how much mid rice or jasmine rice is on the island? Nice website!
Thank You,
Hi Mike,
I’m not sure how much jasmine rice cost, since I don’t really eat Jasmine rice, but I do know that Kokuho rice costs around $60 for a 50 lb bag. Kokuho, however, is typically a more expensive type of rice, and being on the island, it’s even more expensive than what I would pay back at home.
Benji
Hi Benji,
Finding your info loads helpful. Though I still have a year of uni to go before i apply, i was wondering if you could tell me if family are allowed to send care packages from home? and about how much that costs (like from canada for instance).
Thanks.
Hi Komal,
Thanks for reading my blog. Yes, you can have any kind of packages sent to you, whether it is a care package from family or something you ordered off of Amazon. I’m not sure how much it would cost, since it would vary depending on how far, how fast, and how heavy the package is. Since St. Maarten is international, expect it to cost more than what you are used to, of course. Check out this post for more info: http://www.caribbeanmedstudent.com/2010/06/common-questions-from-new-students/
Best of luck with the rest of uni.
Benji