Cost of Supplies

Hi everyone! Moving to a new place like St. Maarten and deciding what to pack from home can be a headache, especially if you are not sure whether you should buy something on the island when you get here or bring it from home. Luckily in St. Maarten, you can pretty much find most things you need. For those of you who are about to move down to the island, fellow AUC med student (and orientation advisor) Brittany Mott has graciously looked up and provided the price of various supplies from Cost-U-Less and ACE Hardware. Here I have posted her guide below. Hopefully this post will give many of you all a better idea of what to expect. Thanks Brittany for this information!

Cost-U-Less in Philipsburg, St. Maarten

Cost-U-Less

Similar to: Wal-Mart

Best Deals: Bathroom supplies, laundry stuff, kitchenware, feminine products, random things, food in bulk, school supplies, plastic kitchen things

Dining:

  • 200 plastic cups: $15
  • 100 paper plates: $5
  • 15 standard tupperwear containers: $8
  • 36 piece tupperwear set: $17
  • 300 plastic spoons: $7
  • 300 plastic forks: $7
  • 36 real forks: $13
  • 36 real spoons: $11
  • Cookware Set: $60-$70 ***AUC STUDENT FAVORITE***

Laundry Essentials:

  • Laundry detergent: $20
  • Fabric softner: $15
  • 120 Dryer Sheets: $8
  • Febreeze: $5

Random:

  • Twin Air Mattress: $43
  • Queen Air Mattress: $57
  • Beach Chairs: $25-$60
  • Bug Spray: $7
  • Raid: $8
  • Standard Folding Table: $50
  • Ironing Board: $38
  • Queen Sheets: $23-$35
  • Twin Sheets: $28-$35
  • 3 pack of plain white towels: $22
  • 3 pack of plain white hand towels: $14
  • Sponges 4 pack: $5
  • Swiffer Sweeper Starter Kit: $10
  • Swiffer Sweeper Refills 32 pack: $9
  • Energizer AAA – 4 for $5
  • Store Brand AAA – 24 for $12
  • Duracel AAA – 20 for $12
  • Energizer AA – 4 for $5
  • Store Brand AA – 24 for $12

School Supplies:

  • Giant Dry Erase Board: $23 ***AUC STUDENT FAVORITE***
  • Expo Markers Combo Pack 16 markers: $16 ***AUC STUDENT FAVORITE***
  • 15 Multicolored G2 pens: $17
  • 15 Blue, Black, Red G2 pens: $17
  • Cannon Pixma Inkjet ip2702: $45
  • Roll of Tape: $2
  • Notebooks: $2
  • Computer Paper: $10

Bathroom Items:

  • Big box of Q-Tips: $9
  • TreSemme Shampoo 32 ounce: $6
  • TreSemme Conditionor 32 ounce: $6
  • Big bottle of Olay lotion: $13
  • Body Wash: $6-$9
  • Axe Deodorant 2 pack: $10
  • St. Ives face wash: $4
  • Secret/Lady Speed Stick/Dove Deodorant 2 pack: $5-$7
  • Bathroom spray: $2
  • Toiler Paper 12 rolls: $10
  • Toothbrush 4 Pack: $6
  • Toothpaste: $3-$5
  • Listerine: $9

Feminine Products:

  • 120 Care-Free pads: $7
  • Kotex 135 count: $6
  • 40 count multipack Tampax: $8
  • 36 count Pearl Tampax: $10
  • 48 count Maxi Pads: $8
  • 28 ultra thin pads: $9

***Tampons boxes other than “regular” are harder to find***

 

ACE Megacenter in Cole bay, St. Maarten

ACE Hardware Store

Similar to: Lowe’s / Bed,Bath & Beyond

Best Deals: Bedroom things, kitchen machinery, apartment decorations, things for your car, cleaning supplies, fix-it-up things, real kitchen things, greater & cheaper selection of cleaning materials (Clorox, wipes, etc.)

Bedroom:

  • Queen Mattress Pad: $125 ***AUC STUDENT FAVORITE***
  • Full Mattress Pad: $50
  • Queen Egg Crate Mattress Pad: $125
  • Twin Egg Crate Mattress Pad: $25
  • Big Pillow: $25
  • Regular Pillow: $10-$15
  • King Sheets: $40-$60
  • Queen Sheets: $35-$40
  • Full Sheets: $25-$35
  • Twin Sheets: $12-$15
  • King Comforter: $180-$200
  • Queen Comforter: $120
  • Twin/Full Comforter: $80

Kitchen Machinery:

  • Coffee Maker: $35-$60
  • Toaster: $20
  • Blender: $37-$80
  • Can Opener: $16
  • Knives: $6-$50
  • Disk Rack: $12-$15
  • Pasta Strainer: $12-$15
  • Real Plates: $7-$10
  • Real Cups: $6-$12
  • Baking Pan: $10
  • Toaster Oven: $70

Random:

  • ZipLock Baggies: $5
  • Plastic Laundry Basket: $20
  • Shower Curtain: $5-$15
  • Shower Curtain Hooks Pack: $3
  • Bathroom Shower Mat: $15
  • Bathroom Rugs: $27
  • Trash Bin: $10-$40
  • Hand Towels: $7
  • Towels: $15
  • Welcome Door Mat: $16
  • Small Beach Cooler: $25
  • Lunch Pail: $11
  • Lawn Chair: $40
  • Broom: $6-$13
  • Toilet Brush: $6

Things to bring from home

  • Starter Medicine Kit: Ibuprofin, Aspirin, Niquil, DayQuil, bandaids, birth control, any regular medications you take, etc. “Drug Stores” don’t exist here. You have to buy all of this at the pharmacy, which is not open on Sundays, and the hours open are during class. Better to be safe than sorry.
  • Starter Bathroom Kit: small shampoo, box of tampons/pads, loofa, toothbrush, toothpaste, one role of toiler paper, shower curtains, shower curtain hooks, and towel just in case your plane arrives at night when everything is closed
  • Starter Bedroom Kit: surge protector, sheets (they are more expensive here), a nicer pillow (no memory foam here)
  • Kitchen Starter Kit: any favorite spices, they are very expensive here and limited
  • Starter School Supplies: nicer folders, special pens, post-its, tabs, etc. bring from home if you are picky about your school supplies!!

For cost of groceries, please check out this post: How Much Do Things Cost in SXM?