How much does it cost to live in St. John's?
Typical Month (Mid Range)
$2,500 (EC$6,751)
Housing, food, transport, mobile, coworking and gym.
Updated September 2026 · Sources cited: apexrealtorsantigua.com, jarniascyril.com
- Typical Month (Lower End)
- $1,131 (EC$3,054)
- Typical Month (Premium)
- $2,985 (EC$8,059)
Good to know
Good to Know
- The East Caribbean Dollar (XCD) is fixed at 2.70 to 1 US Dollar, so unlike floating-currency destinations, local prices don't drift relative to USD over time — handy for budgeting.
- Groceries lean pricier than a typical mainland US supermarket because most packaged and imported food arrives by sea freight; buying local produce and fish tends to be noticeably cheaper than imported/packaged goods.
- Furnished short- or mid-term rentals in St. John's proper are relatively limited compared to nearby coastal/resort areas — many of the better-value furnished monthly listings are actually in surrounding areas like Buckleys Heights or Herberts rather than the compact downtown grid itself.
- Ask upfront whether electricity is included in a quoted rent: several listings include water, internet and cable but explicitly exclude electricity, and AC-heavy usage can add a meaningful amount to your monthly cost.
- The East Caribbean Dollar (XCD) is fixed to the US dollar at roughly 2.70:1, which makes budgeting and price comparisons unusually predictable for a nomad coming from a USD-based economy.
- There's no monthly transit pass — public transport is privately-run minibuses paid for in cash per ride, so budget small daily cash amounts rather than a lump-sum pass.
- The Nomad Digital Residence (NDR) visa fee ($1,500 single / $2,000 couple / $3,000 family) is a one-time, non-refundable cost, not a recurring monthly charge — factor it in as an upfront setup cost.
- Digicel and Flow are the two mobile carriers; buying a local prepaid SIM in St. John's works out far cheaper per GB than roaming, though SIM kiosks can have limited hours for late arrivals at the airport.
- Coworking-specific pricing for St. John's spaces (Wadadli Spaces, The Hub Antigua, The Office) isn't published online in a way we could verify — expect to contact spaces directly for current day-pass and membership rates.
Monthly Totals
- Mid-range month
- EC$6,751
Includes 6 estimated components
- Lean month
- EC$3,054
Includes 4 estimated components
- Comfortable month
- EC$8,059
Includes 7 estimated components
Living Costs
- Where nomads live
- There is no documented, named digital-nomad cluster in St. John's specifically. Expat/professional rental demand concentrates in St. John's itself, along Friars Hill Road and Woods, and in Buckleys Heights (central Antigua) and Herberts (just outside St. John's); these are also flagged among the island's 'safest areas' by rental portals. Housing figures below are priced from actual listings in St. John's, Buckleys Heights and Herberts as the closest documented proxies for a nomad-relevant area.
Housing (per month)
- Mid-range 1-bed
- EC$3,510
Local listing
Apex Realtors International listing in Herberts, St. John parish: 2-bedroom, 1-bathroom apartment — monthly rate EC$3,510.00 = US$1,300.00; internet, water and cable television included.
- Budget studio / 1-bed
- EC$2,430
Local listing
Apex Realtors International listing: studio apartment, Tower D, in an apartment complex in Buckleys Heights (central Antigua) — monthly rate EC$2,430.00 = US$900.00.
- Premium apartment
- EC$4,050
Local listing
Apex Realtors International listing in Herberts, St. John parish: 3-bedroom, 1-bathroom apartment — monthly rate EC$4,050.00 = US$1,500.00; internet, water and cable television included.
- Private room in a shared home
- EC$1,200
Estimated
No documented private-room-in-shared-home listings were found for St. John's. Estimated at roughly half the budget furnished-studio rate, since shared-room arrangements are informal/word-of-mouth on the island rather than listed on portals.
Groceries
- Groceries for one (month)
- EC$1,283
Estimated
Midpoint of an Antigua & Barbuda expat guide's stated range for a single person's monthly food expenses, roughly $350 to $600 USD depending on lifestyle.
Published in USD
Sample prices
1L Milk
- 1L Milk
- EC$12
Estimated
No specific St. John's listing found for this item; estimated from typical Caribbean import-heavy dairy pricing.
Loaf of White Bread
- Loaf Of White Bread
- EC$8.00
Estimated
No specific St. John's listing found for this item; estimated from typical regional bakery/supermarket pricing.
Dozen Eggs
- Dozen Eggs
- EC$15
Estimated
No specific St. John's listing found for this item; estimated from typical regional supermarket pricing.
1kg Rice
- 1kg Rice
- EC$10
Estimated
No specific St. John's listing found for this item; estimated from typical regional supermarket pricing.
Bottled Water 1.5L (Store)
- Bottled Water 1.5L (Store)
- EC$4.50
Estimated
Midpoint of a travel guide's stated range of EC$3-6 for a 1.5L bottle in 2026; range itself is not a single-price source, so treated as an estimate.
Eating out
- Cheap meal
- EC$19
Estimated
Global Citizen Solutions cost-of-living page, citing Numbeo, states a meal at an inexpensive restaurant in Antigua costs $9.25 versus $20 in the US. [Adjusted 2026-09-18: the source's 24.98 XCD reduced by 25%; see "adjusted".]
Published in USD
- High-end meal
- EC$189
Estimated
No specific St. John's fine-dining price data found in research; estimated based on typical upscale Caribbean/resort-area restaurant pricing relative to the sourced mid-range figure.
Published in USD
- Mid-range meal
- EC$94
Estimated
Source states an average mid-range restaurant meal for two costs $92.51 in Antigua (via Numbeo); halved here to a per-person figure, which makes this an estimate rather than a directly-stated single-person price. A different Global Citizen Solutions page put the same figure at $74 for two — noted as a source discrepancy. [Adjusted 2026-09-18: the source's 125 XCD reduced by 25%; see "adjusted".]
Published in USD
Work, Transport & Essentials
Coworking
- Day pass
- EC$68
Estimated
No live day-pass price was found on any St. John's coworking operator's own site (Wadadli Spaces, The Hub Antigua, The Office). Figure is an estimate based on typical small-island Caribbean coworking day-pass pricing; treat as a rough guide only.
Published in USD
- Monthly hot desk
- EC$675
Estimated
No published monthly hot-desk rate found for St. John's spaces. Estimated from general knowledge of comparable small Caribbean coworking markets; not confirmed against an operator page.
Published in USD
Transport
- About monthly passes
- Antigua's public transport runs on privately-operated minibuses with no documented monthly pass system — fares are paid per ride, in cash, to the driver or conductor.
- Single ride
- EC$3.00
Estimated
Source states a range of 'Bus fare: $2–$4 per ride' without specifying a single figure; $3 XCD used as a midpoint estimate, hence basis is estimated rather than “Survey / cost-of-living site”.
Mobile & data
- Monthly plan
- EC$132
Survey / cost-of-living site
Digicel prepaid data bundle: 20GB valid for 30 days, priced at roughly 132 XCD (about $49 USD), per Traveltomtom's 2026 Antigua SIM price comparison as cited by this source.
Short Stays (per night)
- Seasonal pricing
- Yes
- Why
- Caribbean winter tourism season (December–April) contrasts with hurricane/rainy season (June–November), with materially lower prices in August–October low season
Low season
- Budget
- EC$240
AirROI entry-level Airbnb (St. John's, $89 per night baseline); KAYAK September low-season ($599 average Antigua-wide suggests ~$79-100 budget tier)
- Luxury
- EC$2,106
Booking.com 5-star average ($902) reduced ~13% for low season; luxury segment shows less volatility than budget tier
- Premium
- EC$1,458
Booking.com 4-star ($566) discounted ~25% for low season; hotel pricing typically shows smaller seasonal swings than Airbnb in Caribbean
- Standard
- EC$729
Booking.com 3-star average ($253) adjusted downward ~25-30% for August-October low season; AirROI median $168 supports lower range
High season
- Budget
- EC$616
Hawksbill Beach 4-star hotel (January rates, Travelocity); represents entry to standard tier in high season
- Luxury
- EC$3,888
Booking.com 5-star average ($902 baseline) adjusted for peak-season premium; Royalton CHIC (5-star) reference point
- Premium
- EC$2,808
Booking.com 4-star average ($566 baseline); adjusted for high-season markup typical in Caribbean markets
- Standard
- EC$1,539
Booking.com 3-star average + seasonal uplift; corroborated by KAYAK January average ($1,551 USD, high season aggregate)
Low-season months
- August
- September
- October
High-season months
- December
- January
- February
- March
- April
Sources cited for this category
These are the sources cited in this cost of living research for this city. Individual figures may not each trace to one of them.
More About St. John's
Data last updated September 2026 · Verify anything important.