Cost Of Living For a Student in St. Martin 2024
Average Monthly Expenditure
Currency: BDT
Average monthly spending for students in St. Martin
How much money does a student need in a month to survive in St. Martin?
Students in St. Martin spend around 12,000 BDT per month on average. Depending on the lifestyle, a student can survive with a monthly budget as low as 1,900 BDT or as high as 83,000 BDT. Location is a very important factor and has a huge influence on expenditure and budget.
Prices and cost of goods and services in St. Martin
Dining, food, and beverages costs
Fast food combo meal
Restaurant meal for one
Fine dining meal for one
| 170 BDT | 250 BDT | 1,000 BDT |
Cappuccino or latte
Grocery and market costs
Milk large bottle
12 eggs
Fresh whole chicken
Pack of beef
Medium bag of rice
Bag of tomatos
Bag of apples
Commute, travel, and transportation costs
20 minutes taxi ride
Average car full tank
Average car 1-day rental
Average car price
| 68,000 BDT | 140,000 BDT | 180,000 BDT |
Bus ticket one way
Car Service
Utility cost (monthly)
Utility Bill - Student
Internet and cable
Mobile phone charges
Leisure and activities costs
Movie ticket
One month gym membership
Cloths and accessories costs
Pair of jeans or pants
Woman dress
Woman shoes
Men's shoes
Men suit
Regular t-shirt
Housing costs / monthly rent
Studio apartment
| 2,000 BDT | 3,000 BDT | 8,000 BDT |
1-bedroom apartment
| 3,000 BDT | 4,800 BDT | 12,000 BDT |
2-bedroom apartment
| 4,000 BDT | 6,000 BDT | 16,000 BDT |
Housing costs / Buying
Studio apartment
| 400,000 BDT | 600,000 BDT | 1.2M BDT |
1-bedroom apartment
| 480,000 BDT | 800,000 BDT | 3M BDT |
2-bedroom apartment
| 800,000 BDT | 2.4M BDT | 4.8M BDT |
Furniture Costs
King Size Bed
| 2,700 BDT | 3,400 BDT | 4,500 BDT |
Double Bed
| 1,800 BDT | 2,700 BDT | 3,400 BDT |
Single Bed
| 1,600 BDT | 2,100 BDT | 2,700 BDT |
Living Room
| 3,000 BDT | 3,900 BDT | 14,000 BDT |
Dining Table
| 1,400 BDT | 1,800 BDT | 3,400 BDT |
Sofa or Couch
| 1,800 BDT | 2,500 BDT | 5,400 BDT |
Electronics and House Appliance Costs
TV Set
| 1,800 BDT | 2,700 BDT | 5,400 BDT |
Fridge or Freezer
| 1,600 BDT | 2,500 BDT | 3,400 BDT |
Washing Machine
| 2,100 BDT | 3,000 BDT | 5,400 BDT |
Stove or Cooker
| 1,900 BDT | 2,500 BDT | 3,400 BDT |
Mobile Phone
| 2,300 BDT | 2,700 BDT | 3,900 BDT |
Laptop or Computer
| 2,500 BDT | 3,000 BDT | 5,400 BDT |
How do students spend their money in St. Martin?
We asked thousands of students about their spending habits and expenditure break down.
Housing and accomodation expenditure for students
Accomodation Cost17%
17% of total expenses on average (12% to 23%)
| LOW | $4.1 450 BDT |
| AVERAGE | $27 3,000 BDT |
| HIGH | $180 20,000 BDT |
| Per Month |
Students in St. Martin typically spend from 12% to 23% of their total monthly expenditure on housing with 17% being the average. The average monthly spend on housing is 3,000 BDT with expenditure ranging from 450 BDT to 20,000 BDT. This cost mainly goes for rent but it also includes other accommodation-related expenses.
Electricity, utilities, energy, water, internet, and mobile expenditure for students
Cost of utilities7%
7% of total expenses on average (5% to 11%)
| LOW | $0.68 74 BDT |
| AVERAGE | $4.5 500 BDT |
| HIGH | $30 3,300 BDT |
| Per Month |
Utility expenditure like electricity, water, and gas in St. Martin ranges from 5% to 11% of total expenses with 7% being the average for most students. The average monthly cost of utilities is 500 BDT with 74 BDT and 3,300 BDT being the upper and lower limits for a student of four.
Transport, fuel, and commute expenditure for students
Cost of transport and fuel3%
3% of total expenses on average (4% to 9%)
| LOW | $1.2 130 BDT |
| AVERAGE | $7.9 870 BDT |
| HIGH | $53 5,800 BDT |
| Per Month |
Fuel consumption and cost of transport depend heavily on whether a student resides near school and work, but roughly speaking a student would expect to spend from 130 BDT to 5,800 BDT in a month on commuting with 870 BDT being the norm for most students. This means that money spent on transport constitutes about 3% of total spending on average but can go as low as 4% or as high as 9%.
Food, groceries, and basic shopping expenditure for students
Food and Groceries Cost24%
24% of total expenses on average (18% to 28%)
| LOW | $3.4 370 BDT |
| AVERAGE | $23 2,500 BDT |
| HIGH | $150 17,000 BDT |
| Per Month |
The average outlay on groceries and basic houshold items for a typical student in a month in St. Martin is 2,500 BDT. The cost of groceries can range between 370 BDT to 17,000 BDT. Students spend on average about 24% on food and groceries with upper and lower bounds of 18% and 28% respectively.
Healthcare and medical services expenditure for students
Cost of healthcare10%
10% of total expenses on average (7% to 13%)
| LOW | $1 110 BDT |
| AVERAGE | $6.8 750 BDT |
| HIGH | $45 5,000 BDT |
| Per Month |
Students in St. Martin allocate 7% to 13% of their total monthly expenditure to healthcare including health insurance and out-of-pocket medical expenses. The average spending on medical services and clinic visits is around 10%. The range of medical expenses range from 110 BDT to 5,000 BDT with 750 BDT being the norm for most students.
Leisure and shopping expenditure for students
Cost of leisure and shopping2%
2% of total expenses on average (2% to 6%)
| LOW | $0.85 93 BDT |
| AVERAGE | $5.7 620 BDT |
| HIGH | $38 4,100 BDT |
| Per Month |
This category mostly contains discretionary or non-essential expenses but also some non-discretionary spending like furniture for example. The monthly expenses range from 93 BDT to 4,100 BDT with 620 BDT being the average. Speaking of percentages, that equates to 2% to 6% of total expenses with an average of 2% for most students.
Education and schooling expenditure for students
Cost of education and schooling18%
18% of total expenses on average (11% to 23%)
| LOW | $3.2 350 BDT |
| AVERAGE | $22 2,400 BDT |
| HIGH | $140 16,000 BDT |
| Per Month |
Spending on education can vary drastically between different students. On average, education constitutes 18% of the monthly expenditure of students with 11% and 23% being the lower and upper bounds respectively. The average reported education cost is 2,400 BDT per month with 350 BDT being the minimum spent amount and 16,000 BDT being the maximum.
Other Expenses19%
19% of total expenses on average (13% to 25%)
| LOW | $2.5 280 BDT |
| AVERAGE | $17 1,900 BDT |
| HIGH | $110 12,000 BDT |
| Per Month |
A typical and healthy budgeting structure
The 50/30/20 rule
Spending among different people can vary significantly based on factors such as their income, lifestyle,
location, and personal preferences. A commonly used guideline for budgeting is the 50/30/20 rule,
which suggests allocating your income into three main categories in the following percentages.
50% for needs and financial obligations
This category includes essential expenses like housing, utilities, groceries, transportation, and healthcare.
30% for wants and discretionary spending
This category covers discretionary spending on non-essential items, such as dining out, entertainment, travel, and other lifestyle choices.
20% for savings and emergency fund
This is the percentage that must be allocated to savings, emergency funds, and retirement accounts.
About financial planning, money management, and household budgeting
The 50/30/20 rule is used as a general guideline but may not be the best choice for all people. There are in fact many budgeting plans out there like the 70/20/10 and the 60/20/20 rules, all claiming to be the best. More important than all of this is to establish financial discipline by creating a budget tailored to your specific financial goals and situation. It is very important that your financial outflow be less than your income to maintain a healthy cash flow.
Affordable living in St. Martin
Income and cost of living compatibility
We asked students one simple question and recorded their answers.
Is it affordable or economical to live in St. Martin?
Around 41% of surveyed students think that living in St. Martin is affordable with proper budgeting while 59% reported that it is just too expensive and not affordable even with frugality and thriftness.
Low-cost alternatives in St. Martin
People are always looking for ways to cut down expenses and reduce expenditures. The hallmark of any affordable place is the availability of discount stores, bargain deals, smart or secondhand shopping, refurbished items, and couponing. We asked students how easily cost-cutting is and the answers were distributed as follows:
Plenty of low-cost options49%
Few low-cost options51%
Based on the survey, 49% of the students living in St. Martin have no problem finding low-cost alternatives to support a frugal lifestyle while 51% think that thriftness is difficult due to scarcity in discount markets and secondhand outlets.
Emergency Funds For Students
An emergency fund is a financial safety net comprised of easily accessible savings set aside to cover unexpected expenses or financial emergencies, typically amounting to three to six months' worth of living expenses. We asked students of St. Martin whether they have an emergency fund and the answers were as follows.
Yes40%
No60%
Based on the survey, 60% of the students living in St. Martin said that they don't have an emergency fund while 40% said that they do.
Financial Literacy in Bangladesh
Financial literacy is the knowledge of concepts and principles related to personal finance that allow individuals to make informed decisions regarding their money such as budgeting, saving, investing, borrowing, managing debt, financial risk management, and planning.
Financial Leteracy40%
We asked student guardians and parents in St. Martin whether they acquired any adequate personal financial training in their lives. Approximately 60% of the people who participated in the survey said that they are not well informed about the topics of budgeting, saving, etc., and just manage things based on their own experience, while 40% said that they know about the general principles of personal finance from sources other than their own experience.
Difficulty in Budgeting and Financial Planning
We wanted to understand whether students of Bangladesh have problems or difficulties in managing their expenditures and savings so we asked people one simple question: do you struggle with your personal finances? 54% of the participants reported that they indeed struggle in creating budgets and in organizing their finances while 46% said that they have everything under control.
Struggles with finance54%
Easily manages finances46%
Housing costs, accommodation, and housing affordability in St. Martin
Rental costs and house/apartment prices can vary drastically between different areas and locations.
Rent Cost in St. Martin
Monthly Rent Prices
Studio apartment monthly rent cost
| 2,000 BDT | 3,000 BDT | 8,000 BDT |
1-bedroom apartment monthly rent cost
| 3,000 BDT | 4,800 BDT | 12,000 BDT |
2-bedroom apartment monthly rent cost
| 4,000 BDT | 6,000 BDT | 16,000 BDT |
3-bedroom apartment monthly rent cost
| 4,800 BDT | 8,000 BDT | 22,000 BDT |
Furnished apartment monthly rent cost
| 9,600 BDT | 24,000 BDT | 48,000 BDT |
Townhouse monthly rent cost
| 8,000 BDT | 12,000 BDT | 34,000 BDT |
House monthly rent cost
| 9,600 BDT | 24,000 BDT | 48,000 BDT |
Villa monthly rent cost
| 12,000 BDT | 30,000 BDT | 48,000 BDT |
The monthly rental cost of a studio apartment in St. Martin ranges between 2,000 BDT and 8,000 BDT, meanwhile the cost of monthly rental of a one-bedroom apartment can be anywhere from 3,000 BDT to 12,000 BDT. Two-bedroom rentals rate ranges between 4,000 BDT and 16,000 BDT per month. The monthly rental for a three-bedroom apartment ranges from 4,800 BDT to 22,000 BDT. The average rent of a townhouse in St. Martin is around 12,000 BDT while house rental costs can be as high as 24,000 BDT per month. Finally, if you want to rent a villa, expect to pay anywhere from 12,000 BDT to 48,000 BDT per month.
Apartment and house prices in St. Martin
Cost of buying a property
Studio apartment price
| 400,000 BDT | 600,000 BDT | 1.2M BDT |
1-bedroom apartment price
| 480,000 BDT | 800,000 BDT | 3M BDT |
2-bedroom apartment price
| 800,000 BDT | 2.4M BDT | 4.8M BDT |
3-bedroom apartment price
Townhouse price
House price
| $36,000 | $220,000 | $310,000 |
Villa price
| $44,000 | $240,000 | $360,000 |
The average price of a studio apartment in St. Martin can range from 400,000 BDT to 1.2M BDT depending on location. One bedroom cost can be anywhere from 480,000 BDT to 3M BDT. A villa can cost you 27M BDT on average with prices ranging from 4.8M BDT to 40M BDT.
If you're leasing or purchasing, housing costs in St. Martin will probably constitute your biggest expenditure, yet it's an area where you wield considerable influence. This is due to the substantial variance in housing prices across communities. Keep in mind the location of your workplace and the accessibility of essential amenities to prevent negating the savings from lower rental rates with increased transportation expenses.
House / apartment prices to income ratio
Property price to income ratio
( average property price / average monthly income ) x 100
| 27 | x73 monthly income | 172 |
Property prices in St. Martin can be x73 to x172 multiples of the monthly income depending on the property and the income of the person. On average, property prices are approximately x73 multiples of the average monthly salary in St. Martin.
Rent to income ratio
Rent to income ratio
( monthly rental / monthly income ) x 100
The average rent-to-income ratio in St. Martin is around 26%. This means that people pay 26% of their income for rent. Those figures can range from 17% to 35% depending on the salary, location, and type of property.
The housing-to-income ratio is a very important metric to evaluate and measure how affordable living is in a particular area, city, or country since housing comprises the biggest chunk of expenditure. A higher housing to income ratio means that the place is relatively expensive. The figure by itself does tell much. It only starts to make sense when comparing the housing to income ratio across different locations.
Housing affordability index
The housing affordability index measures how affordable accommodation is in a particular place. This can measured in multiple ways, the most common being housing expenditure to total expenditure ratio and the rent to income ratio. The housing expenditure ratio is a figure reported by individuals on the percentage they allocate for housing. Rent to income ratio is calculated by dividing the average monthly rent by the average income. Because these values are both percentages, we can find their average and get the best of the two worlds.
Housing Affordability Index
23% Property Taxes
Real estate owners pay property taxes to local tax authorities, which are determined by the assessed value of their property. Typically, these taxes are paid once a year. Property tax funds contribute to community development, financing infrastructure improvements, public services, and local education initiatives.
Home Maintenance Costs
Home maintenance costs encompass various expenses associated with the upkeep and repair of a residence. These expenditures include regular tasks such as lawn care, pest control, and HVAC system servicing, as well as occasional repairs and renovations like fixing leaks, painting, or replacing appliances.
Urban vs. rural living costs
Urban living typically entails higher housing and transportation costs due to demand and limited space, while rural areas generally offer lower housing expenses but may have higher prices for goods and services. The differnce in rental rates between urban areas and rural areas can be as high as 300% in some cases.
Monthly costs and expenses of energy and basic utilities in St. Martin
Utilities expenditure can vary slightly between different areas and locations.
Energy, electricity, water, gas, internet, and mobile cost in St. Martin
Utility Bill Cost / Electricity + Water + Gas / Student
Internet and cable cost
Mobile phone bill and charges
Because most utility bills club electricity, water, and gas costs in one bill, we can't provide a breakup for each type of utility and will display electricity, gas, and water as single cost.
The average monthly energy and water consumption of students is around 500 BDT. The cost of internet and WiFi ranges from 140 BDT to 360 BDT with 270 BDT being the average internet bill. Finally, the average monthly mobile charges is around 180 BDT but can range between 110 BDT and 540 BDT depending on consumption. Mobile charges include both calling minutes as well as data packages.
Energy / Utility expense to income ratio
( monthly utility expenses / monthly income ) x 100
The average utility-to-income ratio in St. Martin is around 6.4%. This means that people pay 6.4% of their income for energy, water, internet, and mobile charges. Those figures can range from 3.7% to 10% depending on salary and location.
Food Prices, Dining Expenses, and Grocery Costs in St. Martin
Grocery / Food expenditure and prices can vary drastically between different areas and locations.
Prices and cost of goods and services in St. Martin
Dining out, food, and beverages costs. Price variations for common food items.
Fast food combo meal price
The average price of a regular combo meal at a fast food outlet or chain like McDonald's, Pizzahut, or KFC in St. Martin is approximatly 54 BDT with meal cost ranging from 27 BDT to 90 BDT. The typical combo meal consists of a burger, french fries, and a drink.
Restaurant meal for one price
If you are planning to have a nice meal at a mid-range restaurant, expect to pay anywhere between 85 BDT and 250 BDT with 130 BDT being the average price of a plate for one person at a regular restaurant in St. Martin.
Fine dining meal for one price
| 170 BDT | 250 BDT | 1,000 BDT |
The price range of a meal at fine-dining restaurant is 170 BDT to 1,000 BDT with the average cost being 250 BDT for one person. This is what you would expect to pay a top-tier diner in St. Martin.
Beverage prices, cappuccino, latte etc..
The average price of a regular beverage like cappuccino or latte at Starbucks, Costa, or similar coffee shops and cafes in St. Martin is around 36 BDT. Price ranges between 23 BDT and 54 BDT depending on the type of beverage, the size, and optional add-ons.
Grocery and market costs
Large bottle of milk price
The average price of a large bottle of milk in St. Martin is 22 BDT. The maximum what you would pay for milk is 27 BDT and the minimum being 18 BDT depending on the brand of milk and other properties.
12 eggs price
A dozen eggs costs around 18 BDT on average with 14 BDT and 27 BDT being the lower and upper limits respectively.
Fresh whole chicken price
The price range of a fresh whole chicken in St. Martin is between 31 BDT and 56 BDT depending on the size of the chicken and whether it is oraganic or not. The average price is approximatly 40 BDT.
Pack of beef price
The price of a regular pack of beef or meat is around 54 BDT. A pack of beef contains around 1Kg or 1lb depending on packing.
Medium bag of rice price
A bag of rice in St. Martin costs around 20 BDT on average with prices rangeing between 15 BDT and 28 BDT depending on the brand and quality.
Bag of tomatos price
A bag of tomatoes costs anywhere from 5.4 BDT to 14 BDT. A bag of tomatoes denotes 1Kg or 1lb depending on location.
Bag of apples price
A bag of apples costs 13 BDT on average. A bag of apples denotes 1Kg or 1lb depending on location.
Grocery and food expenditure to income ratio
( monthly grocery expenses / monthly income ) x 100
The average grocery-to-income ratio in St. Martin is around 25%. This means that students spend 25% of their income on grocery and basic household items. The expenditure can range from 17% to 30% depending on salary and location.
Expenditure on food and grocery for students
Students' spending on grocery ranges from 370 BDT to 17,000 BDT with the location, income, and size of the student being the most determinite factors.
