South America · Paramaribo
Cost of living in Suriname
Suriname is 68% cheaper than the US, ranking #163 of 203 countries we cover for cost of living.
World Bank data through 2024 · last reviewed 2026-06.
What drives the cost here
Price levels by category, where the world average = 100. Above 100 is pricier than the global norm; below it is cheaper.
In Suriname, communication is the priciest category relative to the world (83), while housing & utilities is the most affordable (17).
Category price levels: World Bank ICP 2021 (world average = 100) · source
What your money is worth here
A $100,000 US lifestyle would cost roughly $32,500 in Suriname.
Quality of life
75/100 · #106 of 198Beyond cost — health, safety, and connectivity. The score is a transparent, equal-weight composite of the verified metrics below (see methodology).
About Suriname
The Spaniards first explored Suriname in the 16th century, and the English then settled it in the mid-17th century. Suriname became a Dutch colony in 1667. With the abolition of African slavery in 1863, workers were brought in from India and Java. The Netherlands granted the colony independence in 1975. Five years later, the civilian government was replaced by a military regime that soon declared Suriname a socialist republic. It continued to exert control through a succession of nominally civilian administrations until 1987, when international pressure finally forced a democratic election.
Read the full background
In 1990, the military overthrew the civilian leadership, but a democratically elected government -- a four-party coalition -- returned to power in 1991. The coalition expanded to eight parties in 2005 and ruled until 2010, when voters returned former military leader Desire BOUTERSE and his opposition coalition to power. President BOUTERSE ran unopposed in 2015 and was reelected. Opposition parties campaigned hard against BOUTERSE in the run-up to the 2020 elections, and a multi-party coalition led by Chandrikapersad SANTOKHI’s VHP and Ronnie Brunswijk’s ABOP was installed.
Background from the CIA World Factbook (public domain), archived 2026-06-03.
Frequently asked
Is Suriname expensive to live in?
Suriname is 68% cheaper than the US, ranking #163 of the 203 countries we track. Its most expensive category relative to the world is communication; housing & utilities costs the least.
How much money do you need to live in Suriname?
A lifestyle that costs $100,000 in the United States would cost roughly $32,500 in Suriname, going by overall price levels. The salary translator turns your own figure into a local equivalent.
Is Suriname cheaper than the United States?
Yes. Its overall price level is 32.4, against 100 for the United States.
What is the quality of life in Suriname?
Suriname scores 75 out of 100 on our quality-of-life index (#106 of 198), a composite of life expectancy, safety, health, and connectivity, with life expectancy around 74 years.
Every number, sourced.
We cite the exact source and year for each figure. Derived values are computed at build time, never hand-entered.
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