Preparing your move to Saint-Martin: housing, budget and settling in

Season, rents, neighbourhoods, budget and support: the steps to prepare a move to the French part of Saint-Martin.

The Remoters editorial team

Published on

2 October 2024

Updated on

6 October 2026

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Moving to Saint-Martin takes several months of preparation. Year-round housing is scarce, everyday prices are higher than in mainland France and the hurricane season weighs on the calendar. Before booking your ticket, settle three points: the arrival date, the settling-in budget and where you will sleep for the first few weeks.

This guide covers the French part of the island, the Collectivité de Saint-Martin (97150). The Dutch part, Sint Maarten, belongs to the Kingdom of the Netherlands and has its own rules: the procedures and rental market described here are those of the French side.

Saint-Martin at a glance

The island is shared between two countries. According to Insee, the Collectivité has 31,500 inhabitants in 2022, compared with 42,000 for Sint Maarten, which holds 58% of the island's population on 40% of its area. On the French side, the population fell by 4,200 people in ten years, mainly after Hurricane Irma in 2017.

A few useful figures before you settle:

Employment: businesses on the French side employ 10,100 employees in 2022. Accommodation and food service account for 17%, ahead of trade and car repair (15%), public administration (14%) and health and social work (11%).
Salaries: the median gross monthly salary reaches €1,970 in 2022, up 15.6% since 2019, but 14% below that of Guadeloupe.
Prices: in 2022, Insee measured consumer prices 12% higher than in mainland France excluding the overseas departments, with the biggest gaps on food.
Population: people aged 60 or over make up 17% of residents in 2022, compared with 10% in 2012.

One administrative point to know: the Collectivité exercises the powers of a municipality, a department and a region, and has had its own taxation since 2008. It has also had responsibility for urban planning, housing and accommodation since 2012. The State retains security, education, health and labour law. A prefecture responsible for Saint-Martin and Saint-Barthélemy is based in Marigot.

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Choosing the right time to arrive

The climate sets the rhythm of the year. IEDOM distinguishes two seasons: the carême, the dry season, from December to May, and the hivernage, the rainy season, from July to October. It is during the hivernage that hurricane activity can be intense. Irma, a category 5 hurricane, devastated the island on 6 September 2017.

In practice:

aim for an arrival between December and May if your schedule allows;
if you arrive during the hivernage, find out about the instructions in the event of a hurricane alert in the first week;
during viewings, look at the condition of the building: according to Insee, some of the vacant homes are still vacant because of Irma damage and renovations not carried out.

Where to arrive

Most travellers arrive through the Dutch part, which is better equipped with port and airport infrastructure: it captures 94.6% of the tourists who land on the island, according to IEDOM. In 2024, the island recorded 577,818 arriving air passengers, including 104,686 at Grand-Case airport, on the French side. If you are shipping belongings by container, ask the carrier about the port of arrival and the formalities, as the island is shared between two administrations.

Housing: budget and neighbourhoods

The year-round rental market is narrow. According to Insee, 74% of homes are main residences in 2022, 11% second or occasional homes and 15% are vacant. Small homes are growing, large homes are declining: for a family, supply is more limited.

Rents seen in 2025 on long-term rental listings:

studio or T1: from €850 to €1,220 per month;
T2: from €790 to €1,450 per month;
T3: from €950 to €2,780 per month;
three-bedroom house or villa: from €1,950 per month, more than €3,000 with a pool or sea view.

To start, look at Marigot, the main town, Concordia, residential and adjoining Marigot to the south, or Hope Estate, close to Grand-Case airport. Bellevue offers unfurnished T2s and T3s at moderate rents. Grand-Case, Orient Bay and Anse Marcel show higher rents.

Allow three to eight weeks to sign a lease. A well-located studio or T2 often goes in under four weeks; a T3 or T4 takes more like four to eight weeks. Renting a short-term furnished home first gives you time to view properties on site.

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The settling-in budget

Beyond the ticket and the transport of your belongings, plan for moving into the home. For a studio or T2 in Marigot or Concordia, expect €1,700 to €3,500 between the first month's rent, the security deposit and any agency fees. For a T3 or a villa, the entry cost can exceed €5,000.

The deposit requested corresponds in practice to one month's rent excluding charges for an unfurnished home, up to two months for a furnished one. Add the cost of connecting utility meters and internet, often at the tenant's expense, and a grocery budget higher than in mainland France.

Moving and housing support

Since the February 2025 agreement between the State, the Collectivité and Action Logement, three schemes are available in Saint-Martin:

Mobili-Pass covers part of the costs linked to a change of job or workplace: useful if you are moving for a position;
the Loca-Pass Advance finances the security deposit;
Visale guarantees the landlord against unpaid rent and is aimed in particular at young people, employees and people in job-integration programmes.

The checklist before leaving

Three months before: set your housing budget from the rents above and choose two or three neighbourhoods.
Two months before: prepare a complete rental application (ID, proof of income, latest tax assessment, employment contract, references from your current landlord) and check your eligibility for Action Logement support.
One month before: book temporary accommodation for the first few weeks and arrange the transport of your belongings.
On arrival: view quickly, reply the same day to listings that interest you, have every clause of the lease explained to you and insist on a written inventory.

The Collectivité has responsibility for housing: some rules may differ from those you know in mainland France. Ask the question before signing rather than after.

If you are preparing your move from a distance, a Remoters home finder based in Saint-Martin can search for you, view homes, build your file and review the lease. The first conversation and the quote are free.