Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Castries and Macao

For one person, living is cheaper in Castries: $1,438 a month against $2,139 in Macao, rent and utilities included – about $8,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Macao outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

70

Cost of Living Index in Castries
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Castries Living Index
104

Cost of Living Index in Macao
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Macao Living Index

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Castries

🇱🇨 Saint Lucia

$1,438

/mo nomad

Macao

🇲🇴 Macao (China)

$2,139

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Castries and in Macao

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Castries and in Macao actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,438 per month in Castries vs $2,139 in Macao, rent included.

Castries $1,438
Macao $2,139

A couple spends around $2,357 per month in Castries vs $3,023 in Macao, rent included.

Castries $2,357
Macao $3,023

A family of three spends $3,276 per month in Castries vs $3,906 in Macao, rent included.

Castries $3,276
Macao $3,906

Castries is about 33% cheaper than Macao, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Castries and Macao sit above the global median – Castries by 6%, Macao by 58%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.45 EC$25.52

$6.21 MOP 50.2

52.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.8 EC$199

$55.3 MOP 447

33.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.56 EC$23.12

$5.79 MOP 46.84

47.84%

Cappuccino

$3.81 EC$10.29

$4.93 MOP 39.81

-22.72%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 EC$5.34

$1.01 MOP 8.13

96.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 EC$2.65

$0.93 MOP 7.49

5.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.81 EC$7.58

$5.84 MOP 47.17

-51.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.24 EC$8.75

$7.49 MOP 60.6

-56.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.03 EC$5.48

$3.23 MOP 26.10

-37.15%

White Bread (500g)

$1.81 EC$4.88

$1.70 MOP 13.75

6.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.65 EC$4.46

$1.74 MOP 14.03

-5.17%

Eggs

$4.74 EC$12.81

$3.39 MOP 27.38

39.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.00 EC$29.69

$15.91 MOP 129

-30.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.06 EC$24.46

$19.45 MOP 157

-53.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.50 EC$39.15

$28.73 MOP 232

-49.53%

Apples (1kg)

$8.79 EC$23.73

$2.59 MOP 20.96

239.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 EC$4.34

$2.90 MOP 23.48

-44.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$8.28 EC$22.36

$1.94 MOP 15.70

326.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$14.53 EC$39.22

$2.34 MOP 18.92

520.94%

Potato (1kg)

$3.45 EC$9.31

$4.05 MOP 32.72

-14.81%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 EC$5.37

$2.81 MOP 22.73

-29.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.28 EC$6.16

$0.63 MOP 5.09

261.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 EC$3.47

$1.14 MOP 9.23

12.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.17 EC$24.77

$6.61 MOP 53.5

38.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.99 EC$29.66

$12.32 MOP 99.6

-10.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.21 EC$5.97

$1.70 MOP 13.77

30.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.40 EC$14.57

$2.23 MOP 18.05

142.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.08 EC$2.93

$0.73 MOP 5.87

47.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.85 MOP 185

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$9.47 EC$25.57

$2.54 MOP 20.53

272.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.24 MOP 10.01

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.67 MOP 119

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.56 EC$4.21

$1.85 MOP 14.94

-15.68%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$26.0K EC$70.1K

$30.5K MOP 246.9K

-14.98%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$37.1K EC$100.2K

$31.9K MOP 258.1K

16.27%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$121 EC$327

$124 MOP 1,004

-2.51%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$87.8 EC$237

$23.42 MOP 189

275.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.26 EC$133

$36.77 MOP 297

33.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.19 EC$111

$65.2 MOP 527

-36.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 MOP 30.56

Cinema Ticket

$5.67 EC$15.30

$14.84 MOP 120

-61.79%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$214 EC$579

$1,197 MOP 9,679

-82.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.0K MOP 153.9K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$82.1 EC$222

$69.9 MOP 565

17.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.8 EC$137

$32.93 MOP 266

54.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 EC$294

$93.3 MOP 754

16.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 EC$301

$134 MOP 1,081

-16.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$449 EC$1,212

$1,132 MOP 9,153

-60.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$347 EC$937

$1,077 MOP 8,702

-67.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 EC$3,300

$2,106 MOP 17.0K

-41.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$707 EC$1,910

$1,474 MOP 11.9K

-52.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$102 EC$274

$8,212 MOP 66.4K

-98.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$64.5 EC$174

$5,513 MOP 44.6K

-98.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,093 EC$2,952

$2,054 MOP 16.6K

-46.78%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.75

158.33%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Castries: October 18, 2026

Last update for Macao: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Groceries & Markets

Castries

$428 29.7%

Macao

$422 19.8% 1.2% $5.3

Accommodation & Living

Castries

$347 24.2%

Macao

$1.1K 50.3% 210% $729

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Castries

$258 18%

Macao

$184 8.6% 28.6% $74

Eating Out

Castries

$179 12.5%

Macao

$178 8.3% 0.7% $1.3

Clothing & Footwear

Castries

$159 11.1%

Macao

$148 6.9% 6.6% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Castries

$53 3.7%

Macao

$95 4.4% 80.5% $42

Getting Around

Castries

$14 * 1%

Macao

$34 1.6% 150% $21

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $449 in Castries versus $1,132 in Macao. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 88% higher in Macao, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $74.0 in Castries versus $55.0 in Macao. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $428 vs $422 – making Macao the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇱🇨 Castries

🇲🇴 Macao

🕒 Local time

16:07 4:07 PM

04:07 4:07 AM

12 h ahead of Castries

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

22,000 Capital

622,567 Capital

💱 Currency

East Caribbean Dollar XCD $

Macanese Pataca MOP P

📈 Exchange rate

1 XCD = 0.37 USD

1 XCD = 0.329 EUR

1 MOP = 0.124 USD

1 MOP = 0.11 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MOP, USD, EUR to XCD – East Caribbean Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🌐 East Caribbean Dollar ($)

East Caribbean Dollar exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 2.7 XCD (1 XCD = 0.37 USD). 1 EUR = 3.04 XCD (1 XCD = 0.329 EUR).

Macanese Pataca exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 8.08 MOP (1 MOP = 0.124 USD). 1 EUR = 9.09 MOP (1 MOP = 0.11 EUR).

USD to XCD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Castries Macao 15,950 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Castries
Macao

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Castries vs Macao: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Macao costs about 49% more than Castries, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from utilities. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,157 per month in Castries and $3,209 in Macao. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Castries, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,438 in Castries and $2,139 in Macao. That's a gap of about 49%.

Kindergarten costs $214 per month in Castries and $1,197 in Macao. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Castries, where all-in costs run around $1,438, than in Macao at $2,139. In Castries it covers expenses comfortably, while in Macao it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Castries – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Castries. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Macao makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.