Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Macao and Castries

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.

104

Cost of Living Index in Macao
Learn more

Macao Living Index
70

Cost of Living Index in Castries
Learn more

Castries Living Index

Jump to prices

Macao

🇲🇴 Macao (China)

$2,139

/mo nomad

Castries

🇱🇨 Saint Lucia

$1,438

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Macao and in Castries

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

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

Macao $2,139
Castries $1,438

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

Macao $3,023
Castries $2,357

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

Macao $3,906
Castries $3,276

Macao costs about 49% more than Castries, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.21 MOP 50.2

$9.45 EC$25.52

-34.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.3 MOP 447

$73.8 EC$199

-25.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.79 MOP 46.84

$8.56 EC$23.12

-32.36%

Cappuccino

$4.93 MOP 39.81

$3.81 EC$10.29

29.40%

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

$1.01 MOP 8.13

$1.98 EC$5.34

-48.99%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.93 MOP 7.49

$0.98 EC$2.65

-5.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.84 MOP 47.17

$2.81 EC$7.58

107.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.49 MOP 60.6

$3.24 EC$8.75

131.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.23 MOP 26.10

$2.03 EC$5.48

59.11%

White Bread (500g)

$1.70 MOP 13.75

$1.81 EC$4.88

-6.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 MOP 14.03

$1.65 EC$4.46

5.45%

Eggs

$3.39 MOP 27.38

$4.74 EC$12.81

-28.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.91 MOP 129

$11.00 EC$29.69

44.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$19.45 MOP 157

$9.06 EC$24.46

114.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$28.73 MOP 232

$14.50 EC$39.15

98.14%

Apples (1kg)

$2.59 MOP 20.96

$8.79 EC$23.73

-70.53%

Banana (1kg)

$2.90 MOP 23.48

$1.61 EC$4.34

80.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.94 MOP 15.70

$8.28 EC$22.36

-76.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.34 MOP 18.92

$14.53 EC$39.22

-83.90%

Potato (1kg)

$4.05 MOP 32.72

$3.45 EC$9.31

17.39%

Onion (1kg)

$2.81 MOP 22.73

$1.99 EC$5.37

41.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.63 MOP 5.09

$2.28 EC$6.16

-72.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 MOP 9.23

$1.28 EC$3.47

-10.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.61 MOP 53.5

$9.17 EC$24.77

-27.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.32 MOP 99.6

$10.99 EC$29.66

12.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 MOP 13.77

$2.21 EC$5.97

-23.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.23 MOP 18.05

$5.40 EC$14.57

-58.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.73 MOP 5.87

$1.08 EC$2.93

-32.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.85 MOP 185

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.54 MOP 20.53

$9.47 EC$25.57

-73.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.24 MOP 10.01

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.67 MOP 119

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.85 MOP 14.94

$1.56 EC$4.21

18.59%

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

$30.5K MOP 246.9K

$26.0K EC$70.1K

17.62%

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

$31.9K MOP 258.1K

$37.1K EC$100.2K

-13.99%

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

$124 MOP 1,004

$121 EC$327

2.58%

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

$23.42 MOP 189

$87.8 EC$237

-73.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.77 MOP 297

$49.26 EC$133

-25.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.2 MOP 527

$41.19 EC$111

58.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 MOP 30.56

Cinema Ticket

$14.84 MOP 120

$5.67 EC$15.30

161.73%

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

$1,197 MOP 9,679

$214 EC$579

458.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.0K MOP 153.9K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.9 MOP 565

$82.1 EC$222

-14.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.93 MOP 266

$50.8 EC$137

-35.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.3 MOP 754

$109 EC$294

-14.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 MOP 1,081

$112 EC$301

19.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,132 MOP 9,153

$449 EC$1,212

152.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,077 MOP 8,702

$347 EC$937

210.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,106 MOP 17.0K

$1,222 EC$3,300

72.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,474 MOP 11.9K

$707 EC$1,910

108.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,212 MOP 66.4K

$102 EC$274

7985.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,513 MOP 44.6K

$64.5 EC$174

8447.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,054 MOP 16.6K

$1,093 EC$2,952

87.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.75

-61.29%

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

Last update for Macao: October 18, 2026

Last update for Castries: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Macao

$1.1K 50.3%

Castries

$347 24.2% 67.8% $729

Groceries & Markets

Macao

$422 19.8%

Castries

$428 29.7% 1.3% $5.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Macao

$184 8.6%

Castries

$258 18% 40% $74

Eating Out

Macao

$178 8.3%

Castries

$179 12.5% 0.7% $1.3

Clothing & Footwear

Macao

$148 6.9%

Castries

$159 11.1% 7.1% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Macao

$95 4.4%

Castries

$53 3.7% 44.6% $42

Getting Around

Macao

$34 1.6%

Castries

$14 * 1% 60% $21

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,132 in Macao versus $449 in Castries. 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 $55.0 in Macao versus $74.0 in Castries. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $422 vs $428 – making Macao the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇴 Macao

🇱🇨 Castries

🕒 Local time

12:28 12:28 PM

00:28 12:28 AM

12 h behind Macao

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

622,567 Capital

22,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Macanese Pataca MOP P

East Caribbean Dollar XCD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 MOP = 0.124 USD

1 MOP = 0.11 EUR

1 XCD = 0.37 USD

1 XCD = 0.329 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

XCD, USD, EUR to MOP – Macanese Pataca Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇴 Macanese Pataca (P)

Macanese Pataca exchange rates as of October 23, 2026: 1 USD = 8.08 MOP (1 MOP = 0.124 USD). 1 EUR = 9.09 MOP (1 MOP = 0.11 EUR).

East Caribbean Dollar exchange rates as of October 23, 2026: 1 USD = 2.7 XCD (1 XCD = 0.37 USD). 1 EUR = 3.04 XCD (1 XCD = 0.329 EUR).

USD to MOP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Macao Castries 15,950 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Macao
Castries

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

Macao vs Castries: 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 $3,209 per month in Macao and $2,157 in Castries. 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 $2,139 in Macao and $1,438 in Castries. That's a gap of about 49%.

Kindergarten costs $1,197 per month in Macao and $214 in Castries. 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.