Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Macao and Roseau

For one person, living is cheaper in Roseau: $1,253 a month against $2,114 in Macao, rent and utilities included – about $10,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

104

Cost of Living Index in Macao
Learn more

Macao Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Roseau
Learn more

Roseau Living Index

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Macao

🇲🇴 Macao (China)

$2,114

/mo nomad

Roseau

🇩🇲 Dominica

$1,253

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Macao and in Roseau

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 Roseau actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,114 in Macao versus $1,253 in Roseau.

Macao $2,114
Roseau $1,253

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,990 in Macao versus $2,112 in Roseau.

Macao $2,990
Roseau $2,112

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,866 in Macao versus $2,970 in Roseau.

Macao $3,866
Roseau $2,970

Living in Macao is roughly 69% more expensive than in Roseau, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

The two cities straddle the global median: Macao is 57% above, Roseau is 7% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.26 MOP 50.6

$7.30 EC$19.70

-14.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.2 MOP 454

$55.2 EC$149

1.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.02 MOP 48.66

$6.66 EC$17.99

-9.61%

Cappuccino

$5.06 MOP 40.87

$4.24 EC$11.45

19.34%

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

$1.05 MOP 8.48

$2.53 EC$6.83

-58.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.85 MOP 6.88

$2.28 EC$6.15

-62.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.62 MOP 45.46

$1.83 EC$4.94

207.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.33 MOP 59.2

$2.57 EC$6.93

185.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.26 MOP 26.34

$3.31 EC$8.95

-1.51%

White Bread (500g)

$1.70 MOP 13.72

$2.05 EC$5.53

-17.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.66 MOP 13.38

$1.23 EC$3.33

34.96%

Eggs

$3.50 MOP 28.30

$5.57 EC$15.04

-37.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.22 MOP 131

$2.45 EC$6.62

562.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$19.56 MOP 158

$11.09 EC$29.93

76.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$28.45 MOP 230

$12.97 EC$35.02

119.35%

Apples (1kg)

$2.59 MOP 20.96

$6.42 EC$17.35

-59.66%

Banana (1kg)

$2.86 MOP 23.13

$2.42 EC$6.52

18.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 MOP 15.27

$4.36 EC$11.78

-56.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.36 MOP 19.04

$5.04 EC$13.61

-53.17%

Potato (1kg)

$3.84 MOP 31.03

$3.54 EC$9.55

8.47%

Onion (1kg)

$2.84 MOP 22.92

$3.07 EC$8.30

-7.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.62 MOP 5.04

$2.19 EC$5.91

-71.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 MOP 9.32

$2.67 EC$7.22

-56.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.64 MOP 53.6

$7.58 EC$20.47

-12.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.30 MOP 99.4

$11.22 EC$30.30

9.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 MOP 14.43

$2.64 EC$7.14

-32.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 MOP 18.61

$3.04 EC$8.20

-24.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.73 MOP 5.88

$1.89 EC$5.11

-61.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.47 MOP 182

$53.0 EC$143

-57.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.63 MOP 21.26

$5.47 EC$14.76

-51.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.29 MOP 10.40

$2.97 EC$8.03

-56.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.68 MOP 119

$10.44 EC$28.19

40.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.78 MOP 14.38

$1.39 EC$3.76

28.06%

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

$30.5K MOP 246.6K

$35.7K EC$96.3K

-14.46%

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

$30.9K MOP 249.8K

$30.1K EC$81.3K

2.61%

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

$120 MOP 972

$140 EC$378

-14.02%

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

$23.50 MOP 190

$44.28 EC$120

-46.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.25 MOP 301

$70.2 EC$189

-46.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.8 MOP 515

$46.90 EC$127

35.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.81 MOP 30.82

$23.11 EC$62.4

-83.51%

Cinema Ticket

$14.71 MOP 119

$8.31 EC$22.44

77.02%

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

$1,231 MOP 9,951

$128 EC$347

858.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.7K MOP 151.3K

$4,364 EC$11.8K

328.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.7 MOP 555

$56.1 EC$151

22.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.15 MOP 268

$36.60 EC$98.8

-9.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.9 MOP 743

$72.8 EC$197

26.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$135 MOP 1,091

$92.3 EC$249

46.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,103 MOP 8,913

$278 EC$752

296.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 MOP 8,528

$205 EC$553

415.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,111 MOP 17.1K

$897 EC$2,422

135.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,433 MOP 11.6K

$637 EC$1,719

125.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,352 MOP 67.5K

$125 EC$337

6585.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,490 MOP 44.4K

$56.8 EC$153

9563.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,041 MOP 16.5K

$481 EC$1,299

324.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.6

-60.53%

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

Last update for Macao: October 10, 2026

Last update for Roseau: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Macao

$1.1K 49.9%

Roseau

$205 16.3% 80.6% $850

Groceries & Markets

Macao

$423 20%

Roseau

$371 29.6% 12.3% $52

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Macao

$181 8.6%

Roseau

$254 20.3% 40.5% $73

Eating Out

Macao

$179 8.5%

Roseau

$163 13% 9.2% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Macao

$148 7%

Roseau

$116 9.3% 21.6% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Macao

$93 4.4%

Roseau

$64 5.1% 31.8% $30

Getting Around

Macao

$34 1.6%

Roseau

$81 6.5% 135% $46

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,103 in Macao and $278 in Roseau. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Macao pays 324% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $56.0 in Macao vs $55.0 in Roseau for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $423 vs $371 per month, with Roseau cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇴 Macao

🇩🇲 Roseau

🕒 Local time

06:35 6:35 AM

18:35 6:35 PM

12 h behind Macao

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

622,567 Capital

15,000 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 18, 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 18, 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 Roseau 15,810 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Macao
Roseau

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 Roseau: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Roseau wins on cost – living expenses run 69% lower than in Macao. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Roseau the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 324% higher in Macao, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,103 in Macao versus $278 in Roseau. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Roseau – a meal for two runs $55.0 versus $56.0 in Macao. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,114 per month in Macao versus $1,253 in Roseau – a 69% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,253 in Roseau versus $2,114 in Macao, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Roseau but tight or insufficient in Macao. The gap between the two cities makes Roseau the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Macao and Roseau are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Roseau gentler on the wallet – expenses run 69% less than in Macao. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.