Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Portsmouth and Roseau

For one person, living is cheaper in Portsmouth: $927 a month against $1,259 in Roseau, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Roseau
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Roseau Living Index

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Portsmouth

🇩🇲 Dominica

$927

/mo nomad

Roseau

🇩🇲 Dominica

$1,259

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Portsmouth 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 Portsmouth and in Roseau actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $927 in Portsmouth versus $1,259 in Roseau.

Portsmouth $927
Roseau $1,259

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,638 in Portsmouth versus $2,123 in Roseau.

Portsmouth $1,638
Roseau $2,123

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,350 in Portsmouth versus $2,988 in Roseau.

Portsmouth $2,350
Roseau $2,988

Living in Portsmouth costs roughly 26% less than in Roseau, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Portsmouth 32% lower, Roseau 7% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.63 EC$15.20

$7.45 EC$20.11

-24.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.0 EC$148

$56.2 EC$152

-2.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.72 EC$18.15

$6.62 EC$17.89

1.51%

Cappuccino

$2.61 EC$7.06

$4.19 EC$11.31

-37.71%

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

$2.21 EC$5.95

$2.41 EC$6.50

-8.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 EC$5.13

$2.17 EC$5.86

-12.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.57 EC$6.94

$1.83 EC$4.93

40.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.62 EC$9.78

$2.66 EC$7.19

36.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.85 EC$7.69

$3.27 EC$8.82

-12.84%

White Bread (500g)

$2.27 EC$6.14

$2.13 EC$5.76

6.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.07 EC$5.58

$1.22 EC$3.29

69.67%

Eggs

$6.80 EC$18.35

$5.44 EC$14.69

25.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$2.65 EC$7.16

$2.42 EC$6.54

9.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.56 EC$15.02

$11.07 EC$29.90

-49.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.03 EC$35.19

Apples (1kg)

$7.45 EC$20.11

$6.58 EC$17.76

13.22%

Banana (1kg)

$2.55 EC$6.88

$2.44 EC$6.58

4.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.10 EC$11.06

$4.57 EC$12.34

-10.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.10 EC$11.08

$5.07 EC$13.68

-19.13%

Potato (1kg)

$2.89 EC$7.80

$3.52 EC$9.52

-17.90%

Onion (1kg)

$2.80 EC$7.55

$3.04 EC$8.21

-7.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.88 EC$5.09

$2.11 EC$5.70

-10.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 EC$4.91

$2.72 EC$7.34

-33.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.46 EC$20.15

Wine (Bottle)

$11.00 EC$29.71

$10.91 EC$29.44

0.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 EC$5.14

$2.63 EC$7.10

-27.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.61 EC$7.04

$2.99 EC$8.08

-12.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.78 EC$2.10

$1.88 EC$5.08

-58.51%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.4 EC$144

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.73 EC$10.07

$5.39 EC$14.54

-30.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.79 EC$10.24

$2.93 EC$7.90

29.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.09 EC$27.25

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 EC$3.87

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

$35.6K EC$96.0K

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

$29.6K EC$80.0K

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

$143 EC$386

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

$40.53 EC$109

$44.39 EC$120

-8.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.4 EC$174

$70.4 EC$190

-8.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.08 EC$100

$45.93 EC$124

-19.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.10 EC$62.4

Cinema Ticket

$11.30 EC$30.51

$8.11 EC$21.89

39.33%

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

$131 EC$353

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,365 EC$11.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.0 EC$151

$55.7 EC$150

0.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.74 EC$64.1

$36.72 EC$99.1

-35.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$56.3 EC$152

$74.7 EC$202

-24.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$67.4 EC$182

$91.5 EC$247

-26.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$258 EC$697

$288 EC$778

-10.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$219 EC$592

$207 EC$558

6.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$662 EC$1,788

$882 EC$2,381

-24.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$618 EC$1,669

$645 EC$1,741

-4.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$123 EC$333

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$55.5 EC$150

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$637 EC$1,719

$473 EC$1,277

34.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.6

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

Last update for Portsmouth: October 17, 2026

Last update for Roseau: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Portsmouth

–

Roseau

$372 29.6%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Portsmouth

–

Roseau

$258 20.5%

Accommodation & Living

Portsmouth

–

Roseau

$207 16.4%

Eating Out

Portsmouth

–

Roseau

$163 12.9%

Clothing & Footwear

Portsmouth

–

Roseau

$116 9.3%

Getting Around

Portsmouth

–

Roseau

$81 6.4%

Sport & Entertainment

Portsmouth

–

Roseau

$62 4.9%

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $258 in Portsmouth and $288 in Roseau. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Portsmouth pays 35% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $55.0 in Portsmouth vs $56.0 in Roseau for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $292 vs $372 per month, with Portsmouth cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇩🇲 Portsmouth

🇩🇲 Roseau

🕒 Local time

06:53 6:53 AM

Same time as Portsmouth

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,633

15,000 Capital

💱 Currency

East Caribbean Dollar XCD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 XCD = 0.37 USD

1 XCD = 0.329 EUR

1 XCD = 0.37 USD

1 XCD = 0.329 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Portsmouth Roseau 32 km

From you

Portsmouth
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

Portsmouth vs Roseau: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Portsmouth is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. The 36% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 35% higher in Portsmouth, 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: $258 in Portsmouth versus $288 in Roseau. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 27% higher in Roseau. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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

At $927 in Portsmouth versus $1,259 in Roseau, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Portsmouth but tight or insufficient in Roseau. The gap between the two cities makes Portsmouth 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, Portsmouth 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 Portsmouth gentler on the wallet – expenses run 36% less than in Roseau. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.