Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Roseau and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $925 a month against $1,259 in Roseau, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 less a year. The total is higher in Roseau despite lower rent and utilities.

61

Cost of Living Index in Roseau
Learn more

Roseau Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

Jump to prices

Roseau

🇩🇲 Dominica

$1,259

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Roseau and in Chiang Mai

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

A single person spends $1,259 per month in Roseau vs $925 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Roseau $1,259
Chiang Mai $925

A couple spends around $2,123 per month in Roseau vs $1,414 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Roseau $2,123
Chiang Mai $1,414

A family of three spends $2,988 per month in Roseau vs $1,903 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Roseau $2,988
Chiang Mai $1,903

Roseau costs about 36% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Roseau and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Roseau 7% lower, Chiang Mai 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.45 EC$20.11

$2.29 ฿76.5

225.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.2 EC$152

$19.64 ฿656

186.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.62 EC$17.89

$5.61 ฿188

18.00%

Cappuccino

$4.19 EC$11.31

$1.66 ฿55.6

152.41%

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

$2.41 EC$6.50

$0.70 ฿23.40

244.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 EC$5.86

$0.31 ฿10.24

600.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.83 EC$4.93

$2.41 ฿80.4

-24.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 EC$7.19

$3.71 ฿124

-28.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.27 EC$8.82

$1.95 ฿65.3

67.69%

White Bread (500g)

$2.13 EC$5.76

$1.41 ฿47.03

51.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.22 EC$3.29

$1.31 ฿43.62

-6.87%

Eggs

$5.44 EC$14.69

$2.18 ฿72.9

149.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$2.42 EC$6.54

$16.65 ฿556

-85.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.07 EC$29.90

$2.76 ฿92.2

301.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.03 EC$35.19

$9.11 ฿304

43.03%

Apples (1kg)

$6.58 EC$17.76

$2.39 ฿80.0

175.31%

Banana (1kg)

$2.44 EC$6.58

$1.03 ฿34.26

136.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.57 EC$12.34

$1.63 ฿54.4

180.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.07 EC$13.68

$1.50 ฿50.0

238.00%

Potato (1kg)

$3.52 EC$9.52

$1.29 ฿43.13

172.87%

Onion (1kg)

$3.04 EC$8.21

$1.11 ฿37.03

173.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.11 EC$5.70

$0.72 ฿24.08

193.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.72 EC$7.34

$0.53 ฿17.59

413.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.46 EC$20.15

$4.31 ฿144

73.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.91 EC$29.44

$17.95 ฿600

-39.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.63 EC$7.10

$1.58 ฿52.9

66.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.99 EC$8.08

$2.84 ฿95.0

5.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.88 EC$5.08

$0.86 ฿28.86

118.60%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.4 EC$144

$53.3 ฿1,780

0.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 EC$14.54

$1.21 ฿40.29

345.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.93 EC$7.90

$0.57 ฿18.99

414.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.09 EC$27.25

$2.35 ฿78.6

329.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 EC$3.87

$1.44 ฿47.96

-0.69%

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

$35.6K EC$96.0K

$20.7K ฿692.8K

71.54%

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

$29.6K EC$80.0K

$26.8K ฿895.7K

10.58%

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

$143 EC$386

$62.3 ฿2,083

129.28%

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

$44.39 EC$120

$12.11 ฿405

266.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.4 EC$190

$19.94 ฿666

252.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.93 EC$124

$37.07 ฿1,239

23.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.10 EC$62.4

$3.78 ฿126

511.11%

Cinema Ticket

$8.11 EC$21.89

$6.50 ฿217

24.77%

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

$131 EC$353

$793 ฿26.5K

-83.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,365 EC$11.8K

$14.8K ฿494.9K

-70.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.7 EC$150

$53.7 ฿1,796

3.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.72 EC$99.1

$24.62 ฿823

49.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.7 EC$202

$90.9 ฿3,036

-17.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.5 EC$247

$71.1 ฿2,378

28.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$288 EC$778

$455 ฿15.2K

-36.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$207 EC$558

$298 ฿9,954

-30.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$882 EC$2,381

$908 ฿30.4K

-2.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$645 EC$1,741

$554 ฿18.5K

16.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$123 EC$333

$1,931 ฿64.5K

-93.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$55.5 EC$150

$1,445 ฿48.3K

-96.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$473 EC$1,277

$591 ฿19.7K

-19.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.6

5.57

36.45%

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

Last update for Roseau: October 18, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Roseau

$372 29.6%

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5% 36.7% $137

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Roseau

$258 20.5%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2% 63.4% $163

Accommodation & Living

Roseau

$207 16.4%

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2% 44% $91

Eating Out

Roseau

$163 12.9%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5% 51.6% $84

Clothing & Footwear

Roseau

$116 9.3%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7% 7% $8.2

Getting Around

Roseau

$81 6.4%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 24.9% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Roseau

$62 4.9%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 19.5% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $288 in Roseau versus $455 in Chiang Mai. 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 25% higher in Chiang Mai, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $56.0 in Roseau versus $20.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $372 vs $235 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇩🇲 Roseau

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

09:24 9:24 AM

20:24 8:24 PM

11 h ahead of Roseau

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,000 Capital

127,240

💱 Currency

East Caribbean Dollar XCD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 XCD = 0.37 USD

1 XCD = 0.329 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🌐 East Caribbean Dollar ($)

East Caribbean Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 2.7 XCD (1 XCD = 0.37 USD). 1 EUR = 3.04 XCD (1 XCD = 0.329 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to XCD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Roseau Chiang Mai 15,660 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Roseau
Chiang Mai

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

Roseau vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Roseau costs about 36% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,888 per month in Roseau and $1,388 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Kindergarten costs $131 per month in Roseau and $793 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 58% more in Roseau, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $925, than in Roseau at $1,259. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Roseau it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $925 versus $1,259 in Roseau. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 Chiang Mai. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Roseau makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.