Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sarnia and Macao

For one person, living is cheaper in Sarnia: $2,002 a month against $2,114 in Macao, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

96

Cost of Living Index in Sarnia
Learn more

Sarnia Living Index
104

Cost of Living Index in Macao
Learn more

Macao Living Index

Jump to prices

Sarnia

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,002

/mo nomad

Macao

🇲🇴 Macao (China)

$2,114

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,002 in Sarnia versus $2,114 in Macao.

Sarnia $2,002
Macao $2,114

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,788 in Sarnia versus $2,990 in Macao.

Sarnia $2,788
Macao $2,990

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,574 in Sarnia versus $3,866 in Macao.

Sarnia $3,574
Macao $3,866

Living in Sarnia costs roughly 5% less than in Macao, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Sarnia 48% above, Macao 57% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.54 CA$19.14

$6.26 MOP 50.6

116.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.30 CA$64.0

$56.2 MOP 454

-19.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.77 CA$13.81

$6.02 MOP 48.66

62.29%

Cappuccino

$2.95 CA$4.17

$5.06 MOP 40.87

-41.70%

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

$1.93 CA$2.73

$1.05 MOP 8.48

83.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.37 CA$1.93

$0.85 MOP 6.88

61.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.26 CA$6.02

$5.62 MOP 45.46

-24.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.72 CA$8.09

$7.33 MOP 59.2

-21.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 CA$1.76

$3.26 MOP 26.34

-61.66%

White Bread (500g)

$2.39 CA$3.38

$1.70 MOP 13.72

40.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 CA$3.43

$1.66 MOP 13.38

45.78%

Eggs

$2.77 CA$3.91

$3.50 MOP 28.30

-20.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.04 CA$15.61

$16.22 MOP 131

-31.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.18 CA$15.81

$19.56 MOP 158

-42.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.68 CA$19.33

$28.45 MOP 230

-51.92%

Apples (1kg)

$3.51 CA$4.97

$2.59 MOP 20.96

35.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.17 CA$1.66

$2.86 MOP 23.13

-59.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.48 CA$4.92

$1.89 MOP 15.27

84.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.46 CA$4.90

$2.36 MOP 19.04

46.61%

Potato (1kg)

$1.32 CA$1.86

$3.84 MOP 31.03

-65.62%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 CA$2.54

$2.84 MOP 22.92

-36.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.63 CA$2.31

$0.62 MOP 5.04

162.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 CA$1.78

$1.15 MOP 9.32

9.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.21 CA$17.27

$6.64 MOP 53.6

83.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.98 CA$14.11

$12.30 MOP 99.4

-18.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 CA$3.42

$1.79 MOP 14.43

35.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 CA$3.91

$2.30 MOP 18.61

20.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.30 CA$3.25

$0.73 MOP 5.88

215.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 CA$80.2

$22.47 MOP 182

152.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.43 CA$3.44

$2.63 MOP 21.26

-7.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.70 CA$2.41

$1.29 MOP 10.40

31.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.85 CA$39.37

$14.68 MOP 119

89.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.17 CA$1.65

$1.78 MOP 14.38

-34.27%

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

$27.4K CA$38.7K

$30.5K MOP 246.6K

-10.23%

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

$18.8K CA$26.6K

$30.9K MOP 249.8K

-39.09%

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

$138 CA$196

$120 MOP 972

15.11%

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

$29.32 CA$41.45

$23.50 MOP 190

24.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.42 CA$64.2

$37.25 MOP 301

21.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$23.76 CA$33.59

$63.8 MOP 515

-62.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.73 CA$25.06

$3.81 MOP 30.82

365.35%

Cinema Ticket

$11.50 CA$16.26

$14.71 MOP 119

-21.82%

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

$349 CA$494

$1,231 MOP 9,951

-71.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.8K CA$22.3K

$18.7K MOP 151.3K

-15.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.3 CA$78.2

$68.7 MOP 555

-19.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.75 CA$42.05

$33.15 MOP 268

-10.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.0 CA$105

$91.9 MOP 743

-19.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.0 CA$103

$135 MOP 1,091

-45.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,342 CA$1,897

$1,103 MOP 8,913

21.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,032 CA$1,459

$1,055 MOP 8,528

-2.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,432 CA$3,438

$2,111 MOP 17.1K

15.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,451 CA$2,052

$1,433 MOP 11.6K

1.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,352 MOP 67.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,490 MOP 44.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,061 CA$4,327

$2,041 MOP 16.5K

49.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.09

69.67%

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

Last update for Sarnia: October 12, 2026

Last update for Macao: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sarnia

$1K 51.5%

Macao

$1.1K 49.9% 2.3% $23

Groceries & Markets

Sarnia

$310 15.5%

Macao

$423 20% 36.5% $113

Eating Out

Sarnia

$219 10.9%

Macao

$179 8.5% 18.2% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sarnia

$213 10.7%

Macao

$181 8.6% 15.1% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Sarnia

$104 5.2%

Macao

$148 7% 41.7% $44

Getting Around

Sarnia

$77 3.8%

Macao

$34 1.6% 55.2% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Sarnia

$47 2.3%

Macao

$93 4.4% 99.2% $46

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,342 in Sarnia and $1,103 in Macao. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sarnia pays 50% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $45.00 in Sarnia vs $56.0 in Macao for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $310 vs $423 per month, with Sarnia cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Sarnia

🇲🇴 Macao

🕒 Local time

01:41 1:41 AM

13:41 1:41 PM

12 h ahead of Sarnia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

71,594

622,567 Capital

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Macanese Pataca MOP P

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

1 MOP = 0.124 USD

1 MOP = 0.11 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MOP, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

Macanese Pataca exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 8.08 MOP (1 MOP = 0.124 USD). 1 EUR = 9.09 MOP (1 MOP = 0.11 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sarnia Macao 12,590 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Sarnia
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

Sarnia vs Macao: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sarnia wins on cost – living expenses run 6% lower than in Macao. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Sarnia the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 50% higher in Sarnia, 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: $1,342 in Sarnia versus $1,103 in Macao. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Sarnia – a meal for two runs $45.00 versus $56.0 in Macao. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,002 per month in Sarnia versus $2,114 in Macao – a 6% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,002 in Sarnia versus $2,114 in Macao, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Sarnia but tight or insufficient in Macao. The gap between the two cities makes Sarnia 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, Sarnia and Macao 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 Sarnia gentler on the wallet – expenses run 6% less than in Macao. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.