Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Alba and Macao

For one person, living is cheaper in Alba: $1,630 a month against $2,114 in Macao, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Macao outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

80

Cost of Living Index in Alba
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Alba Living Index
104

Cost of Living Index in Macao
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Macao Living Index

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Alba

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,630

/mo nomad

Macao

🇲🇴 Macao (China)

$2,114

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,630 per month in Alba vs $2,114 in Macao, rent included.

Alba $1,630
Macao $2,114

A couple spends around $2,551 per month in Alba vs $2,990 in Macao, rent included.

Alba $2,551
Macao $2,990

A family of three spends $3,473 per month in Alba vs $3,866 in Macao, rent included.

Alba $3,473
Macao $3,866

Alba is about 23% cheaper than Macao, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Alba and Macao sit above the global median – Alba by 21%, Macao by 57%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.91 €19.49

$6.26 MOP 50.6

250.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$88.0 €78.3

$56.2 MOP 454

56.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.36 €11.89

$6.02 MOP 48.66

121.93%

Cappuccino

$2.13 €1.90

$5.06 MOP 40.87

-57.91%

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

$3.68 €3.27

$1.05 MOP 8.48

250.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.82 €1.62

$0.85 MOP 6.88

114.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.55 €4.94

$5.62 MOP 45.46

-1.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.83 €6.08

$7.33 MOP 59.2

-6.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 €1.49

$3.26 MOP 26.34

-48.47%

White Bread (500g)

$3.32 €2.95

$1.70 MOP 13.72

95.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.49 €3.11

$1.66 MOP 13.38

110.24%

Eggs

$5.08 €4.51

$3.50 MOP 28.30

45.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$23.19 €20.63

$16.22 MOP 131

42.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.68 €13.05

$19.56 MOP 158

-24.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.94 €20.40

$28.45 MOP 230

-19.37%

Apples (1kg)

$3.09 €2.75

$2.59 MOP 20.96

19.31%

Banana (1kg)

$2.32 €2.06

$2.86 MOP 23.13

-18.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.40 €3.02

$1.89 MOP 15.27

79.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.16 €3.70

$2.36 MOP 19.04

76.27%

Potato (1kg)

$2.32 €2.06

$3.84 MOP 31.03

-39.58%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 €1.79

$2.84 MOP 22.92

-28.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.73 €1.54

$0.62 MOP 5.04

179.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 €0.55

$1.15 MOP 9.32

-46.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.89 €6.13

$6.64 MOP 53.6

3.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.54 €8.48

$12.30 MOP 99.4

-22.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 €1.75

$1.79 MOP 14.43

9.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.43 €2.16

$2.30 MOP 18.61

5.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.73 MOP 5.88

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.47 MOP 182

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$8.00 €7.11

$2.63 MOP 21.26

204.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.20 €1.95

$1.29 MOP 10.40

70.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$63.8 €56.8

$14.68 MOP 119

334.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.14 €1.90

$1.78 MOP 14.38

20.22%

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

$36.7K €32.6K

$30.5K MOP 246.6K

20.21%

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

$36.7K €32.6K

$30.9K MOP 249.8K

18.70%

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

$249 €221

$120 MOP 972

106.86%

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

$8.00 €7.12

$23.50 MOP 190

-65.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.33 €26.09

$37.25 MOP 301

-21.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.8 MOP 515

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.81 MOP 30.82

Cinema Ticket

$12.37 €11.00

$14.71 MOP 119

-15.91%

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

$855 €761

$1,231 MOP 9,951

-30.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.1K €17.0K

$18.7K MOP 151.3K

1.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.7 €88.7

$68.7 MOP 555

45.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.95 €44.43

$33.15 MOP 268

50.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 €102

$91.9 MOP 743

25.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$164 €146

$135 MOP 1,091

21.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$535 €476

$1,103 MOP 8,913

-51.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$384 €342

$1,055 MOP 8,528

-63.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$732 €651

$2,111 MOP 17.1K

-65.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$616 €548

$1,433 MOP 11.6K

-56.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,916 €2,594

$8,352 MOP 67.5K

-65.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,490 MOP 44.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,652 €2,359

$2,041 MOP 16.5K

29.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.18

6.00%

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

Last update for Alba: October 12, 2026

Last update for Macao: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Alba

$419 25.7%

Macao

$423 20% 1% $4.3

Accommodation & Living

Alba

$384 23.6%

Macao

$1.1K 49.9% 175% $671

Eating Out

Alba

$304 18.7%

Macao

$179 8.5% 41.1% $125

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Alba

$286 17.6%

Macao

$181 8.6% 36.7% $105

Clothing & Footwear

Alba

$193 11.8%

Macao

$148 7% 23.3% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Alba

$25 * 1.5%

Macao

$93 4.4% 277% $68

Getting Around

Alba

$19 * 1.2%

Macao

$34 1.6% 81.5% $15

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $535 in Alba versus $1,103 in Macao. 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 30% higher in Alba, 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 $88.0 in Alba versus $56.0 in Macao. Groceries tell a different story – $419 in Alba vs $423 in Macao – so Alba wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Alba

🇲🇴 Macao

🕒 Local time

04:39 4:39 AM

10:39 10:39 AM

6 h ahead of Alba

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

29,910

622,567 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Macanese Pataca MOP P

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 MOP = 0.124 USD

1 MOP = 0.11 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Alba Macao 9,430 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Alba
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

Alba vs Macao: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Macao is pricier by about 30%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,445 per month in Alba and $3,171 in Macao. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $88.0 in Alba and $56.0 in Macao. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 1% more in Macao, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Alba, where all-in costs run around $1,630, than in Macao at $2,114. In Alba it covers expenses comfortably, while in Macao it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Alba – 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 Alba. 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.