Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Australia and Macao (China)

Name: Macao (China)
Address: MO

For one person, living is cheaper in Macao (China): $1,996 a month against $2,539 in Australia, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

124

Cost of Living Index in Australia
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Australia Living Index
97

Cost of Living Index in Macao (China)
Learn more

Macao (China) Living Index

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🇦🇺 Australia

$2,539

/mo nomad

🇲🇴 Macao (China)

$1,996

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Australia and in Macao (China)

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

A single person spends $2,539 per month in Australia vs $1,996 in Macao (China), rent included.

Australia $2,539
Macao (China) $1,996

A couple spends around $3,716 per month in Australia vs $3,037 in Macao (China), rent included.

Australia $3,716
Macao (China) $3,037

A family of three spends $4,892 per month in Australia vs $4,078 in Macao (China), rent included.

Australia $4,892
Macao (China) $4,078

The regional cost range is wider in Australia ($1,635–$3,245) than in Macao (China) ($2,035–$2,139), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in Australia is about 27% higher than in Macao (China) on average.

Both Australia and Macao (China) are pricier than the global median – Australia by 87%, Macao (China) by 47%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.35 A$24.97

$6.08 MOP 49.12

185.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.5 A$122

$54.7 MOP 442

54.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.98 A$15.79

$6.15 MOP 49.70

78.54%

Cappuccino

$3.84 A$5.53

$5.05 MOP 40.85

-23.96%

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

$2.89 A$4.16

$1.02 MOP 8.28

183.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 A$3.29

$0.79 MOP 6.35

189.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.79 A$11.21

$5.63 MOP 45.47

38.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.42 A$12.12

$7.40 MOP 59.8

13.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.75 A$2.52

$3.11 MOP 25.14

-43.73%

White Bread (500g)

$2.78 A$4.00

$1.70 MOP 13.72

63.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.31 A$3.33

$1.73 MOP 13.98

33.53%

Eggs

$4.89 A$7.04

$3.46 MOP 27.96

41.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.95 A$14.32

$15.90 MOP 129

-37.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.06 A$13.03

$19.62 MOP 159

-53.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.92 A$21.46

$28.68 MOP 232

-47.98%

Apples (1kg)

$3.65 A$5.25

$2.70 MOP 21.85

35.19%

Banana (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

$2.87 MOP 23.19

5.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.24 A$4.66

$1.93 MOP 15.62

67.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.69 A$6.76

$2.36 MOP 19.07

98.73%

Potato (1kg)

$2.85 A$4.11

$3.85 MOP 31.08

-25.97%

Onion (1kg)

$2.32 A$3.34

$2.97 MOP 23.99

-21.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.43 A$3.50

$0.62 MOP 5.04

291.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 A$2.39

$1.15 MOP 9.31

44.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$38.47 A$55.4

$6.76 MOP 54.7

469.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.84 A$19.92

$12.20 MOP 98.6

13.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.87 A$7.01

$1.79 MOP 14.46

172.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.28 A$7.59

$2.18 MOP 17.65

142.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.71 A$3.90

$0.71 MOP 5.73

281.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$94.0 A$135

$22.62 MOP 183

315.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.57 A$5.14

$2.58 MOP 20.88

38.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 A$2.35

$1.28 MOP 10.34

27.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.04 A$57.6

$14.79 MOP 120

170.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 A$1.91

$1.85 MOP 14.95

-28.11%

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

$29.1K A$41.9K

$30.8K MOP 248.7K

-5.33%

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

$25.7K A$37.0K

$31.1K MOP 251.7K

-17.40%

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

$205 A$296

$124 MOP 1,000

65.98%

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

$28.24 A$40.63

$23.96 MOP 194

17.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.0 A$82.0

$37.38 MOP 302

52.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.4 A$79.7

$66.9 MOP 541

-17.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.46 A$28.01

$3.68 MOP 29.72

428.80%

Cinema Ticket

$15.06 A$21.66

$13.83 MOP 112

8.89%

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

$2,097 A$3,017

$1,234 MOP 9,972

69.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.0K A$26.0K

$18.7K MOP 150.8K

-3.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.0 A$112

$70.5 MOP 569

10.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.3 A$79.6

$33.85 MOP 274

63.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 A$161

$93.0 MOP 752

20.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 A$175

$137 MOP 1,108

-11.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,559 A$2,244

$1,100 MOP 8,892

41.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,215 A$1,748

$931 MOP 7,529

30.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,435 A$3,504

$2,101 MOP 17.0K

15.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,924 A$2,769

$1,644 MOP 13.3K

17.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,175 A$11.8K

$10.8K MOP 87.3K

-24.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,060 A$8,721

$8,075 MOP 65.3K

-24.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,038 A$5,811

$2,031 MOP 16.4K

98.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.94

98.00%

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

Last update for Australia: October 19, 2026

Last update for Macao (China): October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Australia

$1.2K 47.8%

Macao (China)

$931 46.7% 23.3% $283

Groceries & Markets

Australia

$372 14.7%

Macao (China)

$422 21.2% 13.5% $50

Eating Out

Australia

$294 11.6%

Macao (China)

$178 8.9% 39.6% $116

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Australia

$291 11.4%

Macao (China)

$185 9.3% 36.3% $105

Clothing & Footwear

Australia

$165 6.5%

Macao (China)

$150 7.5% 8.9% $15

Getting Around

Australia

$117 4.6%

Macao (China)

$34 1.7% 70.5% $82

Sport & Entertainment

Australia

$85 3.4%

Macao (China)

$95 4.7% 10.6% $9.1

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $1,364 in Australia vs $1,101 in Macao (China). For reference, capital cities sit at $1,719 in Canberra and $1,132 in Macao.

Average salary: $3,853 in Australia vs $2,054 in Macao (China). The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 24% higher in Australia.

Dining out costs 49% more in Australia.

Public transport is 582% more expensive in Australia.

Salaries are 88% higher in Australia, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Australia.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Australia

🇲🇴 Macao (China)

🕒 Local time

23:31 11:31 PM

20:31 8:31 PM

3 h behind Australia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

26,473,055

682,100

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Macanese Pataca MOP P

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

1 MOP = 0.124 USD

1 MOP = 0.11 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MOP, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

Macanese Pataca exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 8.08 MOP (1 MOP = 0.124 USD). 1 EUR = 9.09 MOP (1 MOP = 0.11 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Australia Macao (China) 7,410 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Australia
Macao (China)

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

Australia vs Macao (China): Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Macao (China) is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 27% lower on average.

Housing costs more in Australia: a central one-bedroom averages $1,364 versus $1,101 in Macao (China).

$2,500 buys a comfortable lifestyle in Macao (China), but in Australia it only works with careful planning outside the capital. Same money, very different lives.

Macao (China) is the budget-friendly choice for expats – lower housing and daily costs. But cost isn't everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.