Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Macao

For one person, living is cheaper in Macao: $2,158 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
104

Cost of Living Index in Macao
Learn more

Macao Living Index

Jump to prices

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Macao

🇲🇴 Macao (China)

$2,158

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $2,158 in Macao.

Barcelona $2,453
Macao $2,158

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $3,053 in Macao.

Barcelona $3,509
Macao $3,053

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $3,948 in Macao.

Barcelona $4,564
Macao $3,948

Living in Barcelona is roughly 14% more expensive than in Macao, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Macao 59% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.75

$6.37 MOP 51.5

176.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.5

$55.4 MOP 447

21.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.12

$5.76 MOP 46.56

134.90%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.86

$4.97 MOP 40.18

-35.81%

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

$2.91 €2.61

$1.05 MOP 8.46

177.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$0.78 MOP 6.33

142.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.59

$5.66 MOP 45.72

-29.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.06

$7.34 MOP 59.3

-38.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$3.12 MOP 25.18

-58.01%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.71 MOP 13.78

18.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$1.72 MOP 13.89

7.56%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.33

$3.50 MOP 28.25

38.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €14.99

$15.90 MOP 128

5.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.17

$19.42 MOP 157

-53.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.59

$29.46 MOP 238

-33.33%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.67

$2.58 MOP 20.84

15.50%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$2.86 MOP 23.08

-29.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.42

$1.89 MOP 15.24

42.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.51

$2.44 MOP 19.73

14.75%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$3.95 MOP 31.94

-47.09%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$2.94 MOP 23.74

-29.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$0.62 MOP 5.00

135.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$1.14 MOP 9.21

-17.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.15

$6.64 MOP 53.7

3.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.06

$12.16 MOP 98.2

-35.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.78 MOP 14.41

-20.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.27

$2.31 MOP 18.68

9.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$0.71 MOP 5.76

342.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.79

$22.93 MOP 185

10.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.68

$2.66 MOP 21.53

12.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$1.24 MOP 9.99

20.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.89

$15.00 MOP 121

122.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$1.76 MOP 14.21

2.27%

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

$33.2K €29.7K

$31.1K MOP 251.4K

6.69%

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

$31.7K €28.4K

$31.4K MOP 253.5K

1.03%

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

$180 €162

$122 MOP 989

47.45%

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

$13.84 €12.39

$24.02 MOP 194

-42.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.18

$36.91 MOP 298

-8.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.13

$95.6 MOP 772

-46.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.29

$3.64 MOP 29.43

338.46%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.85

$14.43 MOP 117

-23.84%

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

$917 €821

$1,194 MOP 9,646

-23.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$19.4K MOP 156.7K

-15.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €77.9

$68.8 MOP 556

26.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.49

$33.15 MOP 268

16.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.8

$91.5 MOP 739

15.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$136 MOP 1,095

-11.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,522

$1,095 MOP 8,850

55.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,214

$1,065 MOP 8,605

27.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,331

$2,089 MOP 16.9K

24.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,847

$1,452 MOP 11.7K

42.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,193

$9,783 MOP 79.0K

-29.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,592

$6,861 MOP 55.4K

-25.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,980

$2,042 MOP 16.5K

8.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

9.33%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Macao: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Macao

$1.1K 49.4% 21.4% $290

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Macao

$424 19.6% 31.7% $102

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Macao

$178 8.3% 33.5% $90

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Macao

$183 8.5% 19.6% $45

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Macao

$148 6.9% 6.3% $9.9

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Macao

$124 5.8% 69.3% $51

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Macao

$35 1.6% 28.6% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $1,095 in Macao. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 8% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $55 in Macao. Groceries flip the comparison at $322 vs $424, with Barcelona cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇲🇴 Macao

🕒 Local time

21:32 9:32 PM

04:32 4:32 AM

7 h ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

622,567 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Macanese Pataca MOP P

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 MOP = 0.124 USD

1 MOP = 0.111 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Barcelona Macao 10,030 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
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

Barcelona vs Macao: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $2,158 in Macao, so Macao is about 12% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 8% higher in Barcelona, 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: $1,699 in Barcelona versus $1,095 in Macao. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $1,194 in Macao. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Barcelona pay roughly 24% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Macao is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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, Barcelona and Macao are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Macao wins on affordability, Barcelona on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.