Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bowling Green, KY and Macao

For one person, living costs are similar in Bowling Green, KY and in Macao: $2,079 and $2,114 a month, rent and utilities included.

100

Cost of Living Index in Bowling Green, KY
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Bowling Green, KY Living Index
104

Cost of Living Index in Macao
Learn more

Macao Living Index

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Bowling Green, KY

🇺🇸 United States

$2,079

/mo nomad

Macao

🇲🇴 Macao (China)

$2,114

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,079 in Bowling Green, KY versus $2,114 in Macao.

Bowling Green, KY $2,079
Macao $2,114

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,983 in Bowling Green, KY versus $2,990 in Macao.

Bowling Green, KY $2,983
Macao $2,990

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,887 in Bowling Green, KY versus $3,866 in Macao.

Bowling Green, KY $3,887
Macao $3,866

Living in Bowling Green, KY costs roughly 2% less than in Macao, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Bowling Green, KY 54% above, Macao 57% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.79 $12.79

$6.26 MOP 50.6

104.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.1 $55.1

$56.2 MOP 454

-2.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.23 $9.23

$6.02 MOP 48.66

53.32%

Cappuccino

$4.88 $4.88

$5.06 MOP 40.87

-3.56%

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

$2.49 $2.49

$1.05 MOP 8.48

137.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 $2.07

$0.85 MOP 6.88

143.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.02 $4.02

$5.62 MOP 45.46

-28.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.90 $4.90

$7.33 MOP 59.2

-33.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.79 $0.79

$3.26 MOP 26.34

-75.77%

White Bread (500g)

$2.30 $2.30

$1.70 MOP 13.72

35.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.28 $2.28

$1.66 MOP 13.38

37.35%

Eggs

$2.72 $2.72

$3.50 MOP 28.30

-22.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.17 $10.17

$16.22 MOP 131

-37.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.16 $10.16

$19.56 MOP 158

-48.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.64 $12.64

$28.45 MOP 230

-55.57%

Apples (1kg)

$4.75 $4.75

$2.59 MOP 20.96

83.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.15 $1.15

$2.86 MOP 23.13

-59.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.63 $2.63

$1.89 MOP 15.27

39.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.52 $3.52

$2.36 MOP 19.04

49.15%

Potato (1kg)

$1.73 $1.73

$3.84 MOP 31.03

-54.95%

Onion (1kg)

$2.46 $2.46

$2.84 MOP 22.92

-13.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.79 $1.79

$0.62 MOP 5.04

188.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 $1.29

$1.15 MOP 9.32

12.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.65 $8.65

$6.64 MOP 53.6

30.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.12 $13.12

$12.30 MOP 99.4

6.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 $1.69

$1.79 MOP 14.43

-5.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.46 $1.46

$2.30 MOP 18.61

-36.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.57 $3.57

$0.73 MOP 5.88

389.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.65 $39.65

$22.47 MOP 182

76.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.52 $7.52

$2.63 MOP 21.26

185.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 $1.56

$1.29 MOP 10.40

20.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.40 $25.40

$14.68 MOP 119

73.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.92 $0.92

$1.78 MOP 14.38

-48.31%

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

$35.8K $35.8K

$30.5K MOP 246.6K

17.32%

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

$25.8K $25.8K

$30.9K MOP 249.8K

-16.61%

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

$148 $148

$120 MOP 972

22.92%

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

$45.79 $45.79

$23.50 MOP 190

94.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.4 $69.4

$37.25 MOP 301

86.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.75 $29.75

$63.8 MOP 515

-53.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.94 $11.94

$3.81 MOP 30.82

213.39%

Cinema Ticket

$15.14 $15.14

$14.71 MOP 119

2.92%

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

$2,276 $2,276

$1,231 MOP 9,951

84.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.6K $24.6K

$18.7K MOP 151.3K

31.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.2 $50.2

$68.7 MOP 555

-26.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.83 $31.83

$33.15 MOP 268

-3.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.1 $99.1

$91.9 MOP 743

7.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$152 $152

$135 MOP 1,091

12.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,151 $1,151

$1,103 MOP 8,913

4.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,001 $1,001

$1,055 MOP 8,528

-5.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,667 $1,667

$2,111 MOP 17.1K

-21.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,532 $1,532

$1,433 MOP 11.6K

6.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,009 $2,009

$8,352 MOP 67.5K

-75.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,012 $2,012

$5,490 MOP 44.4K

-63.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,941 $2,941

$2,041 MOP 16.5K

44.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.66

122.00%

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

Last update for Bowling Green, KY: October 10, 2026

Last update for Macao: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bowling Green, KY

$1K 48.1%

Macao

$1.1K 49.9% 5.4% $54

Groceries & Markets

Bowling Green, KY

$299 14.4%

Macao

$423 20% 41.4% $124

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bowling Green, KY

$263 12.7%

Macao

$181 8.6% 31.2% $82

Eating Out

Bowling Green, KY

$237 11.4%

Macao

$179 8.5% 24.3% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Bowling Green, KY

$150 7.2%

Macao

$148 7% 1.3% $2

Getting Around

Bowling Green, KY

$69 3.3%

Macao

$34 1.6% 50.3% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Bowling Green, KY

$60 2.9%

Macao

$93 4.4% 55.2% $33

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,151 in Bowling Green, KY and $1,103 in Macao. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bowling Green, KY pays 44% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $55.0 in Bowling Green, KY vs $56.0 in Macao for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $299 vs $423 per month, with Bowling Green, KY cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Bowling Green, KY

🇲🇴 Macao

🕒 Local time

14:36 2:36 PM

03:36 3:36 AM

13 h ahead of Bowling Green, KY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

53,176

622,567 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Macanese Pataca MOP P

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 MOP = 0.124 USD

1 MOP = 0.11 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MOP, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇲🇴 Macanese Pataca (P)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Macanese Pataca exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 8.08 MOP (1 MOP = 0.124 USD). 1 EUR = 9.09 MOP (1 MOP = 0.11 EUR).

MOP to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Bowling Green, KY Macao 13,110 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Bowling Green, KY
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

Bowling Green, KY vs Macao: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bowling Green, KY wins on cost – living expenses run 2% lower than in Macao. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Bowling Green, KY the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 44% higher in Bowling Green, KY, 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: $1,151 in Bowling Green, KY versus $1,103 in Macao. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 41% higher in Macao. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Bowling Green, KY – a meal for two runs $55.0 versus $56.0 in Macao. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,079 in Bowling Green, KY versus $2,114 in Macao, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bowling Green, KY but tight or insufficient in Macao. The gap between the two cities makes Bowling Green, KY 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, Bowling Green, KY 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 Bowling Green, KY gentler on the wallet – expenses run 2% less than in Macao. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.