Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Macao

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,621 a month against $2,107 in Macao, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index
104

Cost of Living Index in Macao
Learn more

Macao Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Macao

🇲🇴 Macao (China)

$2,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,621 per month in Budapest vs $2,107 in Macao, rent included.

Budapest $1,621
Macao $2,107

A couple spends around $2,555 per month in Budapest vs $3,021 in Macao, rent included.

Budapest $2,555
Macao $3,021

A family of three spends $3,489 per month in Budapest vs $3,935 in Macao, rent included.

Budapest $3,489
Macao $3,935

Budapest is about 23% cheaper than Macao, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.99 Ft 4,555

$6.31 MOP 51.0

121.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.3 Ft 19.7K

$54.9 MOP 444

9.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.96 Ft 3,244

$5.91 MOP 47.73

68.53%

Cappuccino

$3.38 Ft 1,102

$4.89 MOP 39.49

-30.88%

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

$2.13 Ft 693

$1.06 MOP 8.56

100.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 Ft 609

$0.93 MOP 7.55

101.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.75 Ft 1,222

$5.63 MOP 45.49

-33.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.57 Ft 1,163

$7.23 MOP 58.4

-50.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 Ft 369

$3.09 MOP 24.98

-63.43%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 Ft 600

$1.67 MOP 13.50

10.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 Ft 777

$1.73 MOP 13.97

38.15%

Eggs

$3.83 Ft 1,246

$3.40 MOP 27.46

12.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.33 Ft 3,689

$16.05 MOP 130

-29.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.74 Ft 2,194

$19.07 MOP 154

-64.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,784

$29.25 MOP 236

-49.78%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 Ft 598

$2.71 MOP 21.87

-32.10%

Banana (1kg)

$2.01 Ft 654

$2.86 MOP 23.14

-29.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.36 Ft 767

$1.97 MOP 15.90

19.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.77 Ft 1,227

$2.36 MOP 19.06

59.75%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 Ft 314

$3.85 MOP 31.10

-75.06%

Onion (1kg)

$1.03 Ft 335

$2.95 MOP 23.86

-65.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.56 Ft 509

$0.66 MOP 5.30

136.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 Ft 216

$1.20 MOP 9.74

-45.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,594

$6.64 MOP 53.7

19.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.01 Ft 1,956

$12.14 MOP 98.1

-50.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 Ft 422

$1.77 MOP 14.34

-26.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 Ft 677

$2.31 MOP 18.66

-9.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 Ft 490

$0.76 MOP 6.13

97.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.61 Ft 8,991

$22.62 MOP 183

22.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.30 Ft 1,075

$2.57 MOP 20.78

28.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.30 Ft 424

$1.24 MOP 9.99

4.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.78 Ft 6,442

$15.00 MOP 121

31.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.81 Ft 591

$1.76 MOP 14.22

2.84%

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

$29.3K Ft 9.6M

$31.1K MOP 251.3K

-5.67%

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

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

$31.8K MOP 256.7K

7.40%

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

$170 Ft 55.3K

$124 MOP 1,002

37.04%

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

$23.98 Ft 7,809

$23.44 MOP 189

2.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.42 Ft 7,628

$36.46 MOP 295

-35.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

$63.3 MOP 511

4.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.18 Ft 6,245

$3.78 MOP 30.57

407.41%

Cinema Ticket

$9.52 Ft 3,101

$14.73 MOP 119

-35.37%

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

$537 Ft 174.8K

$1,193 MOP 9,642

-55.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

$19.3K MOP 156.2K

-14.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 Ft 33.0K

$70.0 MOP 566

44.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

$33.25 MOP 269

29.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 Ft 36.7K

$92.4 MOP 747

22.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.7K

$134 MOP 1,084

-11.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 Ft 262.2K

$1,130 MOP 9,136

-28.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 Ft 204.9K

$1,070 MOP 8,651

-41.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,549 Ft 504.6K

$2,092 MOP 16.9K

-25.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,167 Ft 380.1K

$1,461 MOP 11.8K

-20.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

$8,347 MOP 67.5K

-32.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

$5,538 MOP 44.8K

-28.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,626 Ft 529.5K

$2,053 MOP 16.6K

-20.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.43

114.33%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Last update for Macao: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$629 38.7%

Macao

$1.1K 50.3% 70.1% $441

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.8%

Macao

$422 19.8% 63.8% $164

Eating Out

Budapest

$224 13.8%

Macao

$177 8.3% 20.9% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$217 13.4%

Macao

$184 8.6% 15.4% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$169 10.4%

Macao

$148 7% 12.3% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$85 5.2%

Macao

$93 4.4% 8.7% $7.4

Getting Around

Budapest

$43 2.7%

Macao

$34 1.6% 20.8% $9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $805 in Budapest versus $1,130 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 26% higher in Macao, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $60.0 in Budapest versus $55.0 in Macao. Groceries tell a different story – $258 in Budapest vs $422 in Macao – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇲🇴 Macao

🕒 Local time

08:16 8:16 AM

14:16 2:16 PM

6 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

622,567 Capital

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Macanese Pataca MOP P

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR

1 MOP = 0.124 USD

1 MOP = 0.11 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MOP, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 326 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 365 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR).

Macanese Pataca exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 8.08 MOP (1 MOP = 0.124 USD). 1 EUR = 9.07 MOP (1 MOP = 0.11 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

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Between locations

Budapest Macao 8,530 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
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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

Budapest 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 groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,432 per month in Budapest and $3,160 in Macao. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 22% less in Budapest. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $537 per month in Budapest and $1,193 in Macao. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Budapest, where all-in costs run around $1,621, than in Macao at $2,107. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Macao it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Budapest – 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 Budapest. 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.