Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kawasaki and Macao

For one person, living is cheaper in Kawasaki: $1,481 a month against $2,114 in Macao, rent and utilities included – about $7,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

72

Cost of Living Index in Kawasaki
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Kawasaki Living Index
104

Cost of Living Index in Macao
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Macao Living Index

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Kawasaki

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,481

/mo nomad

Macao

🇲🇴 Macao (China)

$2,114

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,481 per month in Kawasaki vs $2,114 in Macao, rent included.

Kawasaki $1,481
Macao $2,114

A couple spends around $2,245 per month in Kawasaki vs $2,990 in Macao, rent included.

Kawasaki $2,245
Macao $2,990

A family of three spends $3,009 per month in Kawasaki vs $3,866 in Macao, rent included.

Kawasaki $3,009
Macao $3,866

Kawasaki is about 30% cheaper than Macao, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Kawasaki and Macao sit above the global median – Kawasaki by 10%, Macao by 57%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.72 ¥1,220

$6.26 MOP 50.6

23.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.50 ¥5,924

$56.2 MOP 454

-33.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.02 ¥793

$6.02 MOP 48.66

-16.61%

Cappuccino

$2.69 ¥426

$5.06 MOP 40.87

-46.84%

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

$1.59 ¥251

$1.05 MOP 8.48

51.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.87 ¥137

$0.85 MOP 6.88

2.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.22 ¥509

$5.62 MOP 45.46

-42.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 ¥484

$7.33 MOP 59.2

-58.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.52 ¥241

$3.26 MOP 26.34

-53.37%

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 ¥244

$1.70 MOP 13.72

-8.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.23 ¥669

$1.66 MOP 13.38

154.82%

Eggs

$2.11 ¥333

$3.50 MOP 28.30

-39.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.09 ¥1,751

$16.22 MOP 131

-31.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.63 ¥1,047

$19.56 MOP 158

-66.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.37 ¥2,587

$28.45 MOP 230

-42.46%

Apples (1kg)

$6.27 ¥991

$2.59 MOP 20.96

142.08%

Banana (1kg)

$2.71 ¥428

$2.86 MOP 23.13

-5.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.95 ¥783

$1.89 MOP 15.27

161.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.33 ¥842

$2.36 MOP 19.04

125.85%

Potato (1kg)

$3.27 ¥517

$3.84 MOP 31.03

-14.84%

Onion (1kg)

$3.06 ¥483

$2.84 MOP 22.92

7.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 ¥179

$0.62 MOP 5.04

83.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 ¥130

$1.15 MOP 9.32

-28.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.83 ¥605

$6.64 MOP 53.6

-42.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.39 ¥1,483

$12.30 MOP 99.4

-23.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.39 ¥377

$1.79 MOP 14.43

33.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 ¥429

$2.30 MOP 18.61

17.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.90 ¥300

$0.73 MOP 5.88

160.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$51.1 ¥8,072

$22.47 MOP 182

127.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.07 ¥485

$2.63 MOP 21.26

16.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.06 ¥484

$1.29 MOP 10.40

137.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.85 ¥2,978

$14.68 MOP 119

28.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.06 ¥167

$1.78 MOP 14.38

-40.45%

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

$22.0K ¥3.5M

$30.5K MOP 246.6K

-27.94%

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

$15.4K ¥2.4M

$30.9K MOP 249.8K

-50.20%

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

$124 ¥19.6K

$120 MOP 972

3.06%

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

$23.61 ¥3,729

$23.50 MOP 190

0.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.45 ¥4,810

$37.25 MOP 301

-18.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.2 ¥8,560

$63.8 MOP 515

-15.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.22 ¥982

$3.81 MOP 30.82

63.25%

Cinema Ticket

$12.18 ¥1,925

$14.71 MOP 119

-17.20%

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

$568 ¥89.8K

$1,231 MOP 9,951

-53.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.5K ¥2.3M

$18.7K MOP 151.3K

-22.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.1 ¥7,914

$68.7 MOP 555

-27.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.45 ¥5,285

$33.15 MOP 268

0.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$64.4 ¥10.2K

$91.9 MOP 743

-29.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.9 ¥11.2K

$135 MOP 1,091

-47.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$754 ¥119.2K

$1,103 MOP 8,913

-31.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$576 ¥90.9K

$1,055 MOP 8,528

-45.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,281 ¥202.4K

$2,111 MOP 17.1K

-39.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,021 ¥161.2K

$1,433 MOP 11.6K

-28.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,698 ¥742.2K

$8,352 MOP 67.5K

-43.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,131 ¥494.7K

$5,490 MOP 44.4K

-42.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,542 ¥401.6K

$2,041 MOP 16.5K

24.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.02

-32.67%

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

Last update for Kawasaki: October 12, 2026

Last update for Macao: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kawasaki

$576 38.9%

Macao

$1.1K 49.9% 83.3% $479

Groceries & Markets

Kawasaki

$332 22.4%

Macao

$423 20% 27.4% $91

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kawasaki

$178 12%

Macao

$181 8.6% 1.7% $3

Eating Out

Kawasaki

$141 9.5%

Macao

$179 8.5% 26.9% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Kawasaki

$98 6.7%

Macao

$148 7% 50.2% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Kawasaki

$79 5.3%

Macao

$93 4.4% 18.6% $15

Getting Around

Kawasaki

$77 5.2%

Macao

$34 1.6% 55.3% $43

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $754 in Kawasaki 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 25% higher in Kawasaki, 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 $37.00 in Kawasaki versus $56.0 in Macao. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $332 vs $423 – making Kawasaki the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Kawasaki

🇲🇴 Macao

🕒 Local time

04:40 4:40 AM

03:40 3:40 AM

1 h behind Kawasaki

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,538,262

622,567 Capital

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

Macanese Pataca MOP P

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR

1 MOP = 0.124 USD

1 MOP = 0.11 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MOP, USD, EUR to JPY – Japanese Yen Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇯🇵 Japanese Yen (¥)

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.63 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).

USD to JPY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Kawasaki Macao 2,930 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Kawasaki
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

Kawasaki vs Macao: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Macao costs about 43% more than Kawasaki, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,222 per month in Kawasaki 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 Kawasaki, 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 $37.00 in Kawasaki and $56.0 in Macao. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,481 in Kawasaki and $2,114 in Macao. That's a gap of about 43%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Kawasaki, where all-in costs run around $1,481, than in Macao at $2,114. In Kawasaki it covers expenses comfortably, while in Macao it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Kawasaki costs $1,481 versus $2,114 in Macao. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 Kawasaki. 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.