Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Macao

For one person, living costs are similar in Lisbon and in Macao: $2,210 and $2,158 a month, rent and utilities included.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
104

Cost of Living Index in Macao
Learn more

Macao Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Macao

🇲🇴 Macao (China)

$2,158

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $2,158 in Macao.

Lisbon $2,210
Macao $2,158

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $3,053 in Macao.

Lisbon $3,275
Macao $3,053

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $3,948 in Macao.

Lisbon $4,341
Macao $3,948

Monthly costs are close between Lisbon and Macao; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Macao 59% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.91

$6.37 MOP 51.5

161.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.3

$55.4 MOP 447

11.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.17

$5.76 MOP 46.56

97.22%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

$4.97 MOP 40.18

-40.24%

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

$2.29 €2.05

$1.05 MOP 8.46

118.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$0.78 MOP 6.33

123.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

$5.66 MOP 45.72

-39.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.96

$7.34 MOP 59.3

-54.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$3.12 MOP 25.18

-62.82%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$1.71 MOP 13.78

11.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.35

$1.72 MOP 13.89

-12.21%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.60

$3.50 MOP 28.25

14.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.59

$15.90 MOP 128

-18.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.96

$19.42 MOP 157

-59.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.91

$29.46 MOP 238

-39.71%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$2.58 MOP 20.84

-10.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$2.86 MOP 23.08

-39.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.89 MOP 15.24

-1.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$2.44 MOP 19.73

6.15%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$3.95 MOP 31.94

-53.92%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$2.94 MOP 23.74

-32.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$0.62 MOP 5.00

137.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$1.14 MOP 9.21

-36.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.90

$6.64 MOP 53.7

-0.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.02

$12.16 MOP 98.2

-53.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.78 MOP 14.41

-23.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$2.31 MOP 18.68

-7.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

$0.71 MOP 5.76

228.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.01

$22.93 MOP 185

94.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.45

$2.66 MOP 21.53

44.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$1.24 MOP 9.99

-13.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.74

$15.00 MOP 121

9.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$1.76 MOP 14.21

25.00%

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

$34.2K €30.6K

$31.1K MOP 251.4K

9.90%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$31.4K MOP 253.5K

23.42%

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

$161 €144

$122 MOP 989

31.77%

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

$18.41 €16.49

$24.02 MOP 194

-23.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.32

$36.91 MOP 298

-11.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.90

$95.6 MOP 772

-53.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.10

$3.64 MOP 29.43

424.73%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.60

$14.43 MOP 117

-33.47%

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

$668 €598

$1,194 MOP 9,646

-44.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$19.4K MOP 156.7K

-9.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

$68.8 MOP 556

48.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.82

$33.15 MOP 268

34.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.2

$91.5 MOP 739

7.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$136 MOP 1,095

-8.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,440

$1,095 MOP 8,850

46.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,066

$1,065 MOP 8,605

11.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,519

$2,089 MOP 16.9K

34.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,803

$1,452 MOP 11.7K

38.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,021

$9,783 MOP 79.0K

-19.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,098

$6,861 MOP 55.4K

-33.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,411

$2,042 MOP 16.5K

-22.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

28.33%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Macao: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Macao

$1.1K 49.4% 10.5% $125

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Macao

$424 19.6% 55.6% $151

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Macao

$178 8.3% 26.5% $64

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Macao

$183 8.5% 13.7% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Macao

$148 6.9% 10.8% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Macao

$124 5.8% 95.3% $61

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Macao

$35 1.6% 45.2% $29

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $1,095 in Macao. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Macao pays 30% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $55 in Macao. Groceries flip the comparison at $272 vs $424, with Lisbon cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇲🇴 Macao

🕒 Local time

16:09 4:09 PM

00:09 12:09 AM

8 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

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

Lisbon Macao 10,990 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
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

Lisbon vs Macao: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

On paper, salaries run 23% lower in Lisbon. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,608 in Lisbon versus $1,095 in Macao. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Macao runs roughly 49% less than in Lisbon. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 36% 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, Lisbon and Macao are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.