Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Macao (China) and Italy

Name: Italy
Address: IT

For one person, living is cheaper in Italy: $1,825 a month against $1,996 in Macao (China), rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Macao (China) outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

97

Cost of Living Index in Macao (China)
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Macao (China) Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Italy
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Italy Living Index

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🇲🇴 Macao (China)

$1,996

/mo nomad

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,825

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Macao (China) and in Italy

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Macao (China) and in Italy actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,996 in Macao (China) versus $1,825 in Italy.

Macao (China) $1,996
Italy $1,825

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,037 in Macao (China) versus $2,790 in Italy.

Macao (China) $3,037
Italy $2,790

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,078 in Macao (China) versus $3,756 in Italy.

Macao (China) $4,078
Italy $3,756

Internal cost variation is higher in Italy: monthly costs span $1,044 to $2,560, compared to $2,035–$2,139 in Macao (China). City choice carries more weight in Italy.

Living in Macao (China) is roughly 9% more expensive than in Italy on average.

Both countries sit above the global median: Macao (China) 47% above, Italy 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.08 MOP 49.12

$19.90 €17.70

-69.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 MOP 442

$77.1 €68.6

-29.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.15 MOP 49.70

$11.41 €10.15

-46.10%

Cappuccino

$5.05 MOP 40.85

$2.01 €1.78

151.24%

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

$1.02 MOP 8.28

$3.13 €2.78

-67.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.79 MOP 6.35

$1.40 €1.24

-43.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.63 MOP 45.47

$5.76 €5.12

-2.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.40 MOP 59.8

$5.73 €5.10

29.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.11 MOP 25.14

$1.62 €1.44

91.98%

White Bread (500g)

$1.70 MOP 13.72

$2.38 €2.12

-28.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.73 MOP 13.98

$2.92 €2.60

-40.75%

Eggs

$3.46 MOP 27.96

$4.17 €3.70

-17.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.90 MOP 129

$17.28 €15.37

-7.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$19.62 MOP 159

$12.73 €11.32

54.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$28.68 MOP 232

$20.39 €18.13

40.66%

Apples (1kg)

$2.70 MOP 21.85

$2.61 €2.32

3.45%

Banana (1kg)

$2.87 MOP 23.19

$2.12 €1.88

35.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 MOP 15.62

$2.63 €2.34

-26.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.36 MOP 19.07

$3.34 €2.97

-29.34%

Potato (1kg)

$3.85 MOP 31.08

$2.02 €1.79

90.59%

Onion (1kg)

$2.97 MOP 23.99

$1.89 €1.69

57.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.62 MOP 5.04

$1.56 €1.39

-60.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 MOP 9.31

$0.55 €0.49

109.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.76 MOP 54.7

$6.84 €6.08

-1.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.20 MOP 98.6

$7.64 €6.80

59.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 MOP 14.46

$1.80 €1.61

-0.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 MOP 17.65

$2.40 €2.14

-9.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.71 MOP 5.73

$1.86 €1.65

-61.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.62 MOP 183

$43.27 €38.49

-47.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.58 MOP 20.88

$5.64 €5.01

-54.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.28 MOP 10.34

$1.71 €1.52

-25.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.79 MOP 120

$33.04 €29.39

-55.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.85 MOP 14.95

$2.11 €1.87

-12.32%

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

$30.8K MOP 248.7K

$35.8K €31.8K

-13.95%

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

$31.1K MOP 251.7K

$37.4K €33.3K

-16.71%

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

$124 MOP 1,000

$230 €204

-46.13%

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

$23.96 MOP 194

$11.60 €10.32

106.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.38 MOP 302

$30.40 €27.04

22.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.9 MOP 541

$53.9 €47.96

24.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.68 MOP 29.72

$24.24 €21.56

-84.82%

Cinema Ticket

$13.83 MOP 112

$10.58 €9.41

30.72%

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

$1,234 MOP 9,972

$545 €485

126.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.7K MOP 150.8K

$11.5K €10.3K

61.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.5 MOP 569

$88.4 €78.7

-20.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.85 MOP 274

$39.60 €35.22

-14.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.0 MOP 752

$101 €89.8

-7.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$137 MOP 1,108

$133 €118

2.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,100 MOP 8,892

$799 €711

37.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$931 MOP 7,529

$624 €555

49.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,101 MOP 17.0K

$1,423 €1,266

47.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,644 MOP 13.3K

$1,030 €916

59.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$10.8K MOP 87.3K

$3,601 €3,203

199.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,075 MOP 65.3K

$2,270 €2,019

255.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,031 MOP 16.4K

$1,893 €1,684

7.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.56

-15.73%

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

Last update for Macao (China): October 17, 2026

Last update for Italy: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Macao (China)

$931 46.7%

Italy

$624 34.2% 33% $307

Groceries & Markets

Macao (China)

$422 21.2%

Italy

$350 19.2% 17.2% $73

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Macao (China)

$185 9.3%

Italy

$272 14.9% 46.8% $87

Eating Out

Macao (China)

$178 8.9%

Italy

$276 15.1% 55.1% $98

Clothing & Footwear

Macao (China)

$150 7.5%

Italy

$163 8.9% 8.3% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Macao (China)

$95 4.7%

Italy

$75 4.1% 20.6% $19

Getting Around

Macao (China)

$34 1.7%

Italy

$65 3.6% 88.4% $30

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $1,101 in Macao (China), $724 in Italy. Capital cities: $1,132 in Macao vs $1,191 in Rome.

National salary averages: $2,054 in Macao (China), $1,892 in Italy. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 52% higher in Macao (China).

Dining out costs 33% more in Italy.

Public transport is 273% more expensive in Italy.

Good to know

🇲🇴 Macao (China)

🇮🇹 Italy

🕒 Local time

22:23 10:23 PM

16:23 4:23 PM

6 h behind Macao (China)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

682,100

58,850,717

💱 Currency

Macanese Pataca MOP P

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 MOP = 0.124 USD

1 MOP = 0.11 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to MOP – Macanese Pataca Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇴 Macanese Pataca (P)

Macanese Pataca exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 8.08 MOP (1 MOP = 0.124 USD). 1 EUR = 9.09 MOP (1 MOP = 0.11 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to MOP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Macao (China) Italy 9,240 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Macao (China)
Italy

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

Macao (China) vs Italy: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $1,825 per month in Italy and $1,996 in Macao (China), there's a 9% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $1,101 in Macao (China) and $724 in Italy. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

In Italy, $2,500 covers most cities easily; in Macao (China) it stretches only to regional areas and falls short in the capital – you'll need to make trade-offs on housing or lifestyle.

It depends on what you're after: Italy wins on affordability; Macao (China) may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.