Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Macao and Alba

For one person, living is cheaper in Alba: $1,640 a month against $2,158 in Macao, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Macao outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

104

Cost of Living Index in Macao
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Macao Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Alba
Learn more

Alba Living Index

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Macao

🇲🇴 Macao (China)

$2,158

/mo nomad

Alba

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,640

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Macao and in Alba

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

A single person spends $2,158 per month in Macao vs $1,640 in Alba, rent included.

Macao $2,158
Alba $1,640

A couple spends around $3,053 per month in Macao vs $2,569 in Alba, rent included.

Macao $3,053
Alba $2,569

A family of three spends $3,948 per month in Macao vs $3,498 in Alba, rent included.

Macao $3,948
Alba $3,498

Macao costs about 32% more than Alba, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Macao and Alba sit above the global median – Macao by 59%, Alba by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.37 MOP 51.5

$22.40 €20.12

-71.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.4 MOP 447

$90.7 €81.4

-38.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.76 MOP 46.56

$13.17 €11.83

-56.26%

Cappuccino

$4.97 MOP 40.18

$2.08 €1.87

138.94%

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

$1.05 MOP 8.46

$3.77 €3.39

-72.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MOP 6.33

$1.87 €1.68

-58.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.66 MOP 45.72

$5.64 €5.07

0.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.34 MOP 59.3

$6.87 €6.17

6.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.12 MOP 25.18

$1.69 €1.52

84.62%

White Bread (500g)

$1.71 MOP 13.78

$3.22 €2.89

-46.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 MOP 13.89

$3.68 €3.31

-53.26%

Eggs

$3.50 MOP 28.25

$4.88 €4.38

-28.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.90 MOP 128

$22.81 €20.49

-30.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$19.42 MOP 157

$14.73 €13.23

31.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$29.46 MOP 238

$22.87 €20.55

28.82%

Apples (1kg)

$2.58 MOP 20.84

$2.94 €2.64

-12.24%

Banana (1kg)

$2.86 MOP 23.08

$2.34 €2.10

22.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 MOP 15.24

$3.29 €2.95

-42.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.44 MOP 19.73

$4.22 €3.79

-42.18%

Potato (1kg)

$3.95 MOP 31.94

$2.35 €2.11

68.09%

Onion (1kg)

$2.94 MOP 23.74

$1.99 €1.79

47.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.62 MOP 5.00

$1.81 €1.63

-65.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 MOP 9.21

$0.61 €0.55

86.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.64 MOP 53.7

$6.56 €5.89

1.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.16 MOP 98.2

$9.46 €8.49

28.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 MOP 14.41

$2.02 €1.81

-11.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 MOP 18.68

$2.40 €2.16

-3.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.71 MOP 5.76

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.93 MOP 185

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.66 MOP 21.53

$7.84 €7.04

-66.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.24 MOP 9.99

$2.27 €2.04

-45.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.00 MOP 121

$65.3 €58.7

-77.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.76 MOP 14.21

$2.09 €1.87

-15.79%

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

$31.1K MOP 251.4K

$36.4K €32.7K

-14.53%

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

$31.4K MOP 253.5K

$38.0K €34.1K

-17.37%

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

$122 MOP 989

$254 €229

-51.91%

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

$24.02 MOP 194

$8.00 €7.19

200.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.91 MOP 298

$29.01 €26.06

27.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$95.6 MOP 772

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.64 MOP 29.43

Cinema Ticket

$14.43 MOP 117

$11.35 €10.19

27.14%

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

$1,194 MOP 9,646

$927 €832

28.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.4K MOP 156.8K

$18.9K €17.0K

2.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.8 MOP 556

$102 €91.6

-32.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.15 MOP 268

$50.6 €45.41

-34.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 MOP 739

$117 €105

-21.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$136 MOP 1,095

$168 €151

-19.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,095 MOP 8,850

$548 €492

100.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,065 MOP 8,606

$385 €346

176.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,089 MOP 16.9K

$719 €646

190.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,452 MOP 11.7K

$615 €553

135.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,783 MOP 79.0K

$3,013 €2,707

224.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,861 MOP 55.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,042 MOP 16.5K

$2,622 €2,355

-22.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.18

-5.66%

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

Last update for Macao: October 24, 2026

Last update for Alba: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Macao

$1.1K 49.4%

Alba

$385 23.5% 63.9% $680

Groceries & Markets

Macao

$424 19.6%

Alba

$416 25.4% 1.7% $7.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Macao

$183 8.5%

Alba

$291 17.8% 59% $108

Eating Out

Macao

$178 8.3%

Alba

$308 18.8% 72.9% $130

Clothing & Footwear

Macao

$148 6.9%

Alba

$197 12% 33.1% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Macao

$124 5.8%

Alba

$23 * 1.4% 81.8% $102

Getting Around

Macao

$35 1.6%

Alba

$19 * 1.2% 44.5% $15

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,095 in Macao versus $548 in Alba. 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 28% higher in Alba, 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 $55 in Macao versus $91 in Alba. Groceries tell a different story – $424 in Macao vs $416 in Alba – so Alba wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇴 Macao

🇮🇹 Alba

🕒 Local time

00:45 12:45 AM

17:45 5:45 PM

7 h behind Macao

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

622,567 Capital

29,910

💱 Currency

Macanese Pataca MOP P

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 MOP = 0.124 USD

1 MOP = 0.111 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 8.08 MOP (1 MOP = 0.124 USD). 1 EUR = 8.99 MOP (1 MOP = 0.111 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

USD to MOP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Macao Alba 9,430 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Macao
Alba

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 vs Alba: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Macao is pricier by about 32%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,236 per month in Macao and $2,460 in Alba. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Alba, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $548 there versus $1,095 in Macao.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Macao and $91 in Alba. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Kindergarten costs $1,194 per month in Macao and $927 in Alba. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$2,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $2,158 in Macao and $1,640 in Alba, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Alba – 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.