Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Macao and Bansko

For one person, living is cheaper in Bansko: $970 a month against $2,107 in Macao, rent and utilities included – about $13,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

104

Cost of Living Index in Macao
Learn more

Macao Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Bansko
Learn more

Bansko Living Index

Jump to prices

Macao

🇲🇴 Macao (China)

$2,107

/mo nomad

Bansko

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$970

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Macao and in Bansko

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 Bansko actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,107 per month in Macao vs $970 in Bansko, rent included.

Macao $2,107
Bansko $970

A couple spends around $3,021 per month in Macao vs $1,464 in Bansko, rent included.

Macao $3,021
Bansko $1,464

A family of three spends $3,935 per month in Macao vs $1,957 in Bansko, rent included.

Macao $3,935
Bansko $1,957

Macao costs about 117% more than Bansko, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Macao sits 57% above the global median, while Bansko is 28% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.31 MOP 51.0

$8.66 BGN 15.15

-27.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 MOP 444

$46.63 BGN 81.6

17.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.91 MOP 47.73

$9.01 BGN 15.77

-34.41%

Cappuccino

$4.89 MOP 39.49

$2.24 BGN 3.92

118.30%

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

$1.06 MOP 8.56

$1.50 BGN 2.63

-29.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.93 MOP 7.55

$0.86 BGN 1.51

8.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.63 MOP 45.49

$1.76 BGN 3.07

219.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.23 MOP 58.4

$2.00 BGN 3.51

261.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.09 MOP 24.98

$1.79 BGN 3.14

72.63%

White Bread (500g)

$1.67 MOP 13.50

$0.81 BGN 1.42

106.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.73 MOP 13.97

$1.52 BGN 2.66

13.82%

Eggs

$3.40 MOP 27.46

$2.30 BGN 4.02

47.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.05 MOP 130

$9.60 BGN 16.81

67.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$19.07 MOP 154

$6.32 BGN 11.06

201.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$29.25 MOP 236

$8.64 BGN 15.12

238.54%

Apples (1kg)

$2.71 MOP 21.87

$1.28 BGN 2.24

111.72%

Banana (1kg)

$2.86 MOP 23.14

$1.68 BGN 2.95

70.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.97 MOP 15.90

$1.70 BGN 2.98

15.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.36 MOP 19.06

$1.89 BGN 3.30

24.87%

Potato (1kg)

$3.85 MOP 31.10

$0.93 BGN 1.63

313.98%

Onion (1kg)

$2.95 MOP 23.86

$0.76 BGN 1.32

288.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.66 MOP 5.30

$0.54 BGN 0.95

22.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 MOP 9.74

$0.58 BGN 1.02

106.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.64 MOP 53.7

$3.44 BGN 6.02

93.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.14 MOP 98.1

$5.14 BGN 9.00

136.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 MOP 14.34

$1.11 BGN 1.94

59.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 MOP 18.66

$1.70 BGN 2.97

35.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.76 MOP 6.13

$0.88 BGN 1.55

-13.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.62 MOP 183

$26.76 BGN 46.83

-15.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.57 MOP 20.78

$1.29 BGN 2.26

99.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.24 MOP 9.99

$0.65 BGN 1.14

90.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.00 MOP 121

$10.18 BGN 17.81

47.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.76 MOP 14.22

$1.50 BGN 2.63

17.33%

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

$31.1K MOP 251.3K

$28.8K BGN 50.4K

7.91%

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

$31.8K MOP 256.7K

$21.5K BGN 37.5K

48.05%

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

$124 MOP 1,002

$91.4 BGN 160

35.62%

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

$23.44 MOP 189

$14.68 BGN 25.68

59.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.46 MOP 295

$12.07 BGN 21.12

202.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.3 MOP 511

$32.28 BGN 56.5

95.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 MOP 30.57

$8.60 BGN 15.05

-56.05%

Cinema Ticket

$14.73 MOP 119

$5.63 BGN 9.86

161.63%

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

$1,193 MOP 9,642

$228 BGN 400

422.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.3K MOP 156.2K

$2,311 BGN 4,045

735.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.0 MOP 566

$30.48 BGN 53.3

129.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.25 MOP 269

$19.01 BGN 33.26

74.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.4 MOP 747

$45.53 BGN 79.7

102.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 MOP 1,084

$48.67 BGN 85.2

175.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,130 MOP 9,136

$521 BGN 913

116.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,070 MOP 8,651

$367 BGN 643

191.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,092 MOP 16.9K

$634 BGN 1,110

229.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,461 MOP 11.8K

$558 BGN 976

161.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,347 MOP 67.5K

$1,204 BGN 2,106

593.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,538 MOP 44.8K

$971 BGN 1,699

470.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,053 MOP 16.6K

$1,670 BGN 2,923

22.90%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.99

0.33%

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

Last update for Macao: October 3, 2026

Last update for Bansko: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Macao

$1.1K 50.3%

Bansko

$367 38% 65.7% $703

Groceries & Markets

Macao

$422 19.8%

Bansko

$193 20% 54.2% $229

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Macao

$184 8.6%

Bansko

$118 12.2% 35.7% $66

Eating Out

Macao

$177 8.3%

Bansko

$145 15% 18% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Macao

$148 7%

Bansko

$65 6.7% 56.4% $84

Sport & Entertainment

Macao

$93 4.4%

Bansko

$44 4.5% 53% $49

Getting Around

Macao

$34 1.6%

Bansko

$35 3.6% 1.3% $0.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,130 in Macao versus $521 in Bansko. 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 23% 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 $55.0 in Macao versus $47.00 in Bansko. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $422 vs $193 – making Bansko the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇴 Macao

🇧🇬 Bansko

🕒 Local time

14:12 2:12 PM

09:12 9:12 AM

5 h behind Macao

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

622,567 Capital

8,000

💱 Currency

Macanese Pataca MOP P

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1 MOP = 0.124 USD

1 MOP = 0.11 EUR

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.509 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to MOP – Macanese Pataca Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇴 Macanese Pataca (P)

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).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.75 BGN (1 BGN = 0.571 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.509 EUR).

USD to MOP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Macao Bansko 8,390 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Macao
Bansko

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 Bansko: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,107 in Macao, $970 in Bansko – roughly 117% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,160 per month in Macao and $1,455 in Bansko. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Bansko, 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 $55.0 in Macao and $47.00 in Bansko. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,107 in Macao and $970 in Bansko. That's a gap of about 117%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Bansko, where all-in costs run around $970, than in Macao at $2,107. In Bansko it covers expenses comfortably, while in Macao it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Macao has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $970 in Bansko to $2,107 in Macao. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 Bansko. 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.