Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Macao and Bowling Green, KY

For one person, living is cheaper in Bowling Green, KY: $1,945 a month against $2,158 in Macao, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

104

Cost of Living Index in Macao
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Macao Living Index
94

Cost of Living Index in Bowling Green, KY
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Bowling Green, KY Living Index

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Macao

🇲🇴 Macao (China)

$2,158

/mo nomad

Bowling Green, KY

🇺🇸 United States

$1,945

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Macao and in Bowling Green, KY

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 Bowling Green, KY actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,158 in Macao versus $1,945 in Bowling Green, KY.

Macao $2,158
Bowling Green, KY $1,945

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,053 in Macao versus $2,878 in Bowling Green, KY.

Macao $3,053
Bowling Green, KY $2,878

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,948 in Macao versus $3,811 in Bowling Green, KY.

Macao $3,948
Bowling Green, KY $3,811

Living in Macao is roughly 11% more expensive than in Bowling Green, KY, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Macao 59% above, Bowling Green, KY 43% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.37 MOP 51.5

$13.26 $13.26

-51.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.4 MOP 447

$55.2 $55.2

0.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.76 MOP 46.56

$9.15 $9.15

-37.05%

Cappuccino

$4.97 MOP 40.18

$4.87 $4.87

2.05%

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

$1.05 MOP 8.46

$2.48 $2.48

-57.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MOP 6.33

$2.06 $2.06

-62.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.66 MOP 45.72

$3.90 $3.90

45.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.34 MOP 59.3

$5.13 $5.13

43.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.12 MOP 25.18

$0.79 $0.79

294.94%

White Bread (500g)

$1.71 MOP 13.78

$2.22 $2.22

-22.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 MOP 13.89

$2.20 $2.20

-21.82%

Eggs

$3.50 MOP 28.25

$2.64 $2.64

32.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.90 MOP 128

$10.06 $10.06

58.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$19.42 MOP 157

$10.25 $10.25

89.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$29.46 MOP 238

$12.63 $12.63

133.25%

Apples (1kg)

$2.58 MOP 20.84

$4.72 $4.72

-45.34%

Banana (1kg)

$2.86 MOP 23.08

$1.20 $1.20

138.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 MOP 15.24

$2.62 $2.62

-27.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.44 MOP 19.73

$3.69 $3.69

-33.88%

Potato (1kg)

$3.95 MOP 31.94

$1.71 $1.71

130.99%

Onion (1kg)

$2.94 MOP 23.74

$2.45 $2.45

20.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.62 MOP 5.00

$1.81 $1.81

-65.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 MOP 9.21

$1.26 $1.26

-9.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.64 MOP 53.7

$9.18 $9.18

-27.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.16 MOP 98.2

$12.79 $12.79

-4.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 MOP 14.41

$1.66 $1.66

7.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 MOP 18.68

$1.54 $1.54

50.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.71 MOP 5.76

$2.03 $2.03

-65.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.93 MOP 185

$39.72 $39.72

-42.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.66 MOP 21.53

$7.48 $7.48

-64.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.24 MOP 9.99

$1.58 $1.58

-21.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.00 MOP 121

$24.80 $24.80

-39.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.76 MOP 14.21

$0.94 $0.94

87.23%

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

$31.1K MOP 251.4K

$27.6K $27.6K

12.76%

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

$31.4K MOP 253.5K

$26.1K $26.1K

20.13%

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

$122 MOP 989

$149 $149

-17.82%

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

$24.02 MOP 194

$45.05 $45.05

-46.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.91 MOP 298

$68.8 $68.8

-46.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$95.6 MOP 772

$25.39 $25.39

276.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.64 MOP 29.43

$11.96 $11.96

-69.57%

Cinema Ticket

$14.43 MOP 117

$14.98 $14.98

-3.67%

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

$1,194 MOP 9,646

$2,283 $2,283

-47.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.4K MOP 156.8K

$25.3K $25.3K

-23.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.8 MOP 556

$51.6 $51.6

33.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.15 MOP 268

$31.20 $31.20

6.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 MOP 739

$102 $102

-9.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$136 MOP 1,095

$152 $152

-10.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,095 MOP 8,850

$966 $966

13.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,065 MOP 8,606

$875 $875

21.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,089 MOP 16.9K

$1,583 $1,583

31.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,452 MOP 11.7K

$1,472 $1,472

-1.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,783 MOP 79.0K

$2,177 $2,177

349.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,861 MOP 55.4K

$1,820 $1,820

276.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,042 MOP 16.5K

$3,057 $3,057

-33.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.66

-54.95%

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

Last update for Macao: October 24, 2026

Last update for Bowling Green, KY: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Macao

$1.1K 49.4%

Bowling Green, KY

$875 45% 17.8% $190

Groceries & Markets

Macao

$424 19.6%

Bowling Green, KY

$298 15.3% 29.7% $126

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Macao

$183 8.5%

Bowling Green, KY

$263 13.5% 43.3% $79

Eating Out

Macao

$178 8.3%

Bowling Green, KY

$240 12.3% 34.6% $62

Clothing & Footwear

Macao

$148 6.9%

Bowling Green, KY

$151 7.8% 2.2% $3.3

Sport & Entertainment

Macao

$124 5.8%

Bowling Green, KY

$55 2.9% 55.5% $69

Getting Around

Macao

$35 1.6%

Bowling Green, KY

$63 3.3% 82.5% $29

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,095 in Macao and $966 in Bowling Green, KY. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bowling Green, KY pays 50% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $55 in Macao vs $55 in Bowling Green, KY. Groceries flip the comparison at $424 vs $298, with Bowling Green, KY cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇴 Macao

🇺🇸 Bowling Green, KY

🕒 Local time

01:56 1:56 AM

12:56 12:56 PM

13 h behind Macao

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

622,567 Capital

53,176

💱 Currency

Macanese Pataca MOP P

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 MOP = 0.124 USD

1 MOP = 0.111 EUR

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR 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).

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

USD to MOP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Macao Bowling Green, KY 13,110 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Macao
Bowling Green, KY

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 Bowling Green, KY: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bowling Green, KY wins on cost – living expenses run 10% lower than in Macao. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Bowling Green, KY the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 33% lower in Macao. 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: $1,095 in Macao versus $966 in Bowling Green, KY. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 42% higher in Macao. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $2,158 per month in Macao versus $1,945 in Bowling Green, KY – a 11% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

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.