Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Macao and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,621 a month against $2,107 in Macao, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 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
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Macao

🇲🇴 Macao (China)

$2,107

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Macao and in Budapest

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

A single person spends $2,107 per month in Macao vs $1,621 in Budapest, rent included.

Macao $2,107
Budapest $1,621

A couple spends around $3,021 per month in Macao vs $2,555 in Budapest, rent included.

Macao $3,021
Budapest $2,555

A family of three spends $3,935 per month in Macao vs $3,489 in Budapest, rent included.

Macao $3,935
Budapest $3,489

Macao costs about 30% more than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Macao and Budapest sit above the global median – Macao by 57%, Budapest by 21%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.31 MOP 51.0

$13.99 Ft 4,555

-54.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 MOP 444

$60.3 Ft 19.7K

-8.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.91 MOP 47.73

$9.96 Ft 3,244

-40.66%

Cappuccino

$4.89 MOP 39.49

$3.38 Ft 1,102

44.67%

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

$1.06 MOP 8.56

$2.13 Ft 693

-50.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.93 MOP 7.55

$1.87 Ft 609

-50.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.63 MOP 45.49

$3.75 Ft 1,222

50.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.23 MOP 58.4

$3.57 Ft 1,163

102.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.09 MOP 24.98

$1.13 Ft 369

173.45%

White Bread (500g)

$1.67 MOP 13.50

$1.84 Ft 600

-9.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.73 MOP 13.97

$2.39 Ft 777

-27.62%

Eggs

$3.40 MOP 27.46

$3.83 Ft 1,246

-11.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.05 MOP 130

$11.33 Ft 3,689

41.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$19.07 MOP 154

$6.74 Ft 2,194

182.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$29.25 MOP 236

$14.69 Ft 4,784

99.12%

Apples (1kg)

$2.71 MOP 21.87

$1.84 Ft 598

47.28%

Banana (1kg)

$2.86 MOP 23.14

$2.01 Ft 654

42.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.97 MOP 15.90

$2.36 Ft 767

-16.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.36 MOP 19.06

$3.77 Ft 1,227

-37.40%

Potato (1kg)

$3.85 MOP 31.10

$0.96 Ft 314

301.04%

Onion (1kg)

$2.95 MOP 23.86

$1.03 Ft 335

186.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.66 MOP 5.30

$1.56 Ft 509

-57.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 MOP 9.74

$0.66 Ft 216

81.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.64 MOP 53.7

$7.96 Ft 2,594

-16.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.14 MOP 98.1

$6.01 Ft 1,956

102.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 MOP 14.34

$1.30 Ft 422

36.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 MOP 18.66

$2.08 Ft 677

11.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.76 MOP 6.13

$1.50 Ft 490

-49.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.62 MOP 183

$27.61 Ft 8,991

-18.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.57 MOP 20.78

$3.30 Ft 1,075

-22.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.24 MOP 9.99

$1.30 Ft 424

-4.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.00 MOP 121

$19.78 Ft 6,442

-24.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.76 MOP 14.22

$1.81 Ft 591

-2.76%

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

$31.1K MOP 251.3K

$29.3K Ft 9.6M

6.01%

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

$31.8K MOP 256.7K

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

-6.89%

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

$124 MOP 1,002

$170 Ft 55.3K

-27.03%

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

$23.44 MOP 189

$23.98 Ft 7,809

-2.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.46 MOP 295

$23.42 Ft 7,628

55.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.3 MOP 511

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

-4.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 MOP 30.57

$19.18 Ft 6,245

-80.29%

Cinema Ticket

$14.73 MOP 119

$9.52 Ft 3,101

54.73%

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

$1,193 MOP 9,642

$537 Ft 174.8K

122.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.3K MOP 156.2K

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

16.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.0 MOP 566

$101 Ft 33.0K

-30.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.25 MOP 269

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

-22.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.4 MOP 747

$113 Ft 36.7K

-18.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 MOP 1,084

$119 Ft 38.7K

12.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,130 MOP 9,136

$805 Ft 262.2K

40.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,070 MOP 8,651

$629 Ft 204.9K

70.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,092 MOP 16.9K

$1,549 Ft 504.6K

35.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,461 MOP 11.8K

$1,167 Ft 380.1K

25.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,347 MOP 67.5K

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

48.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,538 MOP 44.8K

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

39.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,053 MOP 16.6K

$1,626 Ft 529.5K

26.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.43

-53.34%

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

Last update for Macao: October 3, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Macao

$1.1K 50.3%

Budapest

$629 38.7% 41.2% $441

Groceries & Markets

Macao

$422 19.8%

Budapest

$258 15.8% 39% $164

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Macao

$184 8.6%

Budapest

$217 13.4% 18.2% $33

Eating Out

Macao

$177 8.3%

Budapest

$224 13.8% 26.4% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Macao

$148 7%

Budapest

$169 10.4% 14% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Macao

$93 4.4%

Budapest

$85 5.2% 8% $7.4

Getting Around

Macao

$34 1.6%

Budapest

$43 2.7% 26.2% $9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,130 in Macao versus $805 in Budapest. 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 26% 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 $60.0 in Budapest. Groceries tell a different story – $422 in Macao vs $258 in Budapest – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇴 Macao

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

13:22 1:22 PM

07:22 7:22 AM

6 h behind Macao

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

622,567 Capital

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Macanese Pataca MOP P

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 MOP = 0.124 USD

1 MOP = 0.11 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, 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).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 326 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 365 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR).

USD to MOP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Macao Budapest 8,530 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Macao
Budapest

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 Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Macao is pricier by about 30%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,160 per month in Macao and $2,432 in Budapest. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Budapest, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 22% less in Budapest. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,193 per month in Macao and $537 in Budapest. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Budapest, where all-in costs run around $1,621, than in Macao at $2,107. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Macao it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Budapest – 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.

If budget matters most, go with Budapest. 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.