Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Macao and Cesena

For one person, living is cheaper in Cesena: $1,646 a month against $2,114 in Macao, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

104

Cost of Living Index in Macao
Learn more

Macao Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Cesena
Learn more

Cesena Living Index

Jump to prices

Macao

🇲🇴 Macao (China)

$2,114

/mo nomad

Cesena

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,646

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Macao and in Cesena

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,114 in Macao versus $1,646 in Cesena.

Macao $2,114
Cesena $1,646

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,990 in Macao versus $2,537 in Cesena.

Macao $2,990
Cesena $2,537

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,866 in Macao versus $3,428 in Cesena.

Macao $3,866
Cesena $3,428

Living in Macao is roughly 28% more expensive than in Cesena, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Macao 57% above, Cesena 22% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.26 MOP 50.6

$16.83 €14.97

-62.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.2 MOP 454

$89.5 €79.6

-37.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.02 MOP 48.66

$12.22 €10.87

-50.74%

Cappuccino

$5.06 MOP 40.87

$2.21 €1.96

128.96%

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

$1.05 MOP 8.48

$2.72 €2.42

-61.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.85 MOP 6.88

$1.09 €0.97

-22.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.62 MOP 45.46

$6.04 €5.37

-6.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.33 MOP 59.2

$5.10 €4.53

43.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.26 MOP 26.34

$1.35 €1.20

141.48%

White Bread (500g)

$1.70 MOP 13.72

$1.36 €1.21

25.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.66 MOP 13.38

$1.97 €1.75

-15.74%

Eggs

$3.50 MOP 28.30

$2.77 €2.47

26.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.22 MOP 131

$17.63 €15.68

-8.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$19.56 MOP 158

$11.91 €10.60

64.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$28.45 MOP 230

$17.03 €15.15

67.06%

Apples (1kg)

$2.59 MOP 20.96

$1.93 €1.72

34.20%

Banana (1kg)

$2.86 MOP 23.13

$2.47 €2.20

15.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 MOP 15.27

$2.39 €2.12

-20.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.36 MOP 19.04

$3.99 €3.55

-40.85%

Potato (1kg)

$3.84 MOP 31.03

$1.60 €1.43

140.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.84 MOP 22.92

$1.65 €1.47

72.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.62 MOP 5.04

$1.87 €1.67

-66.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 MOP 9.32

$0.34 €0.30

238.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.64 MOP 53.6

$6.52 €5.80

1.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.30 MOP 99.4

$6.79 €6.04

81.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 MOP 14.43

$1.22 €1.09

46.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 MOP 18.61

$1.72 €1.53

33.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.73 MOP 5.88

$2.17 €1.93

-66.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.47 MOP 182

$38.55 €34.29

-41.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.63 MOP 21.26

$8.20 €7.30

-67.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.29 MOP 10.40

$1.98 €1.76

-34.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.68 MOP 119

$33.88 €30.13

-56.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.78 MOP 14.38

$2.03 €1.81

-12.32%

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

$30.5K MOP 246.6K

$36.5K €32.5K

-16.37%

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

$30.9K MOP 249.8K

$34.9K €31.0K

-11.41%

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

$120 MOP 972

$189 €168

-36.30%

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

$23.50 MOP 190

$9.75 €8.67

141.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.25 MOP 301

$30.74 €27.34

21.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.8 MOP 515

$50.8 €45.16

25.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.81 MOP 30.82

$14.22 €12.65

-73.21%

Cinema Ticket

$14.71 MOP 119

$9.99 €8.89

47.25%

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

$1,231 MOP 9,951

$537 €478

129.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.7K MOP 151.3K

$9,900 €8,806

89.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.7 MOP 555

$90.7 €80.7

-24.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.15 MOP 268

$36.93 €32.85

-10.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.9 MOP 743

$82.4 €73.3

11.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$135 MOP 1,091

$78.7 €70.0

71.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,103 MOP 8,913

$660 €587

67.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 MOP 8,528

$591 €525

78.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,111 MOP 17.1K

$1,174 €1,045

79.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,433 MOP 11.6K

$925 €823

54.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,352 MOP 67.5K

$2,953 €2,627

182.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,490 MOP 44.4K

$2,583 €2,298

112.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,041 MOP 16.5K

$1,750 €1,557

16.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.3

-9.09%

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

Last update for Macao: October 10, 2026

Last update for Cesena: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Macao

$1.1K 49.9%

Cesena

$591 35.9% 44% $464

Groceries & Markets

Macao

$423 20%

Cesena

$306 18.6% 27.6% $117

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Macao

$181 8.6%

Cesena

$229 13.9% 26.7% $48

Eating Out

Macao

$179 8.5%

Cesena

$253 15.4% 41.4% $74

Clothing & Footwear

Macao

$148 7%

Cesena

$130 7.9% 12.2% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Macao

$93 4.4%

Cesena

$71 4.3% 24% $22

Getting Around

Macao

$34 1.6%

Cesena

$65 4% 89.6% $31

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,103 in Macao and $660 in Cesena. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Macao pays 17% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $56.0 in Macao vs $89.0 in Cesena. Groceries flip the comparison at $423 vs $306, with Cesena cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇴 Macao

🇮🇹 Cesena

🕒 Local time

02:59 2:59 AM

20:59 8:59 PM

6 h behind Macao

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

622,567 Capital

96,758

💱 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 18, 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to MOP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Macao Cesena 9,160 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Macao
Cesena

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 Cesena: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Macao and Cesena differ by about 28% in total monthly costs ($2,114 vs $1,646 including rent). Cesena is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 17% higher in Macao, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,103 in Macao versus $660 in Cesena. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Cesena – a meal for two runs $89.0 versus $56.0 in Macao. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,114 per month in Macao versus $1,646 in Cesena – a 28% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,646 in Cesena versus $2,114 in Macao, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Cesena but tight or insufficient in Macao. The gap between the two cities makes Cesena the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Safety-wise, Macao and Cesena are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Cesena gentler on the wallet – expenses run 28% less than in Macao. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.