Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Macao and Hong Kong

For one person, living is cheaper in Macao: $2,107 a month against $2,984 in Hong Kong, rent and utilities included – about $10,500 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
144

Cost of Living Index in Hong Kong
Learn more

Hong Kong Living Index

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Macao

🇲🇴 Macao (China)

$2,107

/mo nomad

Hong Kong

🇭🇰 Hong Kong (China)

$2,984

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Macao and in Hong Kong

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

A single person spends $2,107 per month in Macao vs $2,984 in Hong Kong, rent included.

Macao $2,107
Hong Kong $2,984

A couple spends around $3,021 per month in Macao vs $4,558 in Hong Kong, rent included.

Macao $3,021
Hong Kong $4,558

A family of three spends $3,935 per month in Macao vs $6,132 in Hong Kong, rent included.

Macao $3,935
Hong Kong $6,132

Macao is about 29% cheaper than Hong Kong, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Macao and Hong Kong sit above the global median – Macao by 57%, Hong Kong by 123%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.31 MOP 51.0

$8.46 HK$66.4

-25.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 MOP 444

$63.2 HK$496

-13.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.91 MOP 47.73

$6.20 HK$48.66

-4.68%

Cappuccino

$4.89 MOP 39.49

$4.90 HK$38.42

-0.20%

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

$1.06 MOP 8.56

$1.27 HK$10.01

-16.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.93 MOP 7.55

$1.06 HK$8.31

-12.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.63 MOP 45.49

$7.68 HK$60.3

-26.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.23 MOP 58.4

$6.28 HK$49.24

15.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.09 MOP 24.98

$2.86 HK$22.45

8.04%

White Bread (500g)

$1.67 MOP 13.50

$2.43 HK$19.10

-31.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.73 MOP 13.97

$2.18 HK$17.09

-20.64%

Eggs

$3.40 MOP 27.46

$3.54 HK$27.80

-3.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.05 MOP 130

$25.12 HK$197

-36.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$19.07 MOP 154

$8.89 HK$69.8

114.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$29.25 MOP 236

$17.63 HK$138

65.91%

Apples (1kg)

$2.71 MOP 21.87

$4.11 HK$32.23

-34.06%

Banana (1kg)

$2.86 MOP 23.14

$2.72 HK$21.32

5.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.97 MOP 15.90

$4.59 HK$36.05

-57.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.36 MOP 19.06

$4.02 HK$31.52

-41.29%

Potato (1kg)

$3.85 MOP 31.10

$3.25 HK$25.50

18.46%

Onion (1kg)

$2.95 MOP 23.86

$3.27 HK$25.70

-9.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.66 MOP 5.30

$1.60 HK$12.54

-58.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 MOP 9.74

$1.73 HK$13.56

-30.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.64 MOP 53.7

$13.14 HK$103

-49.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.14 MOP 98.1

$16.59 HK$130

-26.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 MOP 14.34

$2.01 HK$15.80

-11.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 MOP 18.66

$2.18 HK$17.13

5.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.76 MOP 6.13

$1.44 HK$11.31

-47.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.62 MOP 183

$89.1 HK$699

-74.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.57 MOP 20.78

$3.64 HK$28.54

-29.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.24 MOP 9.99

$1.31 HK$10.29

-5.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.00 MOP 121

$15.82 HK$124

-5.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.76 MOP 14.22

$4.06 HK$31.89

-56.65%

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

$31.1K MOP 251.3K

$44.4K HK$348.2K

-29.93%

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

$31.8K MOP 256.7K

$37.4K HK$293.2K

-15.00%

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

$124 MOP 1,002

$247 HK$1,942

-49.89%

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

$23.44 MOP 189

$15.89 HK$125

47.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.46 MOP 295

$21.46 HK$168

69.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.3 MOP 511

$91.4 HK$717

-30.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 MOP 30.57

$9.08 HK$71.3

-58.37%

Cinema Ticket

$14.73 MOP 119

$13.96 HK$110

5.52%

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

$1,193 MOP 9,642

$1,155 HK$9,068

3.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.3K MOP 156.2K

$22.3K HK$174.6K

-13.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.0 MOP 566

$68.9 HK$541

1.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.25 MOP 269

$40.44 HK$317

-17.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.4 MOP 747

$79.9 HK$627

15.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 MOP 1,084

$118 HK$923

13.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,130 MOP 9,136

$2,180 HK$17.1K

-48.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,070 MOP 8,651

$1,718 HK$13.5K

-37.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,092 MOP 16.9K

$5,047 HK$39.6K

-58.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,461 MOP 11.8K

$3,543 HK$27.8K

-58.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,347 MOP 67.5K

$29.1K HK$228.7K

-71.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,538 MOP 44.8K

$17.6K HK$137.9K

-68.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,053 MOP 16.6K

$3,228 HK$25.3K

-36.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.91

-23.27%

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

Last update for Macao: October 3, 2026

Last update for Hong Kong: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Macao

$1.1K 50.3%

Hong Kong

$1.7K 57.5% 60.5% $648

Groceries & Markets

Macao

$422 19.8%

Hong Kong

$415 13.9% 1.7% $7.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Macao

$184 8.6%

Hong Kong

$285 9.5% 54.9% $101

Eating Out

Macao

$177 8.3%

Hong Kong

$205 6.9% 15.7% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Macao

$148 7%

Hong Kong

$138 4.6% 6.9% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Macao

$93 4.4%

Hong Kong

$119 4% 28.7% $27

Getting Around

Macao

$34 1.6%

Hong Kong

$105 3.5% 205% $71

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,130 in Macao versus $2,180 in Hong Kong. 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 57% higher in Hong Kong, 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 $63.0 in Hong Kong. Groceries tell a different story – $422 in Macao vs $415 in Hong Kong – so Hong Kong wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇴 Macao

🇭🇰 Hong Kong

🕒 Local time

10:47 10:47 AM

Same time as Macao

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

622,567 Capital

1,367,900 Capital

💱 Currency

Macanese Pataca MOP P

Hong Kong Dollar HKD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 MOP = 0.124 USD

1 MOP = 0.11 EUR

1 HKD = 0.127 USD

1 HKD = 0.114 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HKD, 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).

Hong Kong Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 7.85 HKD (1 HKD = 0.127 USD). 1 EUR = 8.8 HKD (1 HKD = 0.114 EUR).

USD to MOP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Macao Hong Kong 65 km

From you

Macao
Hong Kong

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 Hong Kong: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,107 in Macao, $2,984 in Hong Kong – roughly 42% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,160 per month in Macao and $4,476 in Hong Kong. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Macao, 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 $63.0 in Hong Kong. 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 $2,984 in Hong Kong. That's a gap of about 42%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Macao, where all-in costs run around $2,107, than in Hong Kong at $2,984. In Macao it covers expenses comfortably, while in Hong Kong it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Hong Kong has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,107 in Macao to $2,984 in Hong Kong. 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 Macao. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Hong Kong makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.