Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Macao and Hong Kong

For one person, living is cheaper in Macao: $2,114 a month against $2,984 in Hong Kong, rent and utilities included – about $10,400 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)

$2,114

/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 $2,114 per month in Macao vs $2,984 in Hong Kong, rent included.

Macao $2,114
Hong Kong $2,984

A couple spends around $2,990 per month in Macao vs $4,584 in Hong Kong, rent included.

Macao $2,990
Hong Kong $4,584

A family of three spends $3,866 per month in Macao vs $6,183 in Hong Kong, rent included.

Macao $3,866
Hong Kong $6,183

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 121%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.26 MOP 50.6

$7.75 HK$60.8

-19.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.2 MOP 454

$64.7 HK$508

-13.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.02 MOP 48.66

$6.18 HK$48.51

-2.59%

Cappuccino

$5.06 MOP 40.87

$5.08 HK$39.85

-0.39%

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

$1.05 MOP 8.48

$1.31 HK$10.31

-19.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.85 MOP 6.88

$1.09 HK$8.56

-22.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.62 MOP 45.46

$7.47 HK$58.6

-24.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.33 MOP 59.2

$6.50 HK$51.0

12.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.26 MOP 26.34

$2.89 HK$22.71

12.80%

White Bread (500g)

$1.70 MOP 13.72

$2.31 HK$18.14

-26.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.66 MOP 13.38

$2.13 HK$16.71

-22.07%

Eggs

$3.50 MOP 28.30

$3.52 HK$27.65

-0.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.22 MOP 131

$24.72 HK$194

-34.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$19.56 MOP 158

$8.52 HK$66.9

129.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$28.45 MOP 230

$18.00 HK$141

58.06%

Apples (1kg)

$2.59 MOP 20.96

$4.18 HK$32.79

-38.04%

Banana (1kg)

$2.86 MOP 23.13

$2.68 HK$21.07

6.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 MOP 15.27

$4.49 HK$35.22

-57.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.36 MOP 19.04

$4.03 HK$31.66

-41.44%

Potato (1kg)

$3.84 MOP 31.03

$3.12 HK$24.51

23.08%

Onion (1kg)

$2.84 MOP 22.92

$3.15 HK$24.72

-9.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.62 MOP 5.04

$1.62 HK$12.75

-61.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 MOP 9.32

$1.74 HK$13.66

-33.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.64 MOP 53.6

$13.50 HK$106

-50.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.30 MOP 99.4

$16.54 HK$130

-25.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 MOP 14.43

$1.94 HK$15.19

-7.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 MOP 18.61

$2.18 HK$17.11

5.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.73 MOP 5.88

$1.41 HK$11.04

-48.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.47 MOP 182

$88.6 HK$696

-74.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.63 MOP 21.26

$3.69 HK$28.94

-28.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.29 MOP 10.40

$1.32 HK$10.36

-2.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.68 MOP 119

$15.77 HK$124

-6.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.78 MOP 14.38

$4.03 HK$31.65

-55.83%

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

$30.5K MOP 246.6K

$44.7K HK$350.5K

-31.68%

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

$30.9K MOP 249.8K

$37.8K HK$296.6K

-18.21%

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

$120 MOP 972

$250 HK$1,959

-51.80%

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

$23.50 MOP 190

$15.60 HK$122

50.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.25 MOP 301

$21.77 HK$171

71.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.8 MOP 515

$94.2 HK$739

-32.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.81 MOP 30.82

$9.29 HK$72.9

-58.99%

Cinema Ticket

$14.71 MOP 119

$13.91 HK$109

5.75%

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

$1,231 MOP 9,951

$1,162 HK$9,122

5.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.7K MOP 151.3K

$21.9K HK$171.6K

-14.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.7 MOP 555

$68.0 HK$534

1.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.15 MOP 268

$41.91 HK$329

-20.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.9 MOP 743

$79.7 HK$626

15.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$135 MOP 1,091

$122 HK$956

10.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,103 MOP 8,913

$2,241 HK$17.6K

-50.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 MOP 8,528

$1,718 HK$13.5K

-38.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,111 MOP 17.1K

$5,041 HK$39.6K

-58.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,433 MOP 11.6K

$3,435 HK$27.0K

-58.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,352 MOP 67.5K

$29.2K HK$229.0K

-71.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,490 MOP 44.4K

$17.6K HK$137.9K

-68.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,041 MOP 16.5K

$3,271 HK$25.7K

-37.60%

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 10, 2026

Last update for Hong Kong: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Macao

$1.1K 49.9%

Hong Kong

$1.7K 57.6% 62.9% $663

Groceries & Markets

Macao

$423 20%

Hong Kong

$411 13.8% 2.9% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Macao

$181 8.6%

Hong Kong

$287 9.6% 58.5% $106

Eating Out

Macao

$179 8.5%

Hong Kong

$201 6.8% 12.4% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Macao

$148 7%

Hong Kong

$140 4.7% 5.3% $7.8

Sport & Entertainment

Macao

$93 4.4%

Hong Kong

$122 4.1% 30.9% $29

Getting Around

Macao

$34 1.6%

Hong Kong

$105 3.5% 204% $70

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,103 in Macao versus $2,241 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 60% 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 $56.0 in Macao versus $65.0 in Hong Kong. Groceries tell a different story – $423 in Macao vs $411 in Hong Kong – so Hong Kong wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇴 Macao

🇭🇰 Hong Kong

🕒 Local time

09:23 9:23 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 = 0.113 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 8.08 MOP (1 MOP = 0.124 USD). 1 EUR = 9.09 MOP (1 MOP = 0.11 EUR).

Hong Kong Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 7.85 HKD (1 HKD = 0.127 USD). 1 EUR = 8.82 HKD (1 HKD = 0.113 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: $2,114 in Macao, $2,984 in Hong Kong – roughly 41% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,171 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 $56.0 in Macao and $65.0 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 $2,114 in Macao and $2,984 in Hong Kong. That's a gap of about 41%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Macao, where all-in costs run around $2,114, 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 $2,114 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.