Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Macao and Kawasaki

For one person, living is cheaper in Kawasaki: $1,473 a month against $2,194 in Macao, rent and utilities included – about $8,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

104

Cost of Living Index in Macao
Learn more

Macao Living Index
71

Cost of Living Index in Kawasaki
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Kawasaki Living Index

Jump to prices

Macao

🇲🇴 Macao (China)

$2,194

/mo nomad

Kawasaki

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,473

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Macao and in Kawasaki

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

A single person spends $2,194 per month in Macao vs $1,473 in Kawasaki, rent included.

Macao $2,194
Kawasaki $1,473

A couple spends around $3,072 per month in Macao vs $2,239 in Kawasaki, rent included.

Macao $3,072
Kawasaki $2,239

A family of three spends $3,951 per month in Macao vs $3,006 in Kawasaki, rent included.

Macao $3,951
Kawasaki $3,006

Macao costs about 49% more than Kawasaki, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Macao and Kawasaki sit above the global median – Macao by 62%, Kawasaki by 9%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.27 MOP 50.6

$7.62 ¥1,200

-17.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.6 MOP 441

$37.55 ¥5,914

45.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.01 MOP 48.54

$4.96 ¥781

21.17%

Cappuccino

$5.16 MOP 41.63

$2.60 ¥410

98.46%

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

$1.01 MOP 8.15

$1.69 ¥266

-40.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.87 MOP 7.00

$0.92 ¥146

-5.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.59 MOP 45.16

$3.12 ¥491

79.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.36 MOP 59.4

$3.23 ¥509

127.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.19 MOP 25.75

$1.49 ¥235

114.09%

White Bread (500g)

$1.76 MOP 14.25

$1.48 ¥233

18.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.73 MOP 13.99

$4.38 ¥690

-60.50%

Eggs

$3.46 MOP 27.90

$2.13 ¥335

62.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.51 MOP 133

$11.41 ¥1,796

44.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$19.30 MOP 156

$6.69 ¥1,054

188.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$28.89 MOP 233

$16.69 ¥2,629

73.10%

Apples (1kg)

$2.68 MOP 21.63

$4.94 ¥779

-45.75%

Banana (1kg)

$2.83 MOP 22.86

$2.82 ¥445

0.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.88 MOP 15.20

$4.94 ¥778

-61.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.46 MOP 19.86

$5.10 ¥803

-51.76%

Potato (1kg)

$3.83 MOP 30.91

$3.16 ¥497

21.20%

Onion (1kg)

$2.88 MOP 23.23

$3.24 ¥510

-11.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.66 MOP 5.36

$1.19 ¥188

-44.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MOP 9.56

$0.84 ¥132

40.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.59 MOP 53.2

$3.83 ¥603

72.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.13 MOP 98.0

$9.22 ¥1,452

31.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 MOP 14.39

$2.28 ¥359

-21.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 MOP 17.82

$2.76 ¥435

-19.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.71 MOP 5.72

$1.87 ¥295

-62.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.73 MOP 184

$51.6 ¥8,118

-55.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.63 MOP 21.25

$3.08 ¥485

-14.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.22 MOP 9.81

$3.16 ¥498

-61.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.97 MOP 121

$19.32 ¥3,043

-22.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.84 MOP 14.83

$1.05 ¥166

75.24%

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

$31.3K MOP 252.4K

$21.8K ¥3.4M

43.15%

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

$31.5K MOP 254.0K

$14.9K ¥2.4M

110.69%

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

$122 MOP 986

$127 ¥20.0K

-3.82%

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

$23.46 MOP 189

$23.96 ¥3,774

-2.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.68 MOP 296

$31.45 ¥4,953

16.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$95.7 MOP 772

$54.8 ¥8,630

74.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.65 MOP 29.48

$6.38 ¥1,004

-42.79%

Cinema Ticket

$14.54 MOP 117

$12.63 ¥1,990

15.12%

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

$1,224 MOP 9,884

$728 ¥114.7K

68.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.1K MOP 138.1K

$22.1K ¥3.5M

-22.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.4 MOP 560

$53.1 ¥8,363

30.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.01 MOP 275

$33.24 ¥5,235

2.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.8 MOP 757

$66.1 ¥10.4K

41.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$138 MOP 1,113

$72.9 ¥11.5K

89.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,097 MOP 8,857

$766 ¥120.6K

43.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,096 MOP 8,852

$565 ¥89.0K

94.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,107 MOP 17.0K

$1,264 ¥199.1K

66.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,449 MOP 11.7K

$1,019 ¥160.5K

42.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$10.0K MOP 81.0K

$4,741 ¥746.7K

111.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,952 MOP 56.1K

$3,255 ¥512.6K

113.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,992 MOP 16.1K

$2,542 ¥400.4K

-21.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.02

48.51%

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

Last update for Macao: November 1, 2026

Last update for Kawasaki: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Macao

$1.1K 50%

Kawasaki

$565 38.4% 48.5% $532

Groceries & Markets

Macao

$425 19.4%

Kawasaki

$327 22.2% 23.2% $98

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Macao

$182 8.3%

Kawasaki

$182 12.4% 0.1% $0.1

Eating Out

Macao

$180 8.2%

Kawasaki

$140 9.5% 22.6% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Macao

$151 6.9%

Kawasaki

$101 6.9% 32.7% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Macao

$125 5.7%

Kawasaki

$80 5.4% 35.8% $45

Getting Around

Macao

$34 1.6%

Kawasaki

$78 5.3% 127% $44

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,097 in Macao versus $766 in Kawasaki. 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 28% higher in Kawasaki, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Macao versus $38 in Kawasaki. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $425 vs $327 – making Kawasaki the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇴 Macao

🇯🇵 Kawasaki

🕒 Local time

11:58 11:58 AM

12:58 12:58 PM

1 h ahead of Macao

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

622,567 Capital

1,538,262

💱 Currency

Macanese Pataca MOP P

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 MOP = 0.124 USD

1 MOP = 0.11 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.35 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JPY, USD, EUR to MOP – Macanese Pataca Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇴 Macanese Pataca (P)

Macanese Pataca exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 8.07 MOP (1 MOP = 0.124 USD). 1 EUR = 9.06 MOP (1 MOP = 0.11 EUR).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 157 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.35 USD). 1 EUR = 177 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.66 EUR).

USD to MOP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Macao Kawasaki 2,930 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Macao
Kawasaki

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 Kawasaki: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Macao costs about 49% more than Kawasaki, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,290 per month in Macao and $2,209 in Kawasaki. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kawasaki, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $766 there versus $1,097 in Macao.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Macao and $38 in Kawasaki. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,194 in Macao and $1,473 in Kawasaki. That makes Kawasaki about 33% cheaper.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,194 in Macao and $1,473 in Kawasaki. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Kawasaki – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.