Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Macao and Lisbon

For one person, living costs are similar in Macao and in Lisbon: $2,158 and $2,210 a month, rent and utilities included.

104

Cost of Living Index in Macao
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Macao Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
Learn more

Lisbon Living Index

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Macao

🇲🇴 Macao (China)

$2,158

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Macao and in Lisbon

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,158 in Macao versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

Macao $2,158
Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,053 in Macao versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

Macao $3,053
Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,948 in Macao versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

Macao $3,948
Lisbon $4,341

Monthly costs are close between Macao and Lisbon; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Macao 59% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.37 MOP 51.5

$16.65 €14.91

-61.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.4 MOP 447

$61.7 €55.3

-10.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.76 MOP 46.56

$11.36 €10.17

-49.30%

Cappuccino

$4.97 MOP 40.18

$2.97 €2.66

67.34%

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

$1.05 MOP 8.46

$2.29 €2.05

-54.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MOP 6.33

$1.74 €1.56

-55.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.66 MOP 45.72

$3.40 €3.05

66.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.34 MOP 59.3

$3.31 €2.96

121.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.12 MOP 25.18

$1.16 €1.04

168.97%

White Bread (500g)

$1.71 MOP 13.78

$1.91 €1.71

-10.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 MOP 13.89

$1.51 €1.35

13.91%

Eggs

$3.50 MOP 28.25

$4.02 €3.60

-12.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.90 MOP 128

$12.94 €11.59

22.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$19.42 MOP 157

$7.77 €6.96

149.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$29.46 MOP 238

$17.76 €15.91

65.88%

Apples (1kg)

$2.58 MOP 20.84

$2.30 €2.06

12.17%

Banana (1kg)

$2.86 MOP 23.08

$1.73 €1.55

65.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 MOP 15.24

$1.86 €1.66

1.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.44 MOP 19.73

$2.59 €2.32

-5.79%

Potato (1kg)

$3.95 MOP 31.94

$1.82 €1.63

117.03%

Onion (1kg)

$2.94 MOP 23.74

$1.97 €1.76

49.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.62 MOP 5.00

$1.47 €1.32

-57.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 MOP 9.21

$0.72 €0.65

58.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.64 MOP 53.7

$6.58 €5.90

0.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.16 MOP 98.2

$5.61 €5.02

116.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 MOP 14.41

$1.36 €1.22

30.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 MOP 18.68

$2.14 €1.91

7.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.71 MOP 5.76

$2.33 €2.09

-69.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.93 MOP 185

$44.68 €40.01

-48.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.66 MOP 21.53

$3.85 €3.45

-30.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.24 MOP 9.99

$1.07 €0.96

15.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.00 MOP 121

$16.46 €14.74

-8.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.76 MOP 14.21

$2.20 €1.97

-20.00%

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

$31.1K MOP 251.4K

$34.2K €30.6K

-9.01%

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

$31.4K MOP 253.5K

$38.7K €34.7K

-18.98%

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

$122 MOP 989

$161 €144

-24.11%

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

$24.02 MOP 194

$18.41 €16.49

30.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.91 MOP 298

$32.74 €29.32

12.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$95.6 MOP 772

$44.55 €39.90

114.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.64 MOP 29.43

$19.10 €17.10

-80.94%

Cinema Ticket

$14.43 MOP 117

$9.60 €8.60

50.31%

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

$1,194 MOP 9,646

$668 €598

78.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.4K MOP 156.7K

$17.6K €15.8K

10.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.8 MOP 556

$102 €91.4

-32.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.15 MOP 268

$44.46 €39.82

-25.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 MOP 739

$98.5 €88.2

-7.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$136 MOP 1,095

$124 €111

9.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,095 MOP 8,850

$1,608 €1,440

-31.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,065 MOP 8,605

$1,190 €1,066

-10.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,089 MOP 16.9K

$2,812 €2,519

-25.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,452 MOP 11.7K

$2,013 €1,803

-27.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,783 MOP 79.0K

$7,839 €7,021

24.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,861 MOP 55.4K

$4,576 €4,098

49.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,042 MOP 16.5K

$1,575 €1,411

29.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

-22.08%

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

Last update for Macao: October 24, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Macao

$1.1K 49.4%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 11.7% $125

Groceries & Markets

Macao

$424 19.6%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 35.7% $151

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Macao

$183 8.5%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 15.9% $29

Eating Out

Macao

$178 8.3%

Lisbon

$243 11% 36.1% $64

Clothing & Footwear

Macao

$148 6.9%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 12% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Macao

$124 5.8%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 48.8% $61

Getting Around

Macao

$35 1.6%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 82.5% $29

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,095 in Macao and $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Macao pays 30% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $55 in Macao vs $62 in Lisbon. Groceries flip the comparison at $424 vs $272, with Lisbon cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇴 Macao

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

03:32 3:32 AM

19:32 7:32 PM

8 h behind Macao

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

622,567 Capital

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Macanese Pataca MOP P

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 MOP = 0.124 USD

1 MOP = 0.111 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 November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 8.08 MOP (1 MOP = 0.124 USD). 1 EUR = 9.02 MOP (1 MOP = 0.111 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to MOP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Macao Lisbon 10,990 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Macao
Lisbon

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 Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Average pay runs 30% 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: $1,095 in Macao versus $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Macao runs roughly 49% less than in Lisbon. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 36% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Macao is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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 Lisbon are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.