Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Macao and Matera

For one person, living is cheaper in Matera: $1,484 a month against $2,158 in Macao, rent and utilities included – about $8,100 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
71

Cost of Living Index in Matera
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Matera Living Index

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Macao

🇲🇴 Macao (China)

$2,158

/mo nomad

Matera

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,484

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Macao and in Matera

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,158 in Macao versus $1,484 in Matera.

Macao $2,158
Matera $1,484

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,053 in Macao versus $2,356 in Matera.

Macao $3,053
Matera $2,356

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,948 in Macao versus $3,227 in Matera.

Macao $3,948
Matera $3,227

Living in Macao is roughly 45% more expensive than in Matera, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Macao 59% above, Matera 9% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.37 MOP 51.5

$15.29 €13.70

-58.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.4 MOP 447

$60.7 €54.4

-8.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.76 MOP 46.56

$11.34 €10.17

-49.21%

Cappuccino

$4.97 MOP 40.18

$1.88 €1.68

164.36%

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

$1.05 MOP 8.46

$2.27 €2.04

-53.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MOP 6.33

$1.09 €0.97

-28.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.66 MOP 45.71

$5.74 €5.14

-1.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.34 MOP 59.3

$3.31 €2.97

121.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.12 MOP 25.18

$1.58 €1.41

97.47%

White Bread (500g)

$1.71 MOP 13.78

$1.72 €1.54

-0.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 MOP 13.88

$3.28 €2.94

-47.56%

Eggs

$3.50 MOP 28.24

$3.52 €3.16

-0.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.90 MOP 128

$15.39 €13.79

3.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$19.42 MOP 157

$12.28 €11.01

58.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$29.46 MOP 238

$20.84 €18.68

41.36%

Apples (1kg)

$2.58 MOP 20.84

$2.63 €2.36

-1.90%

Banana (1kg)

$2.86 MOP 23.08

$2.16 €1.94

32.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 MOP 15.24

$1.13 €1.01

67.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.44 MOP 19.73

$3.80 €3.41

-35.79%

Potato (1kg)

$3.95 MOP 31.93

$1.78 €1.60

121.91%

Onion (1kg)

$2.94 MOP 23.74

$1.64 €1.47

79.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.62 MOP 5.00

$1.46 €1.31

-57.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 MOP 9.21

$0.47 €0.42

142.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.64 MOP 53.7

$6.75 €6.05

-1.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.16 MOP 98.2

$6.34 €5.68

91.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 MOP 14.41

$1.84 €1.65

-3.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 MOP 18.67

$3.11 €2.79

-25.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.71 MOP 5.76

$1.72 €1.54

-58.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.93 MOP 185

$20.20 €18.10

13.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.66 MOP 21.53

$4.43 €3.97

-39.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.24 MOP 9.99

$1.19 €1.07

4.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.00 MOP 121

$23.74 €21.28

-36.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.76 MOP 14.21

$2.02 €1.81

-12.87%

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

$31.1K MOP 251.3K

$35.1K €31.5K

-11.42%

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

$31.4K MOP 253.5K

$37.3K €33.5K

-15.99%

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

$122 MOP 988

$197 €177

-38.04%

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

$24.02 MOP 194

$9.37 €8.39

156.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.91 MOP 298

$30.74 €27.54

20.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$95.6 MOP 772

$55.3 €49.59

72.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.64 MOP 29.43

$23.43 €20.99

-84.46%

Cinema Ticket

$14.43 MOP 117

$9.94 €8.90

45.17%

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

$1,194 MOP 9,645

$448 €402

166.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.4K MOP 156.7K

$7,918 €7,096

145.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.8 MOP 556

$67.2 €60.3

2.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.15 MOP 268

$42.87 €38.41

-22.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 MOP 739

$105 €94.4

-13.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$136 MOP 1,095

$135 €121

0.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,095 MOP 8,849

$705 €632

55.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,065 MOP 8,605

$421 €377

153.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,089 MOP 16.9K

$1,025 €918

103.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,452 MOP 11.7K

$841 €753

72.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,783 MOP 79.0K

$2,772 €2,484

252.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,861 MOP 55.4K

$3,179 €2,849

115.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,042 MOP 16.5K

$1,750 €1,568

16.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.08

-2.60%

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

Last update for Macao: October 24, 2026

Last update for Matera: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Macao

$1.1K 49.4%

Matera

$421 28.3% 60.5% $644

Groceries & Markets

Macao

$424 19.6%

Matera

$328 22.1% 22.6% $96

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Macao

$183 8.5%

Matera

$238 16% 29.6% $54

Eating Out

Macao

$178 8.3%

Matera

$228 15.3% 27.8% $49

Clothing & Footwear

Macao

$148 6.9%

Matera

$158 10.6% 6.4% $9.5

Sport & Entertainment

Macao

$124 5.8%

Matera

$75 5.1% 39.6% $49

Getting Around

Macao

$35 1.6%

Matera

$37 2.5% 8.2% $2.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,095 in Macao and $705 in Matera. 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: $55 in Macao vs $61 in Matera. Groceries flip the comparison at $424 vs $328, with Matera cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇴 Macao

🇮🇹 Matera

🕒 Local time

11:19 11:19 AM

04:19 4:19 AM

7 h behind Macao

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

622,567 Capital

59,607

💱 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 2, 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 2, 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 Matera 8,980 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Macao
Matera

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 Matera: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Matera wins on cost – living expenses run 31% lower than in Macao. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Matera the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

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: $1,095 in Macao versus $705 in Matera. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Macao – a meal for two runs $55 versus $61 in Matera. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $2,158 per month in Macao versus $1,484 in Matera – Matera is about 31% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Matera 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 Matera are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Matera wins on affordability, Macao on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.