Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Macao and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $2,158 in Macao, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

104

Cost of Living Index in Macao
Learn more

Macao Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index

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Macao

🇲🇴 Macao (China)

$2,158

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Macao and in Medellin

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,158 in Macao versus $1,639 in Medellin.

Macao $2,158
Medellin $1,639

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,053 in Macao versus $2,413 in Medellin.

Macao $3,053
Medellin $2,413

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,948 in Macao versus $3,186 in Medellin.

Macao $3,948
Medellin $3,186

Living in Macao is roughly 32% more expensive than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Macao 59% above, Medellin 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.37 MOP 51.5

$8.09 COP 26.1K

-21.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.4 MOP 447

$47.05 COP 151.7K

17.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.76 MOP 46.56

$9.50 COP 30.6K

-39.37%

Cappuccino

$4.97 MOP 40.18

$3.01 COP 9,722

65.12%

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

$1.05 MOP 8.46

$1.80 COP 5,801

-41.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MOP 6.33

$1.41 COP 4,554

-44.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.66 MOP 45.72

$3.18 COP 10.2K

77.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.34 MOP 59.3

$5.75 COP 18.5K

27.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.12 MOP 25.18

$1.51 COP 4,869

106.62%

White Bread (500g)

$1.71 MOP 13.78

$2.38 COP 7,667

-28.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 MOP 13.89

$1.77 COP 5,712

-2.82%

Eggs

$3.50 MOP 28.25

$2.89 COP 9,320

21.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.90 MOP 128

$10.19 COP 32.9K

56.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$19.42 MOP 157

$9.87 COP 31.8K

96.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$29.46 MOP 238

$13.99 COP 45.1K

110.58%

Apples (1kg)

$2.58 MOP 20.84

$3.97 COP 12.8K

-35.01%

Banana (1kg)

$2.86 MOP 23.08

$1.55 COP 5,005

84.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 MOP 15.24

$2.18 COP 7,039

-13.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.44 MOP 19.73

$2.18 COP 7,041

11.93%

Potato (1kg)

$3.95 MOP 31.94

$1.96 COP 6,328

101.53%

Onion (1kg)

$2.94 MOP 23.74

$1.59 COP 5,125

84.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.62 MOP 5.00

$1.15 COP 3,694

-46.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 MOP 9.21

$1.24 COP 4,009

-8.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.64 MOP 53.7

$3.96 COP 12.8K

67.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.16 MOP 98.2

$13.68 COP 44.1K

-11.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 MOP 14.41

$1.66 COP 5,352

7.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 MOP 18.68

$2.26 COP 7,281

2.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.71 MOP 5.76

$1.17 COP 3,766

-39.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.93 MOP 185

$77.4 COP 249.5K

-70.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.66 MOP 21.53

$1.27 COP 4,089

109.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.24 MOP 9.99

$2.05 COP 6,603

-39.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.00 MOP 121

$8.55 COP 27.6K

75.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.76 MOP 14.21

$1.35 COP 4,343

30.37%

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

$31.1K MOP 251.4K

$34.1K COP 109.8M

-8.68%

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

$31.4K MOP 253.5K

$34.7K COP 111.8M

-9.50%

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

$122 MOP 989

$170 COP 547.0K

-27.88%

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

$24.02 MOP 194

$13.55 COP 43.7K

77.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.91 MOP 298

$28.07 COP 90.5K

31.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$95.6 MOP 772

$43.70 COP 140.9K

118.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.64 MOP 29.43

$17.19 COP 55.4K

-78.82%

Cinema Ticket

$14.43 MOP 117

$6.91 COP 22.3K

108.83%

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

$1,194 MOP 9,646

$797 COP 2.6M

49.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.4K MOP 156.7K

$9,112 COP 29.4M

112.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.8 MOP 556

$84.7 COP 273.2K

-18.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.15 MOP 268

$58.0 COP 186.9K

-42.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 MOP 739

$135 COP 435.2K

-32.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$136 MOP 1,095

$97.9 COP 315.6K

38.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,095 MOP 8,850

$1,208 COP 3.9M

-9.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,065 MOP 8,605

$642 COP 2.1M

66.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,089 MOP 16.9K

$2,028 COP 6.5M

3.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,452 MOP 11.7K

$1,012 COP 3.3M

43.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,783 MOP 79.0K

$4,170 COP 13.4M

134.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,861 MOP 55.4K

$1,910 COP 6.2M

259.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,042 MOP 16.5K

$657 COP 2.1M

210.73%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

-72.58%

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

Last update for Macao: October 24, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Macao

$1.1K 49.4%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 39.8% $424

Groceries & Markets

Macao

$424 19.6%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 29.9% $127

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Macao

$183 8.5%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 15.3% $28

Eating Out

Macao

$178 8.3%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 4.8% $8.6

Clothing & Footwear

Macao

$148 6.9%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 14.1% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Macao

$124 5.8%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 53.8% $67

Getting Around

Macao

$35 1.6%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 170% $59

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,095 in Macao and $1,208 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Macao pays about 3.1 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $55 in Macao vs $47 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $424 vs $297 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇴 Macao

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

16:44 4:44 PM

03:44 3:44 AM

13 h behind Macao

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

622,567 Capital

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Macanese Pataca MOP P

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 MOP = 0.124 USD

1 MOP = 0.111 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR 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).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 3,224 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,600 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

USD to MOP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Macao Medellin 16,700 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Macao
Medellin

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 Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin wins on cost – living expenses run 24% lower than in Macao. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Medellin the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Macao is about 3.1 times higher, 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 $1,208 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Medellin – a meal for two runs $47 versus $55 in Macao. 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 $1,639 in Medellin – Medellin is about 24% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $2,500 a month, though Medellin gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.

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