Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Macao and Paros

For one person, living is cheaper in Paros: $1,704 a month against $2,114 in Macao, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 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
82

Cost of Living Index in Paros
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Paros Living Index

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Macao

🇲🇴 Macao (China)

$2,114

/mo nomad

Paros

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,704

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Macao and in Paros

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,114 in Macao versus $1,704 in Paros.

Macao $2,114
Paros $1,704

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,990 in Macao versus $2,613 in Paros.

Macao $2,990
Paros $2,613

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,866 in Macao versus $3,521 in Paros.

Macao $3,866
Paros $3,521

Living in Macao is roughly 24% more expensive than in Paros, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Macao 57% above, Paros 26% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.26 MOP 50.6

$12.98 €11.54

-51.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.2 MOP 454

$56.8 €50.6

-1.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.02 MOP 48.66

$10.21 €9.08

-41.04%

Cappuccino

$5.06 MOP 40.87

$3.87 €3.44

30.75%

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

$1.05 MOP 8.48

$1.89 €1.68

-44.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.85 MOP 6.88

$0.58 €0.51

46.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.62 MOP 45.46

$5.54 €4.93

1.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.33 MOP 59.2

$5.43 €4.83

34.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.26 MOP 26.34

$1.70 €1.51

91.76%

White Bread (500g)

$1.70 MOP 13.72

$1.44 €1.29

18.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.66 MOP 13.38

$2.62 €2.33

-36.64%

Eggs

$3.50 MOP 28.30

$4.56 €4.06

-23.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.22 MOP 131

$15.33 €13.64

5.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$19.56 MOP 158

$10.58 €9.41

84.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$28.45 MOP 230

$13.95 €12.41

103.94%

Apples (1kg)

$2.59 MOP 20.96

$2.23 €1.98

16.14%

Banana (1kg)

$2.86 MOP 23.13

$2.14 €1.90

33.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 MOP 15.27

$1.33 €1.18

42.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.36 MOP 19.04

$1.74 €1.54

35.63%

Potato (1kg)

$3.84 MOP 31.03

$1.22 €1.09

214.75%

Onion (1kg)

$2.84 MOP 22.92

$1.18 €1.05

140.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.62 MOP 5.04

$0.94 €0.84

-34.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 MOP 9.32

$0.71 €0.63

61.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.64 MOP 53.6

$4.98 €4.43

33.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.30 MOP 99.4

$7.68 €6.83

60.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 MOP 14.43

$2.24 €1.99

-20.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 MOP 18.61

$1.70 €1.51

35.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.73 MOP 5.88

$2.27 €2.02

-67.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.47 MOP 182

$44.98 €40.01

-50.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.63 MOP 21.26

$4.34 €3.86

-39.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.29 MOP 10.40

$1.10 €0.97

17.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.68 MOP 119

$11.33 €10.08

29.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.78 MOP 14.38

$2.16 €1.92

-17.59%

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

$30.5K MOP 246.6K

$21.1K €18.8K

44.60%

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

$30.9K MOP 249.8K

$23.8K €21.2K

29.63%

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

$120 MOP 972

$157 €140

-23.59%

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

$23.50 MOP 190

$29.95 €26.64

-21.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.25 MOP 301

$36.94 €32.86

0.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.8 MOP 515

$51.5 €45.80

23.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.81 MOP 30.82

$25.22 €22.43

-84.89%

Cinema Ticket

$14.71 MOP 119

$8.76 €7.79

67.92%

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

$1,231 MOP 9,951

$417 €371

195.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.7K MOP 151.3K

$3,998 €3,556

368.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.7 MOP 555

$89.9 €79.9

-23.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.15 MOP 268

$30.43 €27.07

8.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.9 MOP 743

$75.7 €67.4

21.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$135 MOP 1,091

$113 €101

19.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,103 MOP 8,913

$733 €652

50.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 MOP 8,528

$691 €615

52.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,111 MOP 17.1K

$1,368 €1,217

54.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,433 MOP 11.6K

$1,247 €1,109

14.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,352 MOP 67.5K

$2,616 €2,327

219.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,490 MOP 44.4K

$2,202 €1,959

149.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,041 MOP 16.5K

$1,063 €946

91.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.44

-32.43%

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

Last update for Macao: October 10, 2026

Last update for Paros: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Macao

$1.1K 49.9%

Paros

$691 40.6% 34.5% $364

Groceries & Markets

Macao

$423 20%

Paros

$287 16.9% 32.1% $136

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Macao

$181 8.6%

Paros

$224 13.2% 23.9% $43

Eating Out

Macao

$179 8.5%

Paros

$229 13.5% 27.9% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Macao

$148 7%

Paros

$139 8.2% 5.9% $8.7

Sport & Entertainment

Macao

$93 4.4%

Paros

$69 4.1% 25.9% $24

Getting Around

Macao

$34 1.6%

Paros

$64 3.8% 85.4% $29

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,103 in Macao and $733 in Paros. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Macao pays 92% 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: $56.0 in Macao vs $57.0 in Paros. Groceries flip the comparison at $423 vs $287, with Paros cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇴 Macao

🇬🇷 Paros

🕒 Local time

12:18 12:18 PM

07:18 7:18 AM

5 h behind Macao

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

622,567 Capital

5,289

💱 Currency

Macanese Pataca MOP P

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 MOP = 0.124 USD

1 MOP = 0.11 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 October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 8.08 MOP (1 MOP = 0.124 USD). 1 EUR = 9.09 MOP (1 MOP = 0.11 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to MOP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Macao Paros 8,400 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Macao
Paros

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 Paros: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

Average pay runs 92% 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: $1,103 in Macao versus $733 in Paros. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Paros – a meal for two runs $57.0 versus $56.0 in Macao. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,114 per month in Macao versus $1,704 in Paros – a 24% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,704 in Paros versus $2,114 in Macao, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Paros but tight or insufficient in Macao. The gap between the two cities makes Paros the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Paros delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,704 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Paros hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Macao and Paros are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Paros gentler on the wallet – expenses run 24% less than in Macao. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.