Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Macao and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,190 a month against $2,107 in Macao, rent and utilities included – about $11,000 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
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

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Macao

🇲🇴 Macao (China)

$2,107

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,190

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Macao and in Phuket

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,107 in Macao versus $1,190 in Phuket.

Macao $2,107
Phuket $1,190

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,021 in Macao versus $2,006 in Phuket.

Macao $3,021
Phuket $2,006

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,935 in Macao versus $2,822 in Phuket.

Macao $3,935
Phuket $2,822

Living in Macao is roughly 77% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Macao is 57% above, Phuket is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.31 MOP 51.0

$4.35 ฿146

45.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 MOP 444

$32.45 ฿1,087

69.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.91 MOP 47.73

$8.42 ฿282

-29.81%

Cappuccino

$4.89 MOP 39.49

$2.81 ฿94.0

74.02%

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

$1.06 MOP 8.56

$0.87 ฿29.29

21.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.93 MOP 7.55

$0.46 ฿15.39

102.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.63 MOP 45.48

$2.59 ฿86.6

117.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.23 MOP 58.4

$3.64 ฿122

98.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.09 MOP 24.98

$1.71 ฿57.2

80.70%

White Bread (500g)

$1.67 MOP 13.50

$1.45 ฿48.42

15.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.73 MOP 13.97

$1.56 ฿52.3

10.90%

Eggs

$3.40 MOP 27.46

$2.10 ฿70.3

61.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.05 MOP 130

$19.53 ฿654

-17.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$19.07 MOP 154

$3.40 ฿114

460.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$29.25 MOP 236

$11.14 ฿373

162.57%

Apples (1kg)

$2.71 MOP 21.87

$2.83 ฿94.8

-4.24%

Banana (1kg)

$2.86 MOP 23.14

$1.62 ฿54.3

76.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.97 MOP 15.90

$2.22 ฿74.5

-11.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.36 MOP 19.06

$2.15 ฿71.9

9.77%

Potato (1kg)

$3.85 MOP 31.10

$1.49 ฿49.95

158.39%

Onion (1kg)

$2.95 MOP 23.85

$1.33 ฿44.40

121.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.66 MOP 5.30

$1.07 ฿35.72

-38.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 MOP 9.74

$0.51 ฿17.01

135.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.64 MOP 53.7

$4.38 ฿147

51.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.14 MOP 98.1

$18.77 ฿629

-35.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 MOP 14.34

$1.74 ฿58.3

1.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 MOP 18.66

$2.78 ฿92.9

-16.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.76 MOP 6.13

$2.17 ฿72.6

-64.98%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.62 MOP 183

$22.28 ฿746

1.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.57 MOP 20.77

$3.02 ฿101

-14.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.24 MOP 9.99

$1.06 ฿35.43

16.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.00 MOP 121

$3.71 ฿124

304.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.76 MOP 14.22

$1.43 ฿47.88

23.08%

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

$31.1K MOP 251.3K

$26.3K ฿882.1K

18.00%

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

$31.8K MOP 256.7K

$26.2K ฿877.3K

21.20%

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

$124 MOP 1,002

$96.7 ฿3,236

28.30%

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

$23.44 MOP 189

$11.41 ฿382

105.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.46 MOP 295

$17.11 ฿573

113.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.3 MOP 511

$52.8 ฿1,768

19.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 MOP 30.57

$11.07 ฿371

-65.85%

Cinema Ticket

$14.73 MOP 119

$7.65 ฿256

92.55%

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

$1,193 MOP 9,642

$555 ฿18.6K

115.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.3K MOP 156.2K

$11.3K ฿377.7K

71.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.0 MOP 566

$63.4 ฿2,123

10.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.25 MOP 269

$28.61 ฿958

16.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.4 MOP 747

$96.7 ฿3,238

-4.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 MOP 1,084

$88.6 ฿2,967

51.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,130 MOP 9,135

$735 ฿24.6K

53.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,070 MOP 8,650

$458 ฿15.3K

133.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,092 MOP 16.9K

$2,102 ฿70.4K

-0.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,461 MOP 11.8K

$1,187 ฿39.7K

23.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,347 MOP 67.5K

$3,493 ฿116.9K

138.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,538 MOP 44.8K

$2,491 ฿83.4K

122.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,053 MOP 16.6K

$501 ฿16.8K

309.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-46.14%

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

Last update for Macao: October 3, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Macao

$1.1K 50.3%

Phuket

$458 38.1% 57.2% $612

Groceries & Markets

Macao

$422 19.8%

Phuket

$268 22.3% 36.5% $154

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Macao

$184 8.6%

Phuket

$125 10.4% 31.9% $59

Eating Out

Macao

$177 8.3%

Phuket

$119 9.9% 32.8% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Macao

$148 7%

Phuket

$125 10.4% 15.9% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Macao

$93 4.4%

Phuket

$68 5.7% 26.6% $25

Getting Around

Macao

$34 1.6%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 14.1% $4.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,130 in Macao and $735 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Macao pays 310% 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: $55.0 in Macao vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $422 vs $268 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇴 Macao

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

18:06 6:06 PM

17:06 5:06 PM

1 h behind Macao

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

622,567 Capital

79,308

💱 Currency

Macanese Pataca MOP P

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 MOP = 0.124 USD

1 MOP = 0.11 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to MOP – Macanese Pataca Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇴 Macanese Pataca (P)

Macanese Pataca exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 8.08 MOP (1 MOP = 0.124 USD). 1 EUR = 9.06 MOP (1 MOP = 0.11 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 33.48 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

USD to MOP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Macao Phuket 2,270 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Macao
Phuket

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 Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket wins on cost – living expenses run 77% lower than in Macao. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Phuket the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 310% 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: $1,130 in Macao versus $735 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32.00 versus $55.0 in Macao. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,107 per month in Macao versus $1,190 in Phuket – a 77% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,190 in Phuket versus $2,107 in Macao, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Macao. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Phuket delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,190 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Phuket hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Macao and Phuket 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 Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 77% less than in Macao. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.