Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Macao and Pula

For one person, living is cheaper in Pula: $1,580 a month against $2,139 in Macao, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 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
76

Cost of Living Index in Pula
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Pula Living Index

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Macao

🇲🇴 Macao (China)

$2,139

/mo nomad

Pula

🇭🇷 Croatia

$1,580

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Macao and in Pula

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,139 in Macao versus $1,580 in Pula.

Macao $2,139
Pula $1,580

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,023 in Macao versus $2,515 in Pula.

Macao $3,023
Pula $2,515

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,906 in Macao versus $3,450 in Pula.

Macao $3,906
Pula $3,450

Living in Macao is roughly 35% more expensive than in Pula, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Macao 58% above, Pula 17% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.21 MOP 50.2

$14.68 €13.06

-57.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.3 MOP 447

$68.1 €60.6

-18.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.79 MOP 46.84

$8.92 €7.94

-35.09%

Cappuccino

$4.93 MOP 39.81

$2.55 €2.27

93.33%

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

$1.01 MOP 8.13

$2.93 €2.60

-65.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.93 MOP 7.49

$2.09 €1.86

-55.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.84 MOP 47.17

$3.42 €3.05

70.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.49 MOP 60.6

$4.41 €3.92

69.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.23 MOP 26.10

$1.23 €1.10

162.60%

White Bread (500g)

$1.70 MOP 13.75

$1.86 €1.65

-8.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 MOP 14.03

$3.18 €2.83

-45.28%

Eggs

$3.39 MOP 27.38

$3.78 €3.37

-10.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.91 MOP 129

$10.95 €9.74

45.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$19.45 MOP 157

$10.79 €9.59

80.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$28.73 MOP 232

$18.80 €16.72

52.82%

Apples (1kg)

$2.59 MOP 20.96

$1.98 €1.76

30.81%

Banana (1kg)

$2.90 MOP 23.48

$1.87 €1.67

55.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.94 MOP 15.70

$2.14 €1.90

-9.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.34 MOP 18.92

$2.59 €2.30

-9.65%

Potato (1kg)

$4.05 MOP 32.72

$1.36 €1.21

197.79%

Onion (1kg)

$2.81 MOP 22.73

$1.33 €1.19

111.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.63 MOP 5.09

$1.30 €1.15

-51.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 MOP 9.23

$1.22 €1.08

-6.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.61 MOP 53.5

$5.59 €4.97

18.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.32 MOP 99.6

$7.80 €6.94

57.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 MOP 13.77

$1.85 €1.64

-8.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.23 MOP 18.05

$2.40 €2.14

-7.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.73 MOP 5.87

$2.28 €2.03

-67.98%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.85 MOP 185

$33.26 €29.58

-31.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.54 MOP 20.53

$3.28 €2.91

-22.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.24 MOP 10.01

$2.22 €1.98

-44.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.67 MOP 119

$22.18 €19.73

-33.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.85 MOP 14.94

$1.83 €1.62

1.09%

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

$30.5K MOP 246.9K

$26.0K €23.1K

17.52%

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

$31.9K MOP 258.1K

$26.6K €23.7K

19.98%

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

$124 MOP 1,004

$156 €139

-20.50%

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

$23.42 MOP 189

$22.01 €19.58

6.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.77 MOP 297

$39.37 €35.02

-6.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.2 MOP 527

$49.70 €44.21

31.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 MOP 30.56

$37.64 €33.48

-89.96%

Cinema Ticket

$14.84 MOP 120

$10.59 €9.42

40.13%

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

$1,197 MOP 9,679

$240 €214

398.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.0K MOP 153.9K

$2,826 €2,514

573.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.9 MOP 565

$114 €101

-38.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.93 MOP 266

$36.80 €32.74

-10.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.3 MOP 754

$144 €128

-35.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 MOP 1,081

$131 €116

2.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,132 MOP 9,153

$685 €609

65.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,077 MOP 8,702

$522 €464

106.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,106 MOP 17.0K

$1,315 €1,170

60.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,474 MOP 11.9K

$999 €889

47.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,212 MOP 66.4K

$4,363 €3,881

88.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,513 MOP 44.6K

$3,650 €3,246

51.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,054 MOP 16.6K

$1,517 €1,349

35.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.54

-15.25%

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

Last update for Macao: October 18, 2026

Last update for Pula: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Macao

$1.1K 50.3%

Pula

$522 33% 51.6% $555

Groceries & Markets

Macao

$422 19.8%

Pula

$301 19% 28.8% $122

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Macao

$184 8.6%

Pula

$218 13.8% 18% $33

Eating Out

Macao

$178 8.3%

Pula

$221 14% 24% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Macao

$148 6.9%

Pula

$192 12.1% 29% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Macao

$95 4.4%

Pula

$71 4.5% 25.2% $24

Getting Around

Macao

$34 1.6%

Pula

$57 3.6% 64.6% $22

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,132 in Macao and $685 in Pula. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Macao pays 35% 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 $68.0 in Pula. Groceries flip the comparison at $422 vs $301, with Pula cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇴 Macao

🇭🇷 Pula

🕒 Local time

04:03 4:03 AM

22:03 10:03 PM

6 h behind Macao

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

622,567 Capital

52,220

💱 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 20, 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to MOP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Macao Pula 9,010 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Macao
Pula

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 Pula: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Pula wins on cost – living expenses run 35% lower than in Macao. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Pula the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 35% 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: $1,132 in Macao versus $685 in Pula. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Pula – a meal for two runs $68.0 versus $55.0 in Macao. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,139 per month in Macao versus $1,580 in Pula – a 35% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,580 in Pula versus $2,139 in Macao, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Pula but tight or insufficient in Macao. The gap between the two cities makes Pula the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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 Pula 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 Pula gentler on the wallet – expenses run 35% less than in Macao. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.