Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Macao and Seoul

For one person, living is cheaper in Seoul: $1,822 a month against $2,107 in Macao, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Macao outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

104

Cost of Living Index in Macao
Learn more

Macao Living Index
87

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
Learn more

Seoul Living Index

Jump to prices

Macao

🇲🇴 Macao (China)

$2,107

/mo nomad

Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,822

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Macao and in Seoul

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,107 in Macao versus $1,822 in Seoul.

Macao $2,107
Seoul $1,822

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,021 in Macao versus $2,847 in Seoul.

Macao $3,021
Seoul $2,847

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,935 in Macao versus $3,872 in Seoul.

Macao $3,935
Seoul $3,872

Living in Macao is roughly 16% more expensive than in Seoul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Macao 57% above, Seoul 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.31 MOP 51.0

$9.10 ₩12.2K

-30.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 MOP 444

$67.0 ₩89.8K

-18.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.91 MOP 47.73

$7.42 ₩9,941

-20.35%

Cappuccino

$4.89 MOP 39.49

$4.08 ₩5,470

19.85%

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

$1.06 MOP 8.56

$1.60 ₩2,141

-33.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.93 MOP 7.55

$0.80 ₩1,078

16.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.63 MOP 45.48

$3.65 ₩4,886

54.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.23 MOP 58.4

$5.94 ₩7,956

21.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.09 MOP 24.98

$2.05 ₩2,742

50.73%

White Bread (500g)

$1.67 MOP 13.50

$3.08 ₩4,130

-45.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.73 MOP 13.97

$4.21 ₩5,646

-58.91%

Eggs

$3.40 MOP 27.46

$3.57 ₩4,784

-4.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.05 MOP 130

$17.95 ₩24.1K

-10.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$19.07 MOP 154

$10.64 ₩14.3K

79.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$29.25 MOP 236

$26.44 ₩35.4K

10.63%

Apples (1kg)

$2.71 MOP 21.87

$7.42 ₩9,946

-63.48%

Banana (1kg)

$2.86 MOP 23.14

$3.53 ₩4,732

-18.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.97 MOP 15.90

$5.87 ₩7,866

-66.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.36 MOP 19.06

$6.37 ₩8,534

-62.95%

Potato (1kg)

$3.85 MOP 31.10

$3.75 ₩5,028

2.67%

Onion (1kg)

$2.95 MOP 23.85

$2.49 ₩3,337

18.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.66 MOP 5.30

$2.92 ₩3,911

-77.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 MOP 9.74

$1.15 ₩1,542

4.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.64 MOP 53.7

$3.29 ₩4,408

101.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.14 MOP 98.1

$18.49 ₩24.8K

-34.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 MOP 14.34

$2.28 ₩3,057

-22.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 MOP 18.66

$3.28 ₩4,398

-29.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.76 MOP 6.13

$1.14 ₩1,526

-33.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.62 MOP 183

$45.47 ₩60.9K

-50.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.57 MOP 20.77

$3.48 ₩4,663

-26.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.24 MOP 9.99

$0.60 ₩803

106.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.00 MOP 121

$8.70 ₩11.7K

72.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.76 MOP 14.22

$1.50 ₩2,004

17.33%

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

$31.1K MOP 251.3K

$29.1K ₩39.0M

6.77%

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

$31.8K MOP 256.7K

$28.2K ₩37.8M

12.65%

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

$124 MOP 1,002

$209 ₩279.9K

-40.63%

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

$23.44 MOP 189

$35.13 ₩47.1K

-33.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.46 MOP 295

$21.18 ₩28.4K

72.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.3 MOP 511

$57.3 ₩76.8K

10.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 MOP 30.57

$15.89 ₩21.3K

-76.21%

Cinema Ticket

$14.73 MOP 119

$11.33 ₩15.2K

30.01%

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

$1,193 MOP 9,642

$1,902 ₩2.5M

-37.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.3K MOP 156.2K

$22.5K ₩30.2M

-14.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.0 MOP 566

$58.9 ₩78.9K

18.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.25 MOP 269

$32.12 ₩43.0K

3.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.4 MOP 747

$70.1 ₩94.0K

31.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 MOP 1,084

$82.5 ₩110.5K

62.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,130 MOP 9,135

$885 ₩1.2M

27.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,070 MOP 8,650

$624 ₩835.5K

71.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,092 MOP 16.9K

$2,494 ₩3.3M

-16.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,461 MOP 11.8K

$1,275 ₩1.7M

14.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,347 MOP 67.5K

$29.8K ₩40.0M

-72.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,538 MOP 44.8K

$11.8K ₩15.9M

-53.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,053 MOP 16.6K

$3,649 ₩4.9M

-43.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

-26.47%

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

Last update for Macao: October 3, 2026

Last update for Seoul: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Macao

$1.1K 50.3%

Seoul

$624 34.7% 41.7% $447

Groceries & Markets

Macao

$422 19.8%

Seoul

$479 26.7% 13.5% $57

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Macao

$184 8.6%

Seoul

$265 14.8% 44.2% $81

Eating Out

Macao

$177 8.3%

Seoul

$184 10.2% 3.6% $6.3

Clothing & Footwear

Macao

$148 7%

Seoul

$110 6.1% 26.1% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Macao

$93 4.4%

Seoul

$80 4.5% 13.7% $13

Getting Around

Macao

$34 1.6%

Seoul

$57 3.1% 64.2% $22

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,130 in Macao and $885 in Seoul. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Seoul pays 78% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $55.0 in Macao vs $67.0 in Seoul for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $422 vs $479 per month, with Macao cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇴 Macao

🇰🇷 Seoul

🕒 Local time

12:54 12:54 PM

13:54 1:54 PM

1 h ahead of Macao

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

622,567 Capital

9,509,458 Capital

💱 Currency

Macanese Pataca MOP P

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

1 MOP = 0.124 USD

1 MOP = 0.11 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KRW, 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).

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,340 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD). 1 EUR = 1,503 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.65 EUR).

USD to MOP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Macao Seoul 2,140 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Macao
Seoul

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 Seoul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Seoul wins on cost – living expenses run 16% lower than in Macao. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Seoul the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 78% lower in Seoul. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,130 in Macao versus $885 in Seoul. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Seoul – a meal for two runs $67.0 versus $55.0 in Macao. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,107 per month in Macao versus $1,822 in Seoul – a 16% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,822 in Seoul versus $2,107 in Macao, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Seoul but tight or insufficient in Macao. The gap between the two cities makes Seoul 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 Seoul 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 Seoul gentler on the wallet – expenses run 16% less than in Macao. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.