Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Macao and Southend-on-Sea

For one person, living is cheaper in Macao: $2,114 a month against $2,289 in Southend-on-Sea, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Southend-on-Sea outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

104

Cost of Living Index in Macao
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Macao Living Index
112

Cost of Living Index in Southend-on-Sea
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Southend-on-Sea Living Index

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Macao

🇲🇴 Macao (China)

$2,114

/mo nomad

Southend-on-Sea

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,289

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Macao and in Southend-on-Sea

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 Southend-on-Sea actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,114 in Macao versus $2,289 in Southend-on-Sea.

Macao $2,114
Southend-on-Sea $2,289

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,990 in Macao versus $3,534 in Southend-on-Sea.

Macao $2,990
Southend-on-Sea $3,534

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,866 in Macao versus $4,779 in Southend-on-Sea.

Macao $3,866
Southend-on-Sea $4,779

Living in Macao costs roughly 8% less than in Southend-on-Sea, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Macao 57% above, Southend-on-Sea 70% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.26 MOP 50.6

$19.89 £14.92

-68.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.2 MOP 454

$83.2 £62.5

-32.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.02 MOP 48.66

$9.17 £6.88

-34.35%

Cappuccino

$5.06 MOP 40.87

$4.37 £3.28

15.79%

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

$1.05 MOP 8.48

$2.65 £1.99

-60.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.85 MOP 6.88

$1.91 £1.44

-55.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.62 MOP 45.46

$7.05 £5.29

-20.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.33 MOP 59.2

$4.64 £3.48

57.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.26 MOP 26.34

$1.46 £1.10

123.29%

White Bread (500g)

$1.70 MOP 13.72

$1.40 £1.05

21.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.66 MOP 13.38

$1.35 £1.01

22.96%

Eggs

$3.50 MOP 28.30

$4.13 £3.10

-15.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.22 MOP 131

$7.82 £5.87

107.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$19.56 MOP 158

$6.51 £4.89

200.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$28.45 MOP 230

$15.04 £11.28

89.16%

Apples (1kg)

$2.59 MOP 20.96

$3.02 £2.26

-14.24%

Banana (1kg)

$2.86 MOP 23.13

$1.35 £1.01

111.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 MOP 15.27

$2.01 £1.51

-5.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.36 MOP 19.04

$2.60 £1.95

-9.23%

Potato (1kg)

$3.84 MOP 31.03

$1.78 £1.33

115.73%

Onion (1kg)

$2.84 MOP 22.92

$1.83 £1.37

55.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.62 MOP 5.04

$0.89 £0.67

-30.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 MOP 9.32

$1.58 £1.18

-27.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.64 MOP 53.6

$22.06 £16.55

-69.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.30 MOP 99.4

$10.13 £7.60

21.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 MOP 14.43

$3.32 £2.49

-46.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 MOP 18.61

$3.29 £2.47

-30.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.73 MOP 5.88

$2.72 £2.04

-73.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.47 MOP 182

$46.26 £34.70

-51.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.63 MOP 21.26

$5.77 £4.33

-54.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.29 MOP 10.40

$2.70 £2.03

-52.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.68 MOP 119

$48.18 £36.15

-69.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.78 MOP 14.38

$2.06 £1.54

-13.59%

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

$30.5K MOP 246.6K

$38.1K £28.6K

-19.87%

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

$30.9K MOP 249.8K

$40.5K £30.4K

-23.78%

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

$120 MOP 972

$177 £133

-31.97%

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

$23.50 MOP 190

$18.31 £13.74

28.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.25 MOP 301

$42.18 £31.65

-11.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.8 MOP 515

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.81 MOP 30.82

Cinema Ticket

$14.71 MOP 119

$3.92 £2.94

275.26%

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

$1,231 MOP 9,951

$1,959 £1,470

-37.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.7K MOP 151.3K

$19.6K £14.7K

-4.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.7 MOP 555

$85.1 £63.8

-19.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.15 MOP 268

$46.31 £34.74

-28.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.9 MOP 743

$92.7 £69.6

-0.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$135 MOP 1,091

$105 £78.6

28.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,103 MOP 8,913

$1,359 £1,020

-18.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 MOP 8,528

$1,247 £935

-15.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,111 MOP 17.1K

$2,334 £1,751

-9.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,433 MOP 11.6K

$2,372 £1,780

-39.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,352 MOP 67.5K

$4,640 £3,481

79.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,490 MOP 44.4K

$3,970 £2,978

38.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,041 MOP 16.5K

$3,700 £2,776

-44.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.04

-40.48%

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

Last update for Macao: October 10, 2026

Last update for Southend-on-Sea: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Macao

$1.1K 49.9%

Southend-on-Sea

$1.2K 54.5% 18.2% $192

Groceries & Markets

Macao

$423 20%

Southend-on-Sea

$271 11.8% 36% $152

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Macao

$181 8.6%

Southend-on-Sea

$237 10.4% 31.1% $56

Eating Out

Macao

$179 8.5%

Southend-on-Sea

$302 13.2% 68.4% $123

Clothing & Footwear

Macao

$148 7%

Southend-on-Sea

$148 6.5% 0% $0.1

Sport & Entertainment

Macao

$93 4.4%

Southend-on-Sea

$7.8 * 0.3% 91.6% $85

Getting Around

Macao

$34 1.6%

Southend-on-Sea

$76 3.3% 122% $42

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,103 in Macao and $1,359 in Southend-on-Sea. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Southend-on-Sea pays 81% 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 $83.0 in Southend-on-Sea. Groceries flip the comparison at $423 vs $271, with Southend-on-Sea cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇴 Macao

🇬🇧 Southend-on-Sea

🕒 Local time

11:41 11:41 AM

04:41 4:41 AM

7 h behind Macao

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

622,567 Capital

181,808

💱 Currency

Macanese Pataca MOP P

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 MOP = 0.124 USD

1 MOP = 0.11 EUR

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, USD, EUR 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).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

USD to MOP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Macao Southend-on-Sea 9,550 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Macao
Southend-on-Sea

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 Southend-on-Sea: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Macao wins on cost – living expenses run 8% lower than in Southend-on-Sea. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Macao the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 81% lower in Southend-on-Sea. 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: $1,103 in Macao versus $1,359 in Southend-on-Sea. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Macao – a meal for two runs $56.0 versus $83.0 in Southend-on-Sea. 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 $2,289 in Southend-on-Sea – a 8% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,114 in Macao versus $2,289 in Southend-on-Sea, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Macao but tight or insufficient in Southend-on-Sea. The gap between the two cities makes Macao 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 Southend-on-Sea 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 Macao gentler on the wallet – expenses run 8% less than in Southend-on-Sea. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.