Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Macao and Sydney

For one person, living is cheaper in Macao: $2,107 a month against $3,182 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $12,900 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
155

Cost of Living Index in Sydney
Learn more

Sydney Living Index

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Macao

🇲🇴 Macao (China)

$2,107

/mo nomad

Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,182

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Macao and in Sydney

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,107 in Macao versus $3,182 in Sydney.

Macao $2,107
Sydney $3,182

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,021 in Macao versus $4,696 in Sydney.

Macao $3,021
Sydney $4,696

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,935 in Macao versus $6,210 in Sydney.

Macao $3,935
Sydney $6,210

Living in Macao costs roughly 34% less than in Sydney, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Macao 57% above, Sydney 137% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.31 MOP 51.0

$17.66 A$25.28

-64.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 MOP 444

$97.1 A$139

-43.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.91 MOP 47.73

$11.94 A$17.09

-50.50%

Cappuccino

$4.89 MOP 39.49

$4.00 A$5.72

22.25%

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

$1.06 MOP 8.56

$2.84 A$4.06

-62.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.93 MOP 7.55

$2.27 A$3.25

-59.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.63 MOP 45.48

$7.89 A$11.29

-28.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.23 MOP 58.4

$7.13 A$10.20

1.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.09 MOP 24.98

$1.66 A$2.38

86.14%

White Bread (500g)

$1.67 MOP 13.50

$2.79 A$4.00

-40.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.73 MOP 13.97

$2.32 A$3.33

-25.43%

Eggs

$3.40 MOP 27.46

$5.53 A$7.92

-38.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.05 MOP 130

$12.08 A$17.28

32.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$19.07 MOP 154

$9.84 A$14.09

93.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$29.25 MOP 236

$16.61 A$23.78

76.10%

Apples (1kg)

$2.71 MOP 21.87

$4.02 A$5.76

-32.59%

Banana (1kg)

$2.86 MOP 23.14

$3.15 A$4.51

-9.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.97 MOP 15.90

$3.50 A$5.01

-43.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.36 MOP 19.06

$4.47 A$6.39

-47.20%

Potato (1kg)

$3.85 MOP 31.10

$3.32 A$4.76

15.96%

Onion (1kg)

$2.95 MOP 23.85

$2.30 A$3.30

28.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.66 MOP 5.30

$2.34 A$3.35

-71.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 MOP 9.74

$1.15 A$1.65

4.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.64 MOP 53.7

$45.02 A$64.4

-85.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.14 MOP 98.1

$13.96 A$19.97

-13.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 MOP 14.34

$3.98 A$5.70

-55.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 MOP 18.66

$4.07 A$5.82

-43.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.76 MOP 6.13

$3.16 A$4.52

-75.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.62 MOP 183

$150 A$215

-84.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.57 MOP 20.77

$3.45 A$4.94

-25.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.24 MOP 9.99

$1.63 A$2.33

-23.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.00 MOP 121

$39.98 A$57.2

-62.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.76 MOP 14.22

$1.40 A$2.01

25.71%

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

$31.1K MOP 251.3K

$28.4K A$40.7K

9.39%

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

$31.8K MOP 256.7K

$29.4K A$42.1K

8.00%

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

$124 MOP 1,002

$220 A$315

-43.60%

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

$23.44 MOP 189

$27.70 A$39.64

-15.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.46 MOP 295

$55.5 A$79.5

-34.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.3 MOP 511

$74.3 A$106

-14.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 MOP 30.57

$23.95 A$34.28

-84.22%

Cinema Ticket

$14.73 MOP 119

$17.73 A$25.37

-16.92%

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

$1,193 MOP 9,642

$2,157 A$3,087

-44.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.3K MOP 156.2K

$28.3K A$40.5K

-31.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.0 MOP 566

$78.4 A$112

-10.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.25 MOP 269

$70.5 A$101

-52.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.4 MOP 747

$111 A$159

-17.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 MOP 1,084

$132 A$189

1.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,130 MOP 9,135

$2,514 A$3,598

-55.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,070 MOP 8,650

$1,732 A$2,478

-38.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,092 MOP 16.9K

$4,889 A$6,996

-57.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,461 MOP 11.8K

$3,039 A$4,349

-51.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,347 MOP 67.5K

$13.2K A$18.9K

-36.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,538 MOP 44.8K

$8,117 A$11.6K

-31.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,053 MOP 16.6K

$4,082 A$5,842

-49.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.84

-48.63%

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

Last update for Macao: October 3, 2026

Last update for Sydney: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Macao

$1.1K 50.3%

Sydney

$1.7K 54.5% 61.8% $661

Groceries & Markets

Macao

$422 19.8%

Sydney

$380 12% 9.9% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Macao

$184 8.6%

Sydney

$303 9.6% 64.8% $119

Eating Out

Macao

$177 8.3%

Sydney

$299 9.4% 68.7% $122

Clothing & Footwear

Macao

$148 7%

Sydney

$176 5.6% 18.9% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Macao

$93 4.4%

Sydney

$110 3.5% 18.4% $17

Getting Around

Macao

$34 1.6%

Sydney

$174 5.5% 406% $140

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,130 in Macao and $2,514 in Sydney. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sydney pays 99% 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 $97.0 in Sydney. Groceries flip the comparison at $422 vs $380, with Sydney cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇴 Macao

🇦🇺 Sydney

🕒 Local time

12:02 12:02 PM

15:02 3:02 PM

3 h ahead of Macao

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

622,567 Capital

4,840,600

💱 Currency

Macanese Pataca MOP P

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 MOP = 0.124 USD

1 MOP = 0.11 EUR

1 AUD = 0.699 USD

1 AUD = 0.623 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, 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).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.699 USD). 1 EUR = 1.61 AUD (1 AUD = 0.623 EUR).

USD to MOP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Macao Sydney 7,400 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Macao
Sydney

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 Sydney: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Macao wins on cost – living expenses run 51% lower than in Sydney. 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 99% lower in Sydney. 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 $2,514 in Sydney. 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 $55.0 versus $97.0 in Sydney. 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 $3,182 in Sydney – a 51% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,107 in Macao versus $3,182 in Sydney, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Macao but tight or insufficient in Sydney. 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 Sydney 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 51% less than in Sydney. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.