Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Macao and Ubud, Bali

For one person, living is cheaper in Ubud, Bali: $1,368 a month against $2,114 in Macao, rent and utilities included – about $9,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Macao
🇲🇴 Macao (China)
$2,114
/mo nomad
Ubud, Bali
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$1,368
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Macao and in Ubud, Bali

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,114 in Macao versus $1,368 in Ubud, Bali.

  • Macao $2,114
  • Ubud, Bali $1,368

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,990 in Macao versus $2,314 in Ubud, Bali.

  • Macao $2,990
  • Ubud, Bali $2,314

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,866 in Macao versus $3,260 in Ubud, Bali.

  • Macao $3,866
  • Ubud, Bali $3,260

Living in Macao is roughly 55% more expensive than in Ubud, Bali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Macao 57% above, Ubud, Bali 1% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Macao
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$6.26 MOP 50.6
$3.33 Rp 59.9K
87.99%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$56.2 MOP 454
$35.18 Rp 633.2K
59.84%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.02 MOP 48.66
$5.80 Rp 104.5K
3.79%
Cappuccino
$5.06 MOP 40.87
$2.73 Rp 49.1K
85.35%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.05 MOP 8.48
$1.64 Rp 29.5K
-35.98%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.85 MOP 6.88
$0.83 Rp 15.0K
2.41%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.62 MOP 45.46
$2.70 Rp 48.6K
108.15%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.33 MOP 59.2
$4.30 Rp 77.4K
70.47%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Macao
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$3.26 MOP 26.34
$1.50 Rp 27.1K
117.33%
White Bread (500g)
$1.70 MOP 13.72
$2.30 Rp 41.4K
-26.09%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.66 MOP 13.38
$1.18 Rp 21.2K
40.68%
Eggs
$3.50 MOP 28.30
$2.14 Rp 38.6K
63.55%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$16.22 MOP 131
$17.48 Rp 314.6K
-7.21%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$19.56 MOP 158
$4.03 Rp 72.5K
385.36%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$28.45 MOP 230
$12.23 Rp 220.1K
132.62%
Apples (1kg)
$2.59 MOP 20.96
$3.55 Rp 63.9K
-27.04%
Banana (1kg)
$2.86 MOP 23.13
$1.57 Rp 28.3K
82.17%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.89 MOP 15.27
$2.24 Rp 40.2K
-15.63%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.36 MOP 19.04
$1.93 Rp 34.7K
22.28%
Potato (1kg)
$3.84 MOP 31.03
$1.88 Rp 33.9K
104.26%
Onion (1kg)
$2.84 MOP 22.92
$2.29 Rp 41.3K
24.02%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.62 MOP 5.04
$0.99 Rp 17.9K
-37.37%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.15 MOP 9.32
$0.53 Rp 9,475
116.98%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.64 MOP 53.6
$2.28 Rp 41.1K
191.23%
Wine (Bottle)
$12.30 MOP 99.4
$23.01 Rp 414.2K
-46.54%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.79 MOP 14.43
$2.34 Rp 42.2K
-23.50%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.30 MOP 18.61
$2.91 Rp 52.4K
-20.96%
🚌 Getting Around
Macao
Ubud, Bali
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.73 MOP 5.88
$0.24 Rp 4,315
204.17%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$22.47 MOP 182
$8.82 Rp 158.7K
154.76%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.63 MOP 21.26
$0.48 Rp 8,684
447.92%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.29 MOP 10.40
$0.46 Rp 8,233
180.43%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$14.68 MOP 119
$5.45 Rp 98.2K
169.36%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.78 MOP 14.38
$0.88 Rp 15.9K
102.27%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.5K MOP 246.6K
$24.6K Rp 442.2M
24.21%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$30.9K MOP 249.8K
$31.2K Rp 561.4M
-0.91%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Macao
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$120 MOP 972
$83.0 Rp 1.5M
44.91%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.50 MOP 190
$6.45 Rp 116.0K
264.34%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$37.25 MOP 301
$18.57 Rp 334.2K
100.59%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Macao
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$63.8 MOP 515
$55.8 Rp 1.0M
14.21%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$3.81 MOP 30.82
$18.11 Rp 326.0K
-78.96%
Cinema Ticket
$14.71 MOP 119
$4.38 Rp 78.9K
235.84%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Macao
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,231 MOP 9,951
$493 Rp 8.9M
149.73%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$18.7K MOP 151.3K
$5,754 Rp 103.6M
225.38%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Macao
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$68.7 MOP 555
$46.19 Rp 831.4K
48.73%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$33.15 MOP 268
$35.33 Rp 636.0K
-6.17%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$91.9 MOP 743
$79.1 Rp 1.4M
16.20%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$135 MOP 1,091
$78.4 Rp 1.4M
72.19%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Macao
Ubud, Bali
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,103 MOP 8,913
$1,142 Rp 20.6M
-3.48%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,055 MOP 8,528
$676 Rp 12.2M
56.16%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,111 MOP 17.1K
$3,503 Rp 63.1M
-39.74%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,433 MOP 11.6K
$1,700 Rp 30.6M
-15.69%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$8,352 MOP 67.5K
$2,784 Rp 50.1M
199.98%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$5,490 MOP 44.4K
$2,241 Rp 40.3M
145.04%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Macao
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,041 MOP 16.5K
$165 Rp 3.0M
1140.44%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3
13.78
-78.23%

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

Last update for Macao: October 10, 2026

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Macao
$1.1K
Ubud, Bali
$676 36% $379
Groceries & Markets
Macao
$423
Ubud, Bali
$290 31.4% $133
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Macao
$181
Ubud, Bali
$108 40.3% $73
Eating Out
Macao
$179
Ubud, Bali
$109 39.3% $70
Clothing & Footwear
Macao
$148
Ubud, Bali
$108 27.3% $40
Sport & Entertainment
Macao
$93
Ubud, Bali
$65 30.7% $29
Getting Around
Macao
$34
Ubud, Bali
$13 63.6% $22

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,103 in Macao and $1,142 in Ubud, Bali. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Macao pays 1140% 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 $35.00 in Ubud, Bali for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $423 vs $290 per month, with Ubud, Bali cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇲🇴 Macao
🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali
🕒 Local time
07:24 7:24 AM
07:24 7:24 AM
Same time as Macao
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
622,567 Capital
74,800
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD, EUR to MOP – Macanese Pataca Converter

Macanese Pataca exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 8.08 MOP (1 MOP = 0.124 USD). 1 EUR = 9.09 MOP (1 MOP = 0.11 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 18,000 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD). 1 EUR = 20,236 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Macao Ubud, Bali 3,420 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Macao
  • Ubud, Bali

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 Ubud, Bali: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Macao or Ubud, Bali?
Ubud, Bali wins on cost – living expenses run 55% lower than in Macao. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Ubud, Bali the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
Are salaries higher in Macao or in Ubud, Bali?
Average pay runs 1140% higher in Macao, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Macao compared to Ubud, Bali?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,103 in Macao versus $1,142 in Ubud, Bali. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do dining costs compare in Macao and in Ubud, Bali?
Dining out is cheaper in Ubud, Bali – a meal for two runs $35.00 versus $56.0 in Macao. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
How much does it cost to live in Macao compared to Ubud, Bali?
All in, you'll spend $2,114 per month in Macao versus $1,368 in Ubud, Bali – a 55% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Macao or in Ubud, Bali?
At $1,368 in Ubud, Bali versus $2,114 in Macao, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ubud, Bali but tight or insufficient in Macao. The gap between the two cities makes Ubud, Bali the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Macao or Ubud, Bali?
Both work as nomad bases, but Ubud, Bali delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,368 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Ubud, Bali hard to pass up.
How safe is Macao compared to Ubud, Bali?
Safety-wise, Macao and Ubud, Bali are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Which city is more affordable for expats?
Expats usually find Ubud, Bali gentler on the wallet – expenses run 55% less than in Macao. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

Macao vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?