Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Matera and Macao

For one person, living is cheaper in Matera: $1,472 a month against $2,114 in Macao, rent and utilities included – about $7,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

72

Cost of Living Index in Matera
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Matera Living Index
104

Cost of Living Index in Macao
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Macao Living Index

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Matera

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,472

/mo nomad

Macao

🇲🇴 Macao (China)

$2,114

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Matera and in Macao

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Matera and in Macao actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,472 in Matera versus $2,114 in Macao.

Matera $1,472
Macao $2,114

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,358 in Matera versus $2,990 in Macao.

Matera $2,358
Macao $2,990

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,245 in Matera versus $3,866 in Macao.

Matera $3,245
Macao $3,866

Living in Matera costs roughly 30% less than in Macao, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Matera 9% above, Macao 57% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.87 €13.23

$6.26 MOP 50.6

137.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.0 €55.1

$56.2 MOP 454

10.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.08 €9.86

$6.02 MOP 48.66

84.05%

Cappuccino

$1.82 €1.62

$5.06 MOP 40.87

-64.03%

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

$2.21 €1.96

$1.05 MOP 8.48

110.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.13 €1.01

$0.85 MOP 6.88

32.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.49 €4.88

$5.62 MOP 45.46

-2.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.27 €2.91

$7.33 MOP 59.2

-55.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.52 €1.35

$3.26 MOP 26.34

-53.37%

White Bread (500g)

$1.62 €1.44

$1.70 MOP 13.72

-4.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 €2.90

$1.66 MOP 13.38

96.39%

Eggs

$3.55 €3.16

$3.50 MOP 28.30

1.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.56 €13.84

$16.22 MOP 131

-4.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.28 €10.92

$19.56 MOP 158

-37.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.54 €18.27

$28.45 MOP 230

-27.80%

Apples (1kg)

$2.51 €2.23

$2.59 MOP 20.96

-3.09%

Banana (1kg)

$2.09 €1.86

$2.86 MOP 23.13

-26.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.10 €0.98

$1.89 MOP 15.27

-41.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.72 €3.30

$2.36 MOP 19.04

57.63%

Potato (1kg)

$1.78 €1.58

$3.84 MOP 31.03

-53.65%

Onion (1kg)

$1.69 €1.50

$2.84 MOP 22.92

-40.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 €1.32

$0.62 MOP 5.04

138.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.43 €0.38

$1.15 MOP 9.32

-62.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.77 €6.03

$6.64 MOP 53.6

1.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.15 €5.47

$12.30 MOP 99.4

-50.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 €1.59

$1.79 MOP 14.43

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.04 €2.70

$2.30 MOP 18.61

32.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.74 €1.55

$0.73 MOP 5.88

138.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.36 €18.11

$22.47 MOP 182

-9.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.41 €3.92

$2.63 MOP 21.26

67.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.26 €1.12

$1.29 MOP 10.40

-2.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.36 €20.78

$14.68 MOP 119

59.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 €1.75

$1.78 MOP 14.38

10.11%

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

$36.3K €32.3K

$30.5K MOP 246.6K

18.83%

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

$35.6K €31.7K

$30.9K MOP 249.8K

15.26%

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

$203 €180

$120 MOP 972

68.61%

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

$9.48 €8.43

$23.50 MOP 190

-59.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.11 €27.67

$37.25 MOP 301

-16.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.8 €48.77

$63.8 MOP 515

-13.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.98 €21.33

$3.81 MOP 30.82

529.40%

Cinema Ticket

$11.19 €9.95

$14.71 MOP 119

-23.93%

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

$453 €403

$1,231 MOP 9,951

-63.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,017 €7,131

$18.7K MOP 151.3K

-57.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.0 €59.6

$68.7 MOP 555

-2.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.36 €37.68

$33.15 MOP 268

27.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €91.3

$91.9 MOP 743

11.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 €119

$135 MOP 1,091

-0.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$697 €620

$1,103 MOP 8,913

-36.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$413 €367

$1,055 MOP 8,528

-60.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,059 €942

$2,111 MOP 17.1K

-49.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$867 €771

$1,433 MOP 11.6K

-39.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,726 €2,425

$8,352 MOP 67.5K

-67.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,234 €2,877

$5,490 MOP 44.4K

-41.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,759 €1,564

$2,041 MOP 16.5K

-13.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.08

2.67%

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

Last update for Matera: October 10, 2026

Last update for Macao: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Matera

$413 28%

Macao

$1.1K 49.9% 156% $643

Groceries & Markets

Matera

$324 22%

Macao

$423 20% 30.8% $100

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Matera

$243 16.5%

Macao

$181 8.6% 25.6% $62

Eating Out

Matera

$221 15%

Macao

$179 8.5% 19.1% $42

Clothing & Footwear

Matera

$156 10.6%

Macao

$148 7% 5% $7.8

Sport & Entertainment

Matera

$77 5.3%

Macao

$93 4.4% 20.7% $16

Getting Around

Matera

$38 2.6%

Macao

$34 1.6% 9.4% $3.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $697 in Matera and $1,103 in Macao. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Macao pays 16% 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: $62.0 in Matera vs $56.0 in Macao. Groceries flip the comparison at $324 vs $423, with Matera cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Matera

🇲🇴 Macao

🕒 Local time

01:25 1:25 AM

07:25 7:25 AM

6 h ahead of Matera

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

59,607

622,567 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Macanese Pataca MOP P

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 MOP = 0.124 USD

1 MOP = 0.11 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Matera Macao 8,980 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Matera
Macao

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

Matera vs Macao: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Matera wins on cost – living expenses run 44% lower than in Macao. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Matera the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 16% lower in Macao. 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: $697 in Matera versus $1,103 in Macao. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Matera – a meal for two runs $62.0 versus $56.0 in Macao. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,472 per month in Matera versus $2,114 in Macao – a 44% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,472 in Matera versus $2,114 in Macao, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Matera but tight or insufficient in Macao. The gap between the two cities makes Matera 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, Matera and Macao 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 Matera gentler on the wallet – expenses run 44% less than in Macao. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.