Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Macao

For one person, living is cheaper in Macao: $2,107 a month against $2,852 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $8,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

137

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index
104

Cost of Living Index in Macao
Learn more

Macao Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,852

/mo nomad

Macao

🇲🇴 Macao (China)

$2,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne 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 Melbourne and in Macao actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,852 in Melbourne versus $2,107 in Macao.

Melbourne $2,852
Macao $2,107

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,297 in Melbourne versus $3,021 in Macao.

Melbourne $4,297
Macao $3,021

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,742 in Melbourne versus $3,935 in Macao.

Melbourne $5,742
Macao $3,935

Living in Melbourne is roughly 35% more expensive than in Macao, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Melbourne 113% above, Macao 57% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.75 A$25.40

$6.31 MOP 51.0

181.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.8 A$121

$54.9 MOP 444

54.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.16 A$17.40

$5.91 MOP 47.73

105.75%

Cappuccino

$3.93 A$5.62

$4.89 MOP 39.49

-19.63%

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

$3.14 A$4.49

$1.06 MOP 8.56

196.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.43 A$3.47

$0.93 MOP 7.55

161.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.90 A$14.17

$5.63 MOP 45.48

75.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.29 A$11.86

$7.23 MOP 58.4

14.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 A$2.21

$3.09 MOP 24.98

-49.84%

White Bread (500g)

$3.01 A$4.31

$1.67 MOP 13.50

80.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.88 A$4.12

$1.73 MOP 13.97

66.47%

Eggs

$5.44 A$7.79

$3.40 MOP 27.46

60.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.59 A$15.16

$16.05 MOP 130

-34.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.61 A$13.76

$19.07 MOP 154

-49.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.99 A$21.46

$29.25 MOP 236

-48.75%

Apples (1kg)

$4.15 A$5.94

$2.71 MOP 21.87

53.14%

Banana (1kg)

$3.05 A$4.37

$2.86 MOP 23.14

6.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.30 A$4.72

$1.97 MOP 15.90

67.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.76 A$6.81

$2.36 MOP 19.06

101.69%

Potato (1kg)

$3.04 A$4.34

$3.85 MOP 31.10

-21.04%

Onion (1kg)

$2.55 A$3.65

$2.95 MOP 23.85

-13.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.48 A$3.55

$0.66 MOP 5.30

275.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.33

$1.20 MOP 9.74

35.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.1

$6.64 MOP 53.7

563.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.43 A$17.79

$12.14 MOP 98.1

2.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.33 A$7.63

$1.77 MOP 14.34

201.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.16 A$7.38

$2.31 MOP 18.66

123.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.84 A$5.50

$0.76 MOP 6.13

405.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$142 A$203

$22.62 MOP 183

525.55%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.40 A$6.29

$2.57 MOP 20.77

71.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.40 A$2.01

$1.24 MOP 9.99

12.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.83 A$42.69

$15.00 MOP 121

98.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 A$2.09

$1.76 MOP 14.22

-17.05%

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

$28.1K A$40.3K

$31.1K MOP 251.3K

-9.46%

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

$25.9K A$37.1K

$31.8K MOP 256.7K

-18.30%

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

$233 A$333

$124 MOP 1,002

87.61%

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

$27.28 A$39.04

$23.44 MOP 189

16.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.0 A$81.6

$36.46 MOP 295

56.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.7 A$75.4

$63.3 MOP 511

-16.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.62 A$32.37

$3.78 MOP 30.57

498.41%

Cinema Ticket

$17.10 A$24.48

$14.73 MOP 119

16.09%

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

$2,373 A$3,397

$1,193 MOP 9,642

98.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.5K A$43.6K

$19.3K MOP 156.2K

57.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.2 A$112

$70.0 MOP 566

11.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.5 A$72.2

$33.25 MOP 269

51.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$172

$92.4 MOP 747

30.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 A$191

$134 MOP 1,084

-0.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,713 A$2,451

$1,130 MOP 9,135

51.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,402 A$2,006

$1,070 MOP 8,650

30.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,339 A$4,778

$2,092 MOP 16.9K

59.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,529 A$3,619

$1,461 MOP 11.8K

73.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,018 A$10.0K

$8,347 MOP 67.5K

-15.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,767 A$9,685

$5,538 MOP 44.8K

22.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,228 A$6,051

$2,053 MOP 16.6K

105.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

96.67%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 6, 2026

Last update for Macao: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Macao

$1.1K 50.3% 23.6% $332

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$385 13.5%

Macao

$422 19.8% 9.5% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.1%

Macao

$184 8.6% 42% $133

Eating Out

Melbourne

$314 11%

Macao

$177 8.3% 43.5% $137

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Macao

$148 7% 13.8% $24

Getting Around

Melbourne

$168 5.9%

Macao

$34 1.6% 79.6% $134

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$87 3.1%

Macao

$93 4.4% 6.7% $5.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,713 in Melbourne and $1,130 in Macao. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 106% 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: $85.0 in Melbourne vs $55.0 in Macao. Groceries flip the comparison at $385 vs $422, with Melbourne cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇲🇴 Macao

🕒 Local time

16:22 4:22 PM

13:22 1:22 PM

3 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

622,567 Capital

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Macanese Pataca MOP P

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.699 USD

1 AUD = 0.623 EUR

1 MOP = 0.124 USD

1 MOP = 0.11 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MOP, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

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).

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).

USD to AUD in detail →

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Between locations

Melbourne Macao 7,440 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
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

Melbourne vs Macao: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Macao wins on cost – living expenses run 35% lower than in Melbourne. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Macao the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 106% higher in Melbourne, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,713 in Melbourne versus $1,130 in Macao. 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 $85.0 in Melbourne. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,852 per month in Melbourne versus $2,107 in Macao – a 35% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,107 in Macao versus $2,852 in Melbourne, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Macao but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. 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, Melbourne 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 Macao gentler on the wallet – expenses run 35% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.