Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Singapore and Macao

For one person, living is cheaper in Macao: $2,107 a month against $3,454 in Singapore, rent and utilities included – about $16,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

168

Cost of Living Index in Singapore
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Singapore Living Index
104

Cost of Living Index in Macao
Learn more

Macao Living Index

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Singapore

🇸🇬 Singapore

$3,454

/mo nomad

Macao

🇲🇴 Macao (China)

$2,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,454 in Singapore versus $2,107 in Macao.

Singapore $3,454
Macao $2,107

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,224 in Singapore versus $3,021 in Macao.

Singapore $5,224
Macao $3,021

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,994 in Singapore versus $3,935 in Macao.

Singapore $6,994
Macao $3,935

Living in Singapore is roughly 64% more expensive than in Macao, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Singapore 158% above, Macao 57% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.53 SGD 14.77

$6.31 MOP 51.0

82.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$71.2 SGD 91.2

$54.9 MOP 444

29.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 SGD 11.22

$5.91 MOP 47.73

48.22%

Cappuccino

$5.25 SGD 6.73

$4.89 MOP 39.49

7.36%

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

$1.83 SGD 2.34

$1.06 MOP 8.56

72.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.25 SGD 1.60

$0.93 MOP 7.55

34.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.42 SGD 10.79

$5.63 MOP 45.49

49.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.02 SGD 12.83

$7.23 MOP 58.4

38.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.94 SGD 3.76

$3.09 MOP 24.98

-4.85%

White Bread (500g)

$2.47 SGD 3.16

$1.67 MOP 13.50

47.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.71 SGD 3.47

$1.73 MOP 13.97

56.65%

Eggs

$3.73 SGD 4.77

$3.40 MOP 27.46

9.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.54 SGD 27.58

$16.05 MOP 130

34.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.52 SGD 12.20

$19.07 MOP 154

-50.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.98 SGD 33.27

$29.25 MOP 236

-11.18%

Apples (1kg)

$4.48 SGD 5.74

$2.71 MOP 21.87

65.31%

Banana (1kg)

$3.11 SGD 3.99

$2.86 MOP 23.14

8.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.62 SGD 5.92

$1.97 MOP 15.90

134.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.23 SGD 2.86

$2.36 MOP 19.06

-5.51%

Potato (1kg)

$2.50 SGD 3.20

$3.85 MOP 31.10

-35.06%

Onion (1kg)

$2.38 SGD 3.05

$2.95 MOP 23.86

-19.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 SGD 2.28

$0.66 MOP 5.30

169.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 SGD 1.93

$1.20 MOP 9.74

25.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.18 SGD 18.16

$6.64 MOP 53.7

113.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$23.79 SGD 30.47

$12.14 MOP 98.1

95.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.51 SGD 5.78

$1.77 MOP 14.34

154.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.57 SGD 5.86

$2.31 MOP 18.66

97.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.58 SGD 2.03

$0.76 MOP 6.13

107.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$96.4 SGD 123

$22.62 MOP 183

325.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.63 SGD 4.65

$2.57 MOP 20.78

41.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.80 SGD 1.02

$1.24 MOP 9.99

-35.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.18 SGD 20.72

$15.00 MOP 121

7.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.51 SGD 3.21

$1.76 MOP 14.22

42.61%

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

$155.9K SGD 199.6K

$31.1K MOP 251.3K

401.35%

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

$145.8K SGD 186.7K

$31.8K MOP 256.7K

358.99%

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

$175 SGD 224

$124 MOP 1,002

41.13%

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

$12.45 SGD 15.94

$23.44 MOP 189

-46.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.64 SGD 34.11

$36.46 MOP 295

-26.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$112 SGD 143

$63.3 MOP 511

76.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.07 SGD 15.46

$3.78 MOP 30.57

219.31%

Cinema Ticket

$11.60 SGD 14.85

$14.73 MOP 119

-21.25%

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

$1,463 SGD 1,874

$1,193 MOP 9,642

22.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.4K SGD 36.3K

$19.3K MOP 156.2K

46.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.5 SGD 104

$70.0 MOP 566

16.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.6 SGD 64.8

$33.25 MOP 269

52.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 SGD 143

$92.4 MOP 747

20.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 SGD 166

$134 MOP 1,084

-3.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,916 SGD 3,734

$1,130 MOP 9,136

157.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,128 SGD 2,725

$1,070 MOP 8,651

98.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,654 SGD 7,241

$2,092 MOP 16.9K

170.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,968 SGD 5,081

$1,461 MOP 11.8K

171.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$23.6K SGD 30.2K

$8,347 MOP 67.5K

182.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$16.8K SGD 21.5K

$5,538 MOP 44.8K

203.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,369 SGD 5,594

$2,053 MOP 16.6K

112.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.44

-18.67%

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

Last update for Singapore: October 5, 2026

Last update for Macao: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Singapore

$2.1K 61.4%

Macao

$1.1K 50.3% 49.7% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Singapore

$457 13.2%

Macao

$422 19.8% 7.7% $35

Eating Out

Singapore

$256 7.4%

Macao

$177 8.3% 30.7% $79

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Singapore

$214 6.2%

Macao

$184 8.6% 14.1% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Singapore

$168 4.9%

Macao

$148 7% 11.7% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Singapore

$135 3.9%

Macao

$93 4.4% 31.2% $42

Getting Around

Singapore

$110 3.2%

Macao

$34 1.6% 68.8% $76

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,916 in Singapore and $1,130 in Macao. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Singapore pays 113% 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: $71.0 in Singapore vs $55.0 in Macao for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $457 vs $422 per month, with Macao cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇬 Singapore

🇲🇴 Macao

🕒 Local time

10:37 10:37 AM

Same time as Singapore

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,535,002 Capital

622,567 Capital

💱 Currency

Singapore Dollar SGD $

Macanese Pataca MOP P

📈 Exchange rate

1 SGD = 0.781 USD

1 SGD = 0.696 EUR

1 MOP = 0.124 USD

1 MOP = 0.11 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MOP, USD, EUR to SGD – Singapore Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇬 Singapore Dollar ($)

Singapore Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.28 SGD (1 SGD = 0.781 USD). 1 EUR = 1.44 SGD (1 SGD = 0.696 EUR).

Macanese Pataca exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 8.08 MOP (1 MOP = 0.124 USD). 1 EUR = 9.07 MOP (1 MOP = 0.11 EUR).

USD to SGD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Singapore Macao 2,550 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Singapore
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

Singapore vs Macao: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Macao wins on cost – living expenses run 64% lower than in Singapore. 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 113% higher in Singapore, 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: $2,916 in Singapore 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 $71.0 in Singapore. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $3,454 per month in Singapore versus $2,107 in Macao – a 64% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,107 in Macao versus $3,454 in Singapore, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Macao but tight or insufficient in Singapore. 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, Singapore 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 64% less than in Singapore. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.