Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Taipa

For one person, living is cheaper in Taipa: $2,021 a month against $3,182 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $13,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

155

Cost of Living Index in Sydney
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Sydney Living Index
98

Cost of Living Index in Taipa
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Taipa Living Index

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Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,182

/mo nomad

Taipa

🇲🇴 Macao (China)

$2,021

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sydney and in Taipa

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

A single person spends $3,182 per month in Sydney vs $2,021 in Taipa, rent included.

Sydney $3,182
Taipa $2,021

A couple spends around $4,696 per month in Sydney vs $3,175 in Taipa, rent included.

Sydney $4,696
Taipa $3,175

A family of three spends $6,210 per month in Sydney vs $4,330 in Taipa, rent included.

Sydney $6,210
Taipa $4,330

Sydney costs about 57% more than Taipa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Sydney and Taipa sit above the global median – Sydney by 137%, Taipa by 51%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.66 A$25.28

$6.30 MOP 50.9

180.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$97.1 A$139

$56.6 MOP 458

71.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.94 A$17.09

$5.96 MOP 48.13

100.34%

Cappuccino

$4.00 A$5.72

$4.87 MOP 39.38

-17.86%

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

$2.84 A$4.06

$0.77 MOP 6.21

268.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 A$3.25

$0.36 MOP 2.90

530.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.89 A$11.29

$5.87 MOP 47.47

34.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.13 A$10.20

$7.20 MOP 58.2

-0.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 A$2.38

$3.14 MOP 25.41

-47.13%

White Bread (500g)

$2.79 A$4.00

$1.76 MOP 14.19

58.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.32 A$3.33

$1.73 MOP 13.97

34.10%

Eggs

$5.53 A$7.92

$3.35 MOP 27.06

65.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.08 A$17.28

$16.42 MOP 133

-26.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.84 A$14.09

$19.52 MOP 158

-49.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.61 A$23.78

$28.67 MOP 232

-42.06%

Apples (1kg)

$4.02 A$5.76

$2.66 MOP 21.49

51.13%

Banana (1kg)

$3.15 A$4.51

$2.92 MOP 23.58

7.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.50 A$5.01

$1.90 MOP 15.32

84.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.47 A$6.39

$2.37 MOP 19.14

88.61%

Potato (1kg)

$3.32 A$4.76

$4.04 MOP 32.67

-17.82%

Onion (1kg)

$2.30 A$3.30

$2.83 MOP 22.91

-18.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 A$3.35

$0.62 MOP 5.03

277.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 A$1.65

$1.18 MOP 9.54

-2.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$45.02 A$64.4

$6.88 MOP 55.6

554.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.96 A$19.97

$12.16 MOP 98.3

14.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.98 A$5.70

$1.78 MOP 14.35

123.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.07 A$5.82

$2.26 MOP 18.27

80.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.16 A$4.52

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$150 A$215

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.45 A$4.94

$2.55 MOP 20.64

35.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 A$2.33

$1.25 MOP 10.06

30.40%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.98 A$57.2

$15.06 MOP 122

165.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 A$2.01

$1.83 MOP 14.81

-23.50%

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

$28.4K A$40.7K

$31.5K MOP 254.6K

-9.76%

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

$29.4K A$42.1K

$31.8K MOP 257.1K

-7.56%

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

$220 A$315

$122 MOP 984

80.62%

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

$27.70 A$39.64

$23.67 MOP 191

17.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.5 A$79.5

$36.90 MOP 298

50.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.3 A$106

$73.7 MOP 596

0.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.95 A$34.28

$3.74 MOP 30.22

540.37%

Cinema Ticket

$17.73 A$25.37

$12.47 MOP 101

42.18%

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

$2,157 A$3,087

$1,203 MOP 9,723

79.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.3K A$40.5K

$18.7K MOP 150.8K

51.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.4 A$112

$69.9 MOP 565

12.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$70.5 A$101

$34.04 MOP 275

107.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$159

$93.2 MOP 754

19.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 A$189

$138 MOP 1,113

-4.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,514 A$3,598

$1,065 MOP 8,607

136.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,732 A$2,478

$1,001 MOP 8,089

73.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,889 A$6,996

$2,130 MOP 17.2K

129.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,039 A$4,349

$1,891 MOP 15.3K

60.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.2K A$18.9K

$15.9K MOP 128.2K

-16.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,117 A$11.6K

$13.6K MOP 109.8K

-40.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,082 A$5,842

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.84

94.67%

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

Last update for Sydney: October 5, 2026

Last update for Taipa: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sydney

$1.7K 54.5%

Taipa

$1K 49.1% 42.2% $731

Groceries & Markets

Sydney

$380 12%

Taipa

$425 20.8% 11.6% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney

$303 9.6%

Taipa

$182 8.9% 39.9% $121

Eating Out

Sydney

$299 9.4%

Taipa

$175 8.6% 41.5% $124

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney

$176 5.6%

Taipa

$151 7.4% 14.6% $26

Getting Around

Sydney

$174 5.5%

Taipa

$8.8 * 0.4% 95% $165

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney

$110 3.5%

Taipa

$99 4.8% 10.1% $11

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,514 in Sydney versus $1,065 in Taipa. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $97.0 in Sydney versus $57.0 in Taipa. Groceries tell a different story – $380 in Sydney vs $425 in Taipa – so Sydney wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sydney

🇲🇴 Taipa

🕒 Local time

15:55 3:55 PM

12:55 12:55 PM

3 h behind Sydney

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,840,600

78,497

💱 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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Sydney Taipa 7,390 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Sydney
Taipa

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

Sydney vs Taipa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,182 in Sydney, $2,021 in Taipa – roughly 57% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,774 per month in Sydney and $3,031 in Taipa. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Taipa, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,182 in Sydney and $2,021 in Taipa. That's a gap of about 57%.

Kindergarten costs $2,157 per month in Sydney and $1,203 in Taipa. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Taipa, where all-in costs run around $2,021, than in Sydney at $3,182. In Taipa it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sydney it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Taipa – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Taipa. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Sydney makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.