Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Taipa and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Taipa: $2,021 a month against $2,399 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

99

Cost of Living Index in Taipa
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Taipa Living Index
116

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Taipa

🇲🇴 Macao (China)

$2,021

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,399

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Taipa and in Barcelona

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,021 in Taipa versus $2,399 in Barcelona.

Taipa $2,021
Barcelona $2,399

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,160 in Taipa versus $3,410 in Barcelona.

Taipa $3,160
Barcelona $3,410

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,299 in Taipa versus $4,421 in Barcelona.

Taipa $4,299
Barcelona $4,421

Living in Taipa costs roughly 16% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Taipa 50% above, Barcelona 78% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.00 MOP 48.48

$17.94 €15.96

-66.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.1 MOP 453

$68.1 €60.5

-17.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.92 MOP 47.82

$13.28 €11.81

-55.42%

Cappuccino

$5.06 MOP 40.93

$3.25 €2.89

55.69%

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

$0.71 MOP 5.74

$3.01 €2.67

-76.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.38 MOP 3.09

$1.87 €1.66

-79.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.78 MOP 46.75

$3.85 €3.42

50.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.13 MOP 57.6

$4.48 €3.98

59.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.14 MOP 25.40

$1.29 €1.15

143.41%

White Bread (500g)

$1.74 MOP 14.05

$2.04 €1.81

-14.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.64 MOP 13.29

$1.72 €1.53

-4.65%

Eggs

$3.50 MOP 28.33

$4.77 €4.24

-26.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.93 MOP 129

$16.77 €14.92

-5.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$19.63 MOP 159

$8.93 €7.94

119.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$29.44 MOP 238

$19.88 €17.68

48.09%

Apples (1kg)

$2.70 MOP 21.86

$2.98 €2.65

-9.40%

Banana (1kg)

$2.95 MOP 23.82

$2.03 €1.80

45.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.88 MOP 15.22

$2.73 €2.43

-31.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.42 MOP 19.56

$2.68 €2.38

-9.70%

Potato (1kg)

$3.88 MOP 31.39

$2.10 €1.87

84.76%

Onion (1kg)

$2.90 MOP 23.41

$2.08 €1.85

39.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.67 MOP 5.42

$1.45 €1.29

-53.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 MOP 9.20

$0.89 €0.79

28.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.79 MOP 54.9

$6.94 €6.17

-2.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.53 MOP 101

$7.78 €6.92

61.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 MOP 14.31

$1.45 €1.29

22.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 MOP 18.36

$2.57 €2.29

-11.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.99 €2.66

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.20 €22.41

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.58 MOP 20.88

$3.12 €2.77

-17.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.24 MOP 10.05

$1.44 €1.28

-13.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.64 MOP 118

$33.50 €29.80

-56.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 MOP 14.50

$1.79 €1.59

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

$31.4K MOP 254.1K

$34.6K €30.8K

-9.24%

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

$32.0K MOP 258.6K

$30.1K €26.7K

6.40%

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

$121 MOP 974

$178 €158

-32.22%

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

$23.97 MOP 194

$13.32 €11.85

79.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.43 MOP 303

$34.88 €31.03

7.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.4 MOP 601

$53.3 €47.37

39.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.68 MOP 29.76

$16.01 €14.24

-77.01%

Cinema Ticket

$12.55 MOP 101

$11.06 €9.84

13.47%

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

$1,217 MOP 9,835

$957 €851

27.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K MOP 152.1K

$16.6K €14.7K

13.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.7 MOP 555

$88.2 €78.4

-22.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.83 MOP 265

$39.49 €35.12

-16.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.0 MOP 752

$103 €91.5

-9.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 MOP 1,080

$121 €108

10.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,053 MOP 8,515

$1,653 €1,470

-36.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$982 MOP 7,936

$1,302 €1,158

-24.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,091 MOP 16.9K

$2,557 €2,275

-18.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,906 MOP 15.4K

$1,915 €1,703

-0.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$16.1K MOP 129.7K

$7,286 €6,481

120.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$13.5K MOP 109.3K

$5,080 €4,519

166.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,281 €2,029

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

-8.54%

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

Last update for Taipa: October 12, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Taipa

$982 48.6%

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.3% 32.6% $320

Groceries & Markets

Taipa

$427 21.1%

Barcelona

$320 13.3% 25% $107

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Taipa

$182 9%

Barcelona

$226 9.4% 24.2% $44

Eating Out

Taipa

$174 8.6%

Barcelona

$270 11.3% 55.2% $96

Clothing & Footwear

Taipa

$148 7.3%

Barcelona

$158 6.6% 7.3% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Taipa

$99 4.9%

Barcelona

$75 3.1% 24.2% $24

Getting Around

Taipa

$8.8 * 0.4%

Barcelona

$47 2% 439% $39

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,053 in Taipa and $1,653 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $56.0 in Taipa vs $68.0 in Barcelona. Groceries flip the comparison at $427 vs $320, with Barcelona cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇴 Taipa

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

17:29 5:29 PM

11:29 11:29 AM

6 h behind Taipa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

78,497

1,660,122

💱 Currency

Macanese Pataca MOP P

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 MOP = 0.124 USD

1 MOP = 0.11 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to MOP – Macanese Pataca Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇴 Macanese Pataca (P)

Macanese Pataca exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 8.08 MOP (1 MOP = 0.124 USD). 1 EUR = 9.09 MOP (1 MOP = 0.11 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to MOP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Taipa Barcelona 10,030 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Taipa
Barcelona

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

Taipa vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Taipa and Barcelona differ by about 19% in total monthly costs ($2,021 vs $2,399 including rent). Taipa is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $3,031 in Taipa and $3,599 in Barcelona to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,053 in Taipa versus $1,653 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,217 in Taipa versus $957 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Taipa – a meal for two runs $56.0 versus $68.0 in Barcelona. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,021 in Taipa versus $2,399 in Barcelona, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Taipa but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Taipa 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, Taipa and Barcelona 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 Taipa gentler on the wallet – expenses run 19% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.