Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Taipa and Macao

For one person, living costs are similar in Taipa and in Macao: $2,021 and $2,114 a month, rent and utilities included.

99

Cost of Living Index in Taipa
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Taipa Living Index
104

Cost of Living Index in Macao
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Macao Living Index

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Taipa

🇲🇴 Macao (China)

$2,021

/mo nomad

Macao

🇲🇴 Macao (China)

$2,114

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,021 in Taipa versus $2,114 in Macao.

Taipa $2,021
Macao $2,114

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,160 in Taipa versus $2,990 in Macao.

Taipa $3,160
Macao $2,990

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,299 in Taipa versus $3,866 in Macao.

Taipa $4,299
Macao $3,866

Living in Taipa costs roughly 4% less than in Macao, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Taipa 50% above, Macao 57% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.00 MOP 48.48

$6.26 MOP 50.6

-4.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.1 MOP 453

$56.2 MOP 454

-0.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.92 MOP 47.82

$6.02 MOP 48.66

-1.66%

Cappuccino

$5.06 MOP 40.93

$5.06 MOP 40.87

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

$0.71 MOP 5.74

$1.05 MOP 8.48

-32.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.38 MOP 3.09

$0.85 MOP 6.88

-55.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.78 MOP 46.75

$5.62 MOP 45.46

2.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.13 MOP 57.6

$7.33 MOP 59.2

-2.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.14 MOP 25.40

$3.26 MOP 26.34

-3.68%

White Bread (500g)

$1.74 MOP 14.05

$1.70 MOP 13.72

2.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.64 MOP 13.29

$1.66 MOP 13.38

-1.20%

Eggs

$3.50 MOP 28.33

$3.50 MOP 28.30

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.93 MOP 129

$16.22 MOP 131

-1.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$19.63 MOP 159

$19.56 MOP 158

0.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$29.44 MOP 238

$28.45 MOP 230

3.48%

Apples (1kg)

$2.70 MOP 21.86

$2.59 MOP 20.96

4.25%

Banana (1kg)

$2.95 MOP 23.82

$2.86 MOP 23.13

3.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.88 MOP 15.22

$1.89 MOP 15.27

-0.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.42 MOP 19.56

$2.36 MOP 19.04

2.54%

Potato (1kg)

$3.88 MOP 31.39

$3.84 MOP 31.03

1.04%

Onion (1kg)

$2.90 MOP 23.41

$2.84 MOP 22.92

2.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.67 MOP 5.42

$0.62 MOP 5.04

8.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 MOP 9.20

$1.15 MOP 9.32

-0.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.79 MOP 54.9

$6.64 MOP 53.6

2.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.53 MOP 101

$12.30 MOP 99.4

1.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 MOP 14.31

$1.79 MOP 14.43

-1.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 MOP 18.36

$2.30 MOP 18.61

-1.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.73 MOP 5.88

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.47 MOP 182

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.58 MOP 20.88

$2.63 MOP 21.26

-1.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.24 MOP 10.05

$1.29 MOP 10.40

-3.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.64 MOP 118

$14.68 MOP 119

-0.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 MOP 14.50

$1.78 MOP 14.38

0.56%

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

$31.4K MOP 254.1K

$30.5K MOP 246.6K

3.01%

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

$32.0K MOP 258.6K

$30.9K MOP 249.8K

3.51%

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

$121 MOP 974

$120 MOP 972

0.22%

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

$23.97 MOP 194

$23.50 MOP 190

2.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.43 MOP 303

$37.25 MOP 301

0.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.4 MOP 601

$63.8 MOP 515

16.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.68 MOP 29.76

$3.81 MOP 30.82

-3.41%

Cinema Ticket

$12.55 MOP 101

$14.71 MOP 119

-14.68%

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

$1,217 MOP 9,835

$1,231 MOP 9,951

-1.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K MOP 152.1K

$18.7K MOP 151.3K

0.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.7 MOP 555

-0.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.83 MOP 265

$33.15 MOP 268

-0.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.0 MOP 752

$91.9 MOP 743

1.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 MOP 1,080

$135 MOP 1,091

-0.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,053 MOP 8,515

$1,103 MOP 8,913

-4.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$982 MOP 7,936

$1,055 MOP 8,528

-6.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,091 MOP 16.9K

$2,111 MOP 17.1K

-0.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,906 MOP 15.4K

$1,433 MOP 11.6K

32.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$16.1K MOP 129.7K

$8,352 MOP 67.5K

92.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$13.5K MOP 109.3K

$5,490 MOP 44.4K

146.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,041 MOP 16.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

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

Last update for Taipa: October 12, 2026

Last update for Macao: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Taipa

$982 48.6%

Macao

$1.1K 49.9% 7.5% $73

Groceries & Markets

Taipa

$427 21.1%

Macao

$423 20% 0.8% $3.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Taipa

$182 9%

Macao

$181 8.6% 0.5% $0.9

Eating Out

Taipa

$174 8.6%

Macao

$179 8.5% 3% $5.2

Clothing & Footwear

Taipa

$148 7.3%

Macao

$148 7% 0.2% $0.3

Sport & Entertainment

Taipa

$99 4.9%

Macao

$93 4.4% 6.3% $6.3

Getting Around

Taipa

$8.8 * 0.4%

Macao

$34 1.6% 292% $26

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 $1,103 in Macao. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $56.0 in Taipa vs $56.0 in Macao. Groceries flip the comparison at $427 vs $423, with Macao cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇴 Taipa

🇲🇴 Macao

🕒 Local time

14:41 2:41 PM

Same time as Taipa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

78,497

622,567 Capital

💱 Currency

Macanese Pataca MOP P

📈 Exchange rate

1 MOP = 0.124 USD

1 MOP = 0.11 EUR

1 MOP = 0.124 USD

1 MOP = 0.11 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Taipa Macao 4 km

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Taipa
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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 Macao: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Taipa wins on cost – living expenses run 5% lower than in Macao. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Taipa the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $3,031 in Taipa and $3,171 in Macao 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 $1,103 in Macao. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Macao pay roughly 1% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $2,021 per month in Taipa versus $2,114 in Macao – a 5% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,021 in Taipa versus $2,114 in Macao, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Taipa but tight or insufficient in Macao. 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 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 Taipa gentler on the wallet – expenses run 5% less than in Macao. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.