Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Taipa and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Taipa: $2,021 a month against $2,852 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $10,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

98

Cost of Living Index in Taipa
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Taipa Living Index
137

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index

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Taipa

🇲🇴 Macao (China)

$2,021

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,852

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Taipa and in Melbourne

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 Melbourne actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,021 in Taipa versus $2,852 in Melbourne.

Taipa $2,021
Melbourne $2,852

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,175 in Taipa versus $4,297 in Melbourne.

Taipa $3,175
Melbourne $4,297

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,330 in Taipa versus $5,742 in Melbourne.

Taipa $4,330
Melbourne $5,742

Living in Taipa costs roughly 29% less than in Melbourne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Taipa 51% above, Melbourne 113% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.30 MOP 50.9

$17.75 A$25.40

-64.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.6 MOP 458

$84.8 A$121

-33.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.96 MOP 48.13

$12.16 A$17.40

-50.99%

Cappuccino

$4.87 MOP 39.38

$3.93 A$5.62

23.92%

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

$0.77 MOP 6.21

$3.14 A$4.49

-75.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 MOP 2.90

$2.43 A$3.47

-85.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.87 MOP 47.47

$9.90 A$14.17

-40.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.20 MOP 58.2

$8.29 A$11.86

-13.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.14 MOP 25.41

$1.55 A$2.21

102.58%

White Bread (500g)

$1.76 MOP 14.19

$3.01 A$4.31

-41.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.73 MOP 13.97

$2.88 A$4.12

-39.93%

Eggs

$3.35 MOP 27.06

$5.44 A$7.79

-38.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.42 MOP 133

$10.59 A$15.16

55.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$19.52 MOP 158

$9.61 A$13.76

103.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$28.67 MOP 232

$14.99 A$21.46

91.26%

Apples (1kg)

$2.66 MOP 21.49

$4.15 A$5.94

-35.90%

Banana (1kg)

$2.92 MOP 23.58

$3.05 A$4.37

-4.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.90 MOP 15.32

$3.30 A$4.72

-42.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.37 MOP 19.14

$4.76 A$6.81

-50.21%

Potato (1kg)

$4.04 MOP 32.67

$3.04 A$4.34

32.89%

Onion (1kg)

$2.83 MOP 22.91

$2.55 A$3.65

10.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.62 MOP 5.03

$2.48 A$3.55

-75.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MOP 9.54

$1.63 A$2.33

-27.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.88 MOP 55.6

$44.07 A$63.1

-84.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.16 MOP 98.3

$12.43 A$17.79

-2.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 MOP 14.35

$5.33 A$7.63

-66.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 MOP 18.27

$5.16 A$7.38

-56.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.84 A$5.50

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$142 A$203

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.55 MOP 20.64

$4.40 A$6.29

-42.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.25 MOP 10.06

$1.40 A$2.01

-10.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.06 MOP 122

$29.83 A$42.69

-49.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.83 MOP 14.81

$1.46 A$2.09

25.34%

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

$31.5K MOP 254.6K

$28.1K A$40.3K

11.90%

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

$31.8K MOP 257.1K

$25.9K A$37.1K

22.60%

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

$122 MOP 984

$233 A$333

-47.67%

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

$23.67 MOP 191

$27.28 A$39.04

-13.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.90 MOP 298

$57.0 A$81.6

-35.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.7 MOP 596

$52.7 A$75.4

39.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.74 MOP 30.22

$22.62 A$32.37

-83.47%

Cinema Ticket

$12.47 MOP 101

$17.10 A$24.48

-27.08%

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

$1,203 MOP 9,723

$2,373 A$3,397

-49.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.7K MOP 150.8K

$30.5K A$43.6K

-38.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.9 MOP 565

$78.2 A$112

-10.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.04 MOP 275

$50.5 A$72.2

-32.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.2 MOP 754

$121 A$172

-22.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$138 MOP 1,113

$133 A$191

3.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,065 MOP 8,607

$1,713 A$2,451

-37.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,001 MOP 8,089

$1,402 A$2,006

-28.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,130 MOP 17.2K

$3,339 A$4,778

-36.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,891 MOP 15.3K

$2,529 A$3,619

-25.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$15.9K MOP 128.2K

$7,018 A$10.0K

126.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$13.6K MOP 109.8K

$6,767 A$9,685

100.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,228 A$6,051

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

-49.15%

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

Last update for Taipa: October 5, 2026

Last update for Melbourne: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Taipa

$1K 49.1%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3% 40.1% $401

Groceries & Markets

Taipa

$425 20.8%

Melbourne

$385 13.5% 9.3% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Taipa

$182 8.9%

Melbourne

$317 11.1% 73.9% $135

Eating Out

Taipa

$175 8.6%

Melbourne

$314 11% 79.4% $139

Clothing & Footwear

Taipa

$151 7.4%

Melbourne

$172 6.1% 14.2% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Taipa

$99 4.8%

Melbourne

$87 3.1% 11.9% $12

Getting Around

Taipa

$8.8 * 0.4%

Melbourne

$168 5.9% 1817% $160

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 $1,065 in Taipa and $1,713 in Melbourne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $57.0 in Taipa vs $85.0 in Melbourne. Groceries flip the comparison at $425 vs $385, with Melbourne cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇴 Taipa

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

10:23 10:23 AM

13:23 1:23 PM

3 h ahead of Taipa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

78,497

5,031,195

💱 Currency

Macanese Pataca MOP P

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 MOP = 0.124 USD

1 MOP = 0.11 EUR

1 AUD = 0.699 USD

1 AUD = 0.623 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, USD, EUR to MOP – Macanese Pataca Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇴 Macanese Pataca (P)

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).

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).

USD to MOP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Taipa Melbourne 7,430 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Taipa
Melbourne

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 Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Taipa and Melbourne differ by about 41% in total monthly costs ($2,021 vs $2,852 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 $4,277 in Melbourne 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: $1,065 in Taipa versus $1,713 in Melbourne. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Melbourne pay roughly 10% 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 $2,852 in Melbourne – a 41% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,021 in Taipa versus $2,852 in Melbourne, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Taipa but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. 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 Melbourne 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 41% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.