Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Taipa and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,207 a month against $2,021 in Taipa, rent and utilities included – about $9,800 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
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Taipa

🇲🇴 Macao (China)

$2,021

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Taipa and in Phuket

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,021 in Taipa versus $1,207 in Phuket.

Taipa $2,021
Phuket $1,207

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,160 in Taipa versus $2,037 in Phuket.

Taipa $3,160
Phuket $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,299 in Taipa versus $2,867 in Phuket.

Taipa $4,299
Phuket $2,867

Living in Taipa is roughly 67% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Taipa is 50% above, Phuket is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.00 MOP 48.48

$4.58 ฿153

31.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.1 MOP 453

$32.48 ฿1,086

72.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.92 MOP 47.82

$8.55 ฿286

-30.76%

Cappuccino

$5.06 MOP 40.93

$2.72 ฿91.0

86.03%

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

$0.71 MOP 5.74

$0.94 ฿31.25

-24.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.38 MOP 3.09

$0.49 ฿16.39

-22.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.78 MOP 46.75

$2.59 ฿86.6

123.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.13 MOP 57.6

$3.83 ฿128

86.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.14 MOP 25.40

$1.74 ฿58.1

80.46%

White Bread (500g)

$1.74 MOP 14.05

$1.43 ฿47.82

21.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.64 MOP 13.29

$1.53 ฿51.0

7.19%

Eggs

$3.50 MOP 28.33

$2.17 ฿72.7

61.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.93 MOP 129

$19.15 ฿640

-16.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$19.63 MOP 159

$3.30 ฿110

494.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$29.44 MOP 238

$11.14 ฿372

164.27%

Apples (1kg)

$2.70 MOP 21.86

$2.95 ฿98.5

-8.47%

Banana (1kg)

$2.95 MOP 23.82

$1.68 ฿56.1

75.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.88 MOP 15.22

$2.30 ฿76.8

-18.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.42 MOP 19.56

$2.13 ฿71.3

13.62%

Potato (1kg)

$3.88 MOP 31.39

$1.53 ฿51.1

153.59%

Onion (1kg)

$2.90 MOP 23.41

$1.36 ฿45.55

113.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.67 MOP 5.42

$1.12 ฿37.44

-40.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 MOP 9.20

$0.55 ฿18.24

107.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.79 MOP 54.9

$4.26 ฿142

59.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.53 MOP 101

$18.19 ฿608

-31.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 MOP 14.31

$1.74 ฿58.2

1.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 MOP 18.36

$2.79 ฿93.3

-18.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.22 ฿74.1

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.06 ฿737

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.58 MOP 20.88

$2.91 ฿97.3

-11.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.24 MOP 10.05

$1.01 ฿33.79

22.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.64 MOP 118

$3.83 ฿128

282.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 MOP 14.50

$1.49 ฿49.85

20.13%

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

$31.4K MOP 254.1K

$26.7K ฿891.6K

17.81%

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

$32.0K MOP 258.6K

$26.7K ฿892.7K

19.77%

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

$121 MOP 974

$99.4 ฿3,321

21.31%

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

$23.97 MOP 194

$11.28 ฿377

112.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.43 MOP 303

$17.36 ฿580

115.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.4 MOP 601

$52.3 ฿1,747

42.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.68 MOP 29.76

$10.85 ฿362

-66.08%

Cinema Ticket

$12.55 MOP 101

$7.57 ฿253

65.79%

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

$1,217 MOP 9,835

$558 ฿18.7K

117.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K MOP 152.1K

$11.5K ฿383.9K

63.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.7 MOP 555

$62.9 ฿2,102

9.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.83 MOP 265

$28.58 ฿955

14.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.0 MOP 752

$96.1 ฿3,213

-3.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 MOP 1,080

$88.1 ฿2,943

51.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,053 MOP 8,515

$729 ฿24.4K

44.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$982 MOP 7,936

$460 ฿15.4K

113.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,091 MOP 16.9K

$2,096 ฿70.0K

-0.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,906 MOP 15.4K

$1,222 ฿40.8K

55.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$16.1K MOP 129.7K

$3,459 ฿115.6K

364.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$13.5K MOP 109.3K

$2,489 ฿83.2K

443.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$493 ฿16.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-46.14%

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

Last update for Taipa: October 12, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Taipa

$982 48.6%

Phuket

$460 38.1% 53.2% $522

Groceries & Markets

Taipa

$427 21.1%

Phuket

$268 22.2% 37.3% $159

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Taipa

$182 9%

Phuket

$128 10.6% 29.6% $54

Eating Out

Taipa

$174 8.6%

Phuket

$121 10.1% 30.3% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Taipa

$148 7.3%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 16% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Taipa

$99 4.9%

Phuket

$67 5.6% 32.2% $32

Getting Around

Taipa

$8.8 * 0.4%

Phuket

$39 3.2% 342% $30

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 $729 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $56.0 in Taipa vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $427 vs $268 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇴 Taipa

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

17:29 5:29 PM

16:29 4:29 PM

1 h behind Taipa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

78,497

79,308

💱 Currency

Macanese Pataca MOP P

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 MOP = 0.124 USD

1 MOP = 0.11 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR 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).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to MOP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Taipa Phuket 2,270 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Taipa
Phuket

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 Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 67% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $3,031 in Taipa and $1,811 in Phuket 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 $729 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,217 in Taipa versus $558 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32.00 versus $56.0 in Taipa. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,207 in Phuket versus $2,021 in Taipa, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Taipa. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Phuket is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Taipa, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Taipa and Phuket 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 Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 67% less than in Taipa. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.