Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Taipa and Sydney

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.

Taipa
🇲🇴 Macao (China)
$2,021
/mo nomad
Sydney
🇦🇺 Australia
$3,182
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Taipa and in Sydney

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

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

  • Taipa $2,021
  • Sydney $3,182

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

  • Taipa $3,175
  • Sydney $4,696

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

  • Taipa $4,330
  • Sydney $6,210

Taipa is about 37% cheaper than Sydney, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

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

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Taipa
Sydney
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$6.30 MOP 50.9
$17.66 A$25.28
-64.33%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$56.6 MOP 458
$97.1 A$139
-41.68%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.96 MOP 48.13
$11.94 A$17.09
-50.08%
Cappuccino
$4.87 MOP 39.38
$4.00 A$5.72
21.75%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.77 MOP 6.21
$2.84 A$4.06
-72.89%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.36 MOP 2.90
$2.27 A$3.25
-84.14%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.87 MOP 47.47
$7.89 A$11.29
-25.60%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.20 MOP 58.2
$7.13 A$10.20
0.98%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Taipa
Sydney
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$3.14 MOP 25.41
$1.66 A$2.38
89.16%
White Bread (500g)
$1.76 MOP 14.19
$2.79 A$4.00
-36.92%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.73 MOP 13.97
$2.32 A$3.33
-25.43%
Eggs
$3.35 MOP 27.06
$5.53 A$7.92
-39.42%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$16.42 MOP 133
$12.08 A$17.28
35.93%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$19.52 MOP 158
$9.84 A$14.09
98.37%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$28.67 MOP 232
$16.61 A$23.78
72.61%
Apples (1kg)
$2.66 MOP 21.49
$4.02 A$5.76
-33.83%
Banana (1kg)
$2.92 MOP 23.58
$3.15 A$4.51
-7.30%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.90 MOP 15.32
$3.50 A$5.01
-45.71%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.37 MOP 19.14
$4.47 A$6.39
-46.98%
Potato (1kg)
$4.04 MOP 32.67
$3.32 A$4.76
21.69%
Onion (1kg)
$2.83 MOP 22.91
$2.30 A$3.30
23.04%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.62 MOP 5.03
$2.34 A$3.35
-73.50%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.18 MOP 9.54
$1.15 A$1.65
2.61%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.88 MOP 55.6
$45.02 A$64.4
-84.72%
Wine (Bottle)
$12.16 MOP 98.3
$13.96 A$19.97
-12.89%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.78 MOP 14.35
$3.98 A$5.70
-55.28%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.26 MOP 18.27
$4.07 A$5.82
-44.47%
🚌 Getting Around
Taipa
Sydney
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
-
$3.16 A$4.52
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$150 A$215
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.55 MOP 20.64
$3.45 A$4.94
-26.09%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.25 MOP 10.06
$1.63 A$2.33
-23.31%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$15.06 MOP 122
$39.98 A$57.2
-62.33%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.83 MOP 14.81
$1.40 A$2.01
30.71%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$31.5K MOP 254.6K
$28.4K A$40.7K
10.82%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$31.8K MOP 257.1K
$29.4K A$42.1K
8.18%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Taipa
Sydney
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$122 MOP 984
$220 A$315
-44.64%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.67 MOP 191
$27.70 A$39.64
-14.55%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$36.90 MOP 298
$55.5 A$79.5
-33.55%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Taipa
Sydney
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$73.7 MOP 596
$74.3 A$106
-0.81%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$3.74 MOP 30.22
$23.95 A$34.28
-84.38%
Cinema Ticket
$12.47 MOP 101
$17.73 A$25.37
-29.67%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Taipa
Sydney
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,203 MOP 9,723
$2,157 A$3,087
-44.22%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$18.7K MOP 150.8K
$28.3K A$40.5K
-34.04%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Taipa
Sydney
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$69.9 MOP 565
$78.4 A$112
-10.88%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$34.04 MOP 275
$70.5 A$101
-51.74%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$93.2 MOP 754
$111 A$159
-16.27%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$138 MOP 1,113
$132 A$189
4.55%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Taipa
Sydney
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,065 MOP 8,607
$2,514 A$3,598
-57.65%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,001 MOP 8,089
$1,732 A$2,478
-42.21%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,130 MOP 17.2K
$4,889 A$6,996
-56.42%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,891 MOP 15.3K
$3,039 A$4,349
-37.77%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$15.9K MOP 128.2K
$13.2K A$18.9K
20.03%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$13.6K MOP 109.8K
$8,117 A$11.6K
67.38%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Taipa
Sydney
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$4,082 A$5,842
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3
5.84
-48.63%

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

Last update for Taipa: October 5, 2026

Last update for Sydney: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Taipa
$1K
Sydney
$1.7K 73% $731
Groceries & Markets
Taipa
$425
Sydney
$380 10.4% $44
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Taipa
$182
Sydney
$303 66.3% $121
Eating Out
Taipa
$175
Sydney
$299 71% $124
Clothing & Footwear
Taipa
$151
Sydney
$176 17.1% $26
Sport & Entertainment
Taipa
$99
Sydney
$110 11.3% $11
Getting Around
Taipa
$8.8 *
Sydney
$174 1884% $165

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,065 in Taipa versus $2,514 in Sydney. 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 $57.0 in Taipa versus $97.0 in Sydney. Groceries tell a different story – $425 in Taipa vs $380 in Sydney – so Sydney wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇲🇴 Taipa
🇦🇺 Sydney
🕒 Local time
11:58 11:58 AM
14:58 2:58 PM
3 h ahead of Taipa
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
78,497
4,840,600
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, USD, EUR to MOP – Macanese Pataca Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Taipa Sydney 7,390 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Taipa
  • Sydney

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 Sydney: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Taipa and in Sydney compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $2,021 in Taipa, $3,182 in Sydney – roughly 57% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.
What salary covers living expenses in Taipa compared to Sydney?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,031 per month in Taipa and $4,774 in Sydney. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Taipa and Sydney?
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.
Which city is more expensive overall: Taipa or Sydney?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,021 in Taipa and $3,182 in Sydney. That's a gap of about 57%.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Taipa and Sydney?
Kindergarten costs $1,203 per month in Taipa and $2,157 in Sydney. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Which city is more doable on $3,000 per month?
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.
Where should families live: Taipa or Sydney?
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.
Is Taipa or Sydney safer for residents?
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.
How do I decide between Taipa and Sydney?
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.

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