Cost of living in Macao
Macao is 42% cheaper than the US, ranking #67 of 203 countries we cover for cost of living.
World Bank data through 2024 · last reviewed 2026-06.
What your money is worth here
A $100,000 US lifestyle would cost roughly $57,500 in Macao.
Quality of life
96/100 · #22 of 198Beyond cost — health, safety, and connectivity. The score is a transparent, equal-weight composite of the verified metrics below (see methodology).
About Macao
Portuguese ships began arriving in 1513. In the 1550s, Portuguese paying tribute to China settled in Macau, which became the official entrepôt for all international trade with China and Japan and the first European settlement in the Far East. The first governor was appointed in the 17th century, but the Portuguese remained largely under the control of the Chinese. In the 1930s and ’40s Macau was declared a neutral territory during the Sino-Japanese War and World War II and became a refuge for both Chinese and Europeans.
Read the full background
Portugal officially made Macau an overseas province in 1951. In April 1987, Portugal and China reached an agreement to return Macau to Chinese rule in 1999, using the Hong Kong Joint Declaration between China and the UK as a model. In this agreement, China promised that, under its "one country, two systems" formula, China's political and economic system would not be imposed on Macau, and that Macau would enjoy a "high degree of autonomy" in all matters except foreign affairs and defense for the next 50 years. However, after China's multi-year crackdown against the pro-democracy movement in nearby Hong Kong, the governments of China and the Macau Special Administrative Region worked to limit Macau's political autonomy by suppressing opposition activity in the 2021 legislative elections.
Background from the CIA World Factbook (public domain), archived 2026-06-03.
Frequently asked
Is Macao expensive to live in?
Macao is 42% cheaper than the US, ranking #67 of the 203 countries we track.
How much money do you need to live in Macao?
A lifestyle that costs $100,000 in the United States would cost roughly $57,500 in Macao, going by overall price levels. The salary translator turns your own figure into a local equivalent.
Is Macao cheaper than the United States?
Yes. Its overall price level is 57.6, against 100 for the United States.
What is the quality of life in Macao?
Macao scores 96 out of 100 on our quality-of-life index (#22 of 198), a composite of life expectancy, safety, health, and connectivity, with life expectancy around 83 years.
Every number, sourced.
We cite the exact source and year for each figure. Derived values are computed at build time, never hand-entered.
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