Cost of living comparison

Macao, Macau

compared to

San Jose, Costa Rica

San Jose vs. Macao Cost of Living Summary

San Jose is 14.0% more expensive than Macao.

Restaurants: pay 2.0 times more in San Jose
Groceries: pay 12.2% less in San Jose
Transportation: pay 28.2% more in San Jose
Housing: pay 3.3% less in San Jose
Childcare: pay 15.3% less in San Jose
Entertainment and Sports: pay 30.7% less in San Jose
Clothing: pay 26.7% more in San Jose

The cost of restaurants, transportation, and clothing in San Jose are more expensive than in Macao. Expenses including entertainment and sports, childcare, groceries, and housing are lower in San Jose. Notably, restaurants is significantly more expensive in San Jose.

San Jose vs. Macao Cost Breakdown

If you lived in San Jose instead of Macao, you would:

Display currency: USD

pay 2.0 times more for restaurants

	Macao	San Jose
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant	$6.21 MOP49.60	$10.83 CRC5,439.75	+74.5%
Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar	$6.21 MOP49.60	$9.72 CRC4,880.67	+56.5%
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz)	$0.76 MOP6.10	$1.99 CRC1,001.40	+161.0%
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz)	$0.65 MOP5.16	$1.46 CRC733.80	+126.3%
Average			+104.6%

Macao vs. San Jose - Cost of restaurants

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pay 12.2% less for groceries

	Macao	San Jose
Bread 1 loaf	$2.21 MOP17.68	$2.60 CRC1,304.20	+17.3%
Local cheese (8 oz)	$8.73 MOP69.76	$4.26 CRC2,142.07	-51.1%
Milk (1 gallon)	$11.15 MOP89.05	$7.23 CRC3,632.72	-35.1%
Eggs 1 dozen	$2.85 MOP22.80	$3.26 CRC1,638.67	+14.3%
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb)	$3.54 MOP28.31	$4.41 CRC2,213.34	+24.4%
Apples (1 lb)	$1.72 MOP13.76	$1.95 CRC979.73	+13.3%
Bananas (1 lb)	$1.46 MOP11.70	$0.63 CRC316.56	-57.0%
Oranges (1 lb)	$1.72 MOP13.76	$1.59 CRC799.13	-7.6%
Tomatoes (1 lb)	$1.28 MOP10.25	$1.35 CRC677.11	+5.0%
Potatoes (1 lb)	$1.98 MOP15.79	$1.30 CRC652.70	-34.2%
Onions (1 lb)	$1.55 MOP12.41	$1.19 CRC598.19	-23.3%
Average			-12.2%

Macao vs. San Jose - Cost of groceries

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pay 28.2% more for transportation

	Macao	San Jose
Gasoline (1 gallon)	$6.61 MOP52.78	$5.49 CRC2,756.39	-16.9%
Monthly public transit pass	$22.35 MOP178.57	$38.02 CRC19,098.29	+70.1%
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition)	$31,038.42 MOP248,009.20	$36,925.49 CRC18,546,556.93	+19.0%
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles)	$11.35 MOP90.67	$15.94 CRC8,006.74	+40.5%
Average			+28.2%

Macao vs. San Jose - Cost of transportation

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pay 3.3% less for housing

	Macao	San Jose
Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl	$29.59 MOP236.44	$53.59 CRC26,918.97	+81.1%
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area	$1,062.76 MOP8,491.83	$742.08 CRC372,724.00	-30.2%
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center	$827.69 MOP6,613.58	$463.60 CRC232,852.93	-44.0%
Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating	$78.75 MOP629.28	$63.06 CRC31,670.92	-19.9%
Average			-3.3%

Macao vs. San Jose - Cost of housing

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pay 15.3% less for childcare

	Macao	San Jose
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly	$682.85 MOP5,456.20	$521.49 CRC261,929.44	-23.6%
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters	$13,355.39 MOP106,714.81	$12,425.72 CRC6,241,062.04	-7.0%
Average			-15.3%

Macao vs. San Jose - Cost of childcare

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pay 30.7% less for entertainment and sports

	Macao	San Jose
Domestic/local beer (1 pint)	$5.81 MOP46.44	$2.92 CRC1,464.20	-49.8%
Cappuccino in mid-range area	$4.58 MOP36.63	$3.69 CRC1,854.03	-19.5%
Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar	$6.21 MOP49.60	$5.05 CRC2,537.95	-18.6%
Monthly membership at local gym	$86.91 MOP694.43	$59.70 CRC29,986.04	-31.3%
Movie ticket to theater/cinema	$14.77 MOP118.05	$9.72 CRC4,880.67	-34.2%
Average			-30.7%

Macao vs. San Jose - Cost of entertainment and sports

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pay 26.7% more for clothing

	Macao	San Jose
Regular jeans Levi's brand	$72.38 MOP578.36	$73.59 CRC36,960.11	+1.7%
Regular dress from H&M or similar store	$37.25 MOP297.61	$50.81 CRC25,521.52	+36.4%
Running shoes Nike or Adidas	$84.84 MOP677.89	$125.98 CRC63,277.74	+48.5%
Men's business shoes (leather)	$97.55 MOP779.46	$117.31 CRC58,923.14	+20.3%
Average			+26.7%

Macao vs. San Jose - Cost of clothing

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The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you. We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: April 2025

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