Macau

[Skaz]

Wondering if there is anybody out there that can shed some light for me on the living and working situation in Macau?

Cost of living, quality of life, whats the daily situation like, transport, housing , food etc.

Thanks

[kobo_iao]

Hi, i come from Macau. In terms of the aviation industry, if you can speak English language and get hold of a couple of relevant licenses then you will have a pretty good chance of getting a job and earn roughly MOP 20000. For pilots, i think F/O roughly 45000+ and captain 75000+ (Air Macau, A320 family and A300) (MOP is the Macau currency, also called Patacas.)

In terms of the living, renting a normal sized flat will cost you MOP 4000 a month. Food is cheap, plenty of restaurants, also supermarkets. Most western people find the Taipa area (where the airport is) is easier to live in rather than the main Macau peninsula. I mean food will cost you no more than MOP3000 if you eat at normal rest. or cook yourself. The taipa area is relatively quiet but it may be still a bit noisy compare to western countries (Since Macau is one of the most dense area in terms of population.) Living is okey, a lot of entertainment, casino, night clubs, good pubs and places to drink and chat with friends in the new breed of huge hotels. Local people are nice, although many of them can't speak English but generally nice. Transport, not so good....bus service....4 out of 10 i would say. Getting a car is almost a must if you wanna get around quickly. However, taxi service is cheap, MOP 11 to start and roughly MOP1 for each extra kilometer. Bus from 2.5 to 5. Hope it helps mate, good luck to you! come back if you have more questions!

[Feilong]

thanks

Thanks for the info on living in Macau, very informative.

[Asianlonghaul]

kobo_iao many thanks for your interesting post. 4000 a month for a flat I think is about $498 US a month, that is cheap compared to some places, would that be for a 2 bed roomed place in nice condition or for a small place that is a bit of a dive? How much is a small town house to rent? Is it worth having a car or can you do with taxis?
Many Thanks in advance!

[JSF1]

4000/month is true of the old contracts perhaps. Now you are looking at 7-8000 minimum.

[Arrowhead]

Basic 2 bed flat is now 8000+
decent family appartment is 15,000+

[Asianlonghaul]

Many thanks guys for the reply. What do you get in an apartment for 15000 compared to 8000? What's the life style there like?

[hawkerjet]

Most of the numbers talked about above have changed significantly. As of May 2008 the cost of renting a Flat in Macau has gone up. The average cost of Western style Flats ( read---- under 10 years old with ammenities such as pool & health club, examples are Supreme Flower City, Nova City, Kingsville) are 12,000 to 16,000 MOP. Now, you can still rent a flat much less than these previous numbers, but you will not have a new apartment with western style kitchen and the nicer ammenities. If you're bringing the wife and kids over 10,000nm from home you should consider this seriously. I go by the old adage, " Wifey not happy, then nobody happy".A small flat in a non Western style complex can run you 8,000 to 10,000 MOP/month and I'm sure there are cheaper ones, however I am not aware of them. This gets into the personal taste issue and everyone has there own. I moved my wife over here and I prefer the Western style and thus, have to pay a higher rate.There are a couple of airlines, a helicopter company and a charter company in Macau and the charter outfit has the largest housing allowance and pay scheme. Food is still inexpensive and hasn't changed much in a few years, however there is MSG in almost everything, not good for the blood pressure. There are more taxi's now, however they can still be difficult to obtain during peak hours. Buses are cheap and plentiful albeit sometimes very crowded.
Most expats don't have cars but I have noticed that the majority of those that do have kids. This helps in shopping and getting them off to school. Cars are inexpensive however parking is an issue. I was happy to get rid of mine. I also hear that the Macau drivers test is harder than your conversion exams. You'll do just fine on taxi's.
Maybe I should define Western Style Flat. This term was used by several realtors I dealt with and have a somewhat loose meaning but the generalization is that there are a lot of expats living in a complex. Also these apartments tend to come with a washer/dryer, larger living rooms and bedrooms with one being a master bedroom and adjoining bathroom, kitchen to include built in gas burner stove, large sink, cabinets and if lucky, an oven. Large fridge and appliances that are new usually come with it also. If you can fit a king size bed, dresser and other bedroom furniture and still walk around, then you have a large room.