Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Macau instead of California, you would:

Health

live 6.0 years longer

In California, the average life expectancy is 79 years (78 years for men, 83 years for women) as of 2020. In Macau, that number is 85 years (82 years for men, 88 years for women) as of 2022.

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Economy

make 21.4% more money

California has a GDP per capita of $84,028 as of 2024, while in Macau, the GDP per capita is $102,000 as of 2023.

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be 55.9% less likely to be unemployed

In California, 5.1% of adults are unemployed as of 2025. In Macau, that number is 2.2% as of 2023.

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The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: OECD Regional Demography, Bureau of Economic Analysis, Bureau of Labor Statistics, The World Factbook.

Compare further: California vs. Macau

Cost of Living Comparison · 7 categories - 2026 data
Macau is 24.9% cheaper than California
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Size Comparison · See true size
California is about 14,322 times bigger than Macau.
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Macau: At a glance

Macau is a sovereign country in East/Southeast Asia, with a total land area of approximately 28 sq km. Colonized by the Portuguese in the 16th century, Macau was the first European settlement in the Far East. Pursuant to an agreement signed by China and Portugal on 13 April 1987, Macau became the Macau Special Administrative Region (SAR) of the People's Republic of China on 20 December 1999. 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 subsequent 50 years.
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How big is Macau compared to California? See an in-depth size comparison.

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