Quick Contact
Code MOP
Symbol P
Coins
10, 20, 50 avos, MOP$1, MOP$2, MOP$5, MOP$10
Banknotes
MOP$10, MOP$20, MOP$50, MOP$100, MOP$500, MOP$1,000
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Budget planning tool
Punch in your holiday deets below to use crowd-sourced Numbeo data* to help plan your spending money.
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No commission
On foreign exchange rates when you order with Travel Money NZ.
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Pick up locally
With over 20 convenient store locations across New Zealand, you can securely pick up your Macanese pataca with no hassles.
Planning your trip to Macau
Holiday budget calculator
We get it, doing your holiday budget is a snore fest. It's important though, so we've made it super easy for you to do now. Just punch in your holiday deets and we'll combine destination spend data with our exchange rates so you know how much to take. Easy peasy budget donesy!
About the currency
Coins and notes
Similar to dollars and cents, pataca can be divided by 100 into avos (and no, not the smashed on toast kind). You’ll most likely find coins worth 10, 20 and 50 avos, then moving through 1, 2, 5 and 10 patacas. The Macanese banknotes sit at 10, 20, 50, 100, 500 and 1,000 patacas each.
Facts about the currency
- Unfortunately, you won’t get far if you don’t have any pataca with you. The local currency runs incredibly similarly to the Hong Kong dollar, so much so that locals will often accept either (except for the HKD $10 coin).
- Banknotes have been printed in both Portuguese and Chinese thanks to Macau’s unique history.
- If you’re lucky, some places in Macau may also accept the Chinese yuan.
- Something very satisfying to know, all MOP banknotes are the exact same size as the equivalent banknotes in Hong Kong dollars.
- A note worth 1,000 patacas was introduced on 8 August 1988 to celebrate China’s lucky number of – you guessed it – 8, which in its native tongue sounds close to “getting rich”. How appropriate is that?
- There are no restrictions on bringing currency in or out of Macau, although you might find it tough to part ways with your pataca back home. Not just because it’s a souvenir of your best trip ever, but because it’s rarely traded back for NZD. So you might be better off spending all your pataca while you’re there.
The historical rates chart above shows how today’s exchange rate compares to what it's been in the past. Not where you want it to be? No worries. Just sign up to receive currency alerts from Travel Money NZ and we’ll let you know when the rate is looking good. You’re welcome.