Many non-local tertiary students in Macao end up living in neighbouring Zhuhai and Hengqin due to the SAR’s high cost of living, TDM reports. According to a local real estate agent, about 60 percent of these students – most of whom hail from mainland China – were currently based outside of the city.
The limited space available in Macao means that local universities are unable to provide dormitories for their entire student body, with some institutions – including the University of Macau – providing on-campus accommodation solely for freshmen and sophomores.
As a result, some students that do not fit the eligibility criteria have been forced to seek out apartments beyond its borders. “I live in a unit in the mainland now and commute here [to my university in Macao] everyday,” one undergraduate student told TDM. “It’s a bit more expensive to live in Macao [and] the food is also more expensive. That’s why we prefer living in Zhuhai.”
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Other students interviewed expressed similar sentiments, with several noting that the flats in Zhuhai were not only more affordable, but better quality and larger than the ones in Macao.
Despite these advantages, about 40 percent of non-local students do opt to live in Macao, said local real estate agent Kevin Lei.
Lei, who specialises in student accommodation, said reduced travel time was students’ key motivating factor to be based near universities.
