Thanks you two for all the helpful advice. I've definitely gone through my time on living on a pittance -- might have even been one of those who would compete about how little I could spend -- but now with a family I find myself with different priorities. Good accommodation and general comfort have become important to me and so has developing an increasing balance in my bank account. I think I'll go with the Macau job. If it isn't all I had hoped for then at least I'll have experienced a year living in Macau and can move onto something better once my contract expires.