Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Matola

For one person, living is cheaper in Matola: $995 a month against $1,775 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $9,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

86

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Matola
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Matola Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Matola

🇲🇿 Mozambique

$995

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Matola

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Athens and in Matola actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,775 in Athens versus $995 in Matola.

Athens $1,775
Matola $995

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $1,520 in Matola.

Athens $2,721
Matola $1,520

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,666 in Athens versus $2,045 in Matola.

Athens $3,666
Matola $2,045

Living in Athens is roughly 78% more expensive than in Matola, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Athens is 31% above, Matola is 26% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.69 €14.84

$7.60 MZN 481

119.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.8 €60.3

$63.4 MZN 4,010

6.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.14 €9.91

$7.32 MZN 463

52.19%

Cappuccino

$4.03 €3.58

$1.58 MZN 99.9

155.06%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 €2.46

$0.82 MZN 52.1

237.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.49

$0.74 MZN 46.85

-25.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.74 €5.10

$1.15 MZN 72.9

399.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.45 €4.85

$1.52 MZN 96.3

258.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.54 MZN 97.4

18.18%

White Bread (500g)

$1.38 €1.23

$0.99 MZN 62.8

39.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.80 €2.49

$1.66 MZN 105

68.67%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.30

$1.84 MZN 117

162.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.05 €13.39

$13.09 MZN 828

14.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.63 €9.45

$5.65 MZN 357

88.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.43 €16.39

$4.55 MZN 288

305.05%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$2.07 MZN 131

6.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 €1.69

$0.59 MZN 37.08

222.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.71 MZN 108

-19.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.07 MZN 67.9

96.26%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 €0.96

$0.99 MZN 62.7

9.09%

Onion (1kg)

$1.12 €1.00

$0.82 MZN 51.8

36.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 €1.00

$0.97 MZN 61.2

15.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$0.53 MZN 33.63

66.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.48 €4.88

$2.83 MZN 179

93.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.13 €9.01

$6.98 MZN 442

45.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.89

$0.90 MZN 57.2

136.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.24 MZN 78.4

81.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.36 €1.21

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.89 €26.59

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.45 €3.96

$1.59 MZN 101

179.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 €0.90

$1.20 MZN 75.6

-15.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.92 €15.05

$24.67 MZN 1,560

-31.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.42 MZN 89.8

58.45%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$28.0K €24.9K

$32.2K MZN 2.0M

-13.00%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$28.2K €25.1K

$22.8K MZN 1.4M

23.65%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$205 €182

$39.72 MZN 2,512

415.11%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$26.65 €23.71

$7.80 MZN 493

241.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.38 €27.02

$77.3 MZN 4,891

-60.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.5 €48.47

$39.53 MZN 2,500

37.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.88 €23.02

Cinema Ticket

$10.42 €9.27

$7.87 MZN 498

32.40%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$569 €506

$130 MZN 8,234

337.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K €11.2K

$5,052 MZN 319.5K

149.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.7 €78.9

$49.07 MZN 3,104

80.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.46 €35.99

$57.0 MZN 3,606

-29.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.3

$78.1 MZN 4,939

34.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$79.4 MZN 5,019

52.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$741 €659

$473 MZN 29.9K

56.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$655 €582

$389 MZN 24.6K

68.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,300 €1,156

$693 MZN 43.8K

87.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,148 €1,021

$552 MZN 34.9K

108.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,014 €3,570

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,460 €3,078

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,242 €1,105

$315 MZN 19.9K

294.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

-82.08%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Athens: October 10, 2026

Last update for Matola: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$655 36.9%

Matola

$389 39.1% 40.5% $265

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$310 17.5%

Matola

$182 18.3% 41.3% $128

Eating Out

Athens

$268 15.1%

Matola

$117 11.7% 56.4% $151

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$262 14.7%

Matola

$125 12.6% 52.3% $137

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$160 9%

Matola

$119 11.9% 25.8% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Matola

$55 5.6% 26.6% $20

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Matola

$7.6 * 0.8% 83.1% $37

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $741 in Athens and $473 in Matola. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens pays 295% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $68.0 in Athens vs $63.0 in Matola for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $310 vs $182 per month, with Matola cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇲🇿 Matola

🕒 Local time

11:16 11:16 AM

10:16 10:16 AM

1 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

675,422

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Mozambican Metical MZN MT

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 MZN = 1.58 USD

100 MZN = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MZN, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Mozambican Metical exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 63.25 MZN (100 MZN = 1.58 USD). 1 EUR = 71.11 MZN (100 MZN = 1.41 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Athens Matola 7,170 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Athens
Matola

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Athens vs Matola: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Matola wins on cost – living expenses run 78% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Matola the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 295% higher in Athens, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $741 in Athens versus $473 in Matola. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $569 in Athens versus $130 in Matola. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Matola – a meal for two runs $63.0 versus $68.0 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $995 in Matola versus $1,775 in Athens, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Matola but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Matola the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Matola delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $995 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Matola hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens and Matola are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Matola gentler on the wallet – expenses run 78% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.