Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Nampula

For one person, living is cheaper in Nampula: $525 a month against $1,351 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $9,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index

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Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,351

/mo nomad

Nampula

🇲🇿 Mozambique

$525

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Nampula

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,351 in Bucharest versus $525 in Nampula.

Bucharest $1,351
Nampula $525

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,033 in Bucharest versus $703 in Nampula.

Bucharest $2,033
Nampula $703

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,715 in Bucharest versus $881 in Nampula.

Bucharest $2,715
Nampula $881

Living in Bucharest is roughly 157% more expensive than in Nampula, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Bucharest is 1% above, Nampula is 61% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.46 RON 68.4

$5.33 MZN 337

171.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.7 RON 273

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.50 RON 35.46

Cappuccino

$3.43 RON 16.20

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

$2.46 RON 11.63

$0.81 MZN 51.5

203.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 RON 11.01

$0.40 MZN 25.48

482.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.80 RON 17.97

$1.59 MZN 100

138.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.10 RON 19.41

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 RON 7.79

$1.82 MZN 115

-9.34%

White Bread (500g)

$1.35 RON 6.39

$0.48 MZN 30.66

181.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.78 RON 8.42

$1.11 MZN 70.3

60.36%

Eggs

$3.66 RON 17.33

$2.68 MZN 170

36.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.57 RON 40.54

$10.18 MZN 644

-15.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.80 RON 32.17

$3.49 MZN 221

94.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.72 RON 55.4

$3.77 MZN 238

210.88%

Apples (1kg)

$1.29 RON 6.11

$2.70 MZN 171

-52.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 RON 7.37

$2.39 MZN 151

-34.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.54 RON 7.28

$2.01 MZN 127

-23.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.48 RON 11.75

$1.52 MZN 96.4

63.16%

Potato (1kg)

$0.83 RON 3.92

$1.48 MZN 93.8

-43.92%

Onion (1kg)

$0.80 RON 3.77

$1.69 MZN 107

-52.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.84 RON 3.98

$0.74 MZN 46.53

13.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 RON 4.39

$0.88 MZN 55.7

5.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.44 RON 30.45

Wine (Bottle)

$6.32 RON 29.91

$6.35 MZN 402

-0.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 RON 5.94

$2.34 MZN 148

-46.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 RON 7.59

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.81 RON 3.85

$0.16 MZN 10.04

406.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.13 RON 99.9

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.60 RON 2.86

$1.59 MZN 101

-62.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.61 RON 2.91

$2.29 MZN 145

-73.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.17 RON 29.19

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 RON 9.27

$1.50 MZN 95.1

30.67%

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

$28.1K RON 133.1K

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

$26.3K RON 124.3K

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

$197 RON 931

$119 MZN 7,496

66.10%

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

$8.34 RON 39.44

$33.37 MZN 2,111

-75.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.19 RON 43.47

$124 MZN 7,872

-92.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.87 RON 236

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.99 RON 118

Cinema Ticket

$8.46 RON 40.01

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

$639 RON 3,023

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.4K RON 68.1K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.6 RON 429

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.05 RON 180

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.7 RON 377

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.2 RON 441

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$673 RON 3,184

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$449 RON 2,123

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,098 RON 5,195

$941 MZN 59.5K

16.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$729 RON 3,448

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,740 RON 17.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,189 RON 10.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,323 RON 6,259

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.74

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

Last update for Bucharest: October 3, 2026

Last update for Nampula: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$449 33.5%

Nampula

–

Eating Out

Bucharest

$226 16.8%

Nampula

–

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$222 16.5%

Nampula

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$214 16%

Nampula

–

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$136 10.1%

Nampula

–

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$67 5%

Nampula

–

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Nampula

–

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇲🇿 Nampula

🕒 Local time

08:21 8:21 AM

07:21 7:21 AM

1 h behind Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

477,900

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Mozambican Metical MZN MT

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.189 EUR

100 MZN = 1.58 USD

100 MZN = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MZN, USD, EUR to RON – Romanian Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇴 Romanian Leu (lei)

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.3 RON (1 RON = 0.189 EUR).

Mozambican Metical exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 63.25 MZN (100 MZN = 1.58 USD). 1 EUR = 70.94 MZN (100 MZN = 1.41 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

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Between locations

Bucharest Nampula 6,760 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

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Nampula

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

Bucharest vs Nampula: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bucharest and Nampula differ by about 157% in total monthly costs ($1,351 vs $525 including rent). Nampula is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,027 in Bucharest and $787 in Nampula to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Supermarket bills run roughly 19% higher in Bucharest. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,351 per month in Bucharest versus $525 in Nampula – a 157% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $525 in Nampula versus $1,351 in Bucharest, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Nampula but tight or insufficient in Bucharest. The gap between the two cities makes Nampula the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Nampula gentler on the wallet – expenses run 157% less than in Bucharest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.