Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cairo and Maputo

For one person, living is cheaper in Cairo: $643 a month against $1,109 in Maputo, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

31

Cost of Living Index in Cairo
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Cairo Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Maputo
Learn more

Maputo Living Index

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Cairo

🇪🇬 Egypt

$643

/mo nomad

Maputo

🇲🇿 Mozambique

$1,109

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cairo and in Maputo

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

A single person spends $643 per month in Cairo vs $1,109 in Maputo, rent included.

Cairo $643
Maputo $1,109

A couple spends around $1,037 per month in Cairo vs $1,720 in Maputo, rent included.

Cairo $1,037
Maputo $1,720

A family of three spends $1,431 per month in Cairo vs $2,331 in Maputo, rent included.

Cairo $1,431
Maputo $2,331

Cairo is about 42% cheaper than Maputo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Cairo and Maputo are more affordable than the global median – Cairo 52% lower, Maputo 17% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.69 E£245

$10.37 MZN 656

-54.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.49 E£1,491

$63.2 MZN 3,995

-54.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.03 E£315

$6.95 MZN 440

-13.24%

Cappuccino

$1.81 E£94.7

$2.28 MZN 144

-20.61%

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

$0.35 E£18.18

$0.87 MZN 55.2

-59.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.15 E£7.95

$0.73 MZN 46.29

-79.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.45 E£76.0

$1.60 MZN 101

-9.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 E£117

$2.32 MZN 147

-3.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.97 E£50.7

$1.52 MZN 96.1

-36.18%

White Bread (500g)

$0.73 E£37.96

$1.00 MZN 63.0

-27.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.77 E£40.24

$1.67 MZN 106

-53.89%

Eggs

$1.17 E£61.2

$2.52 MZN 159

-53.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.32 E£226

$21.02 MZN 1,329

-79.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.07 E£265

$5.87 MZN 371

-13.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.92 E£467

$5.59 MZN 353

59.57%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 E£95.8

$1.99 MZN 126

-8.04%

Banana (1kg)

$0.75 E£39.07

$0.79 MZN 50.2

-5.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.57 E£29.78

$1.71 MZN 108

-66.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.51 E£26.62

$1.09 MZN 68.7

-53.21%

Potato (1kg)

$0.38 E£20.05

$1.03 MZN 65.4

-63.11%

Onion (1kg)

$0.42 E£21.88

$0.75 MZN 47.25

-44.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.35 E£18.43

$0.96 MZN 61.0

-63.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.24 E£12.57

$0.91 MZN 57.4

-73.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.99 E£104

$2.83 MZN 179

-29.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.48 E£391

$10.11 MZN 639

-26.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.52 E£79.4

$0.98 MZN 61.7

55.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 E£112

$1.32 MZN 83.6

61.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.33 E£17.10

$0.37 MZN 23.45

-10.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.66 E£453

$23.65 MZN 1,496

-63.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.37 E£19.27

$1.60 MZN 101

-76.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.20 E£10.65

$1.19 MZN 75.2

-83.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.49 E£77.8

$24.44 MZN 1,546

-93.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.46 E£23.94

$1.36 MZN 85.8

-66.18%

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

$32.6K E£1.7M

$31.7K MZN 2.0M

2.78%

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

$28.4K E£1.5M

$22.5K MZN 1.4M

26.16%

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

$27.54 E£1,441

$71.5 MZN 4,520

-61.46%

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

$8.27 E£432

$7.75 MZN 490

6.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.05 E£735

$88.1 MZN 5,573

-84.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.27 E£1,479

$42.26 MZN 2,673

-33.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.70 E£350

$26.54 MZN 1,679

-74.76%

Cinema Ticket

$4.40 E£230

$7.88 MZN 499

-44.16%

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

$121 E£6,356

$129 MZN 8,158

-5.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,619 E£189.3K

$5,162 MZN 326.5K

-29.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$40.16 E£2,101

$49.15 MZN 3,109

-18.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.61 E£2,596

$55.3 MZN 3,496

-10.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 E£6,033

$77.2 MZN 4,881

49.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$60.6 E£3,170

$78.1 MZN 4,940

-22.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$220 E£11.5K

$536 MZN 33.9K

-58.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$194 E£10.2K

$382 MZN 24.2K

-49.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$514 E£26.9K

$1,061 MZN 67.1K

-51.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$334 E£17.5K

$566 MZN 35.8K

-41.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$806 E£42.2K

$4,129 MZN 261.1K

-80.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$513 E£26.9K

$2,051 MZN 129.7K

-74.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$200 E£10.5K

$325 MZN 20.6K

-38.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

16.21

-35.16%

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

Last update for Cairo: October 3, 2026

Last update for Maputo: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cairo

$194 30.1%

Maputo

$382 33.8% 96.8% $188

Groceries & Markets

Cairo

$141 21.9%

Maputo

$225 19.9% 59.3% $84

Clothing & Footwear

Cairo

$120 18.6%

Maputo

$117 10.3% 2.3% $2.7

Eating Out

Cairo

$91 14.1%

Maputo

$150 13.3% 65% $59

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cairo

$50 7.7%

Maputo

$167 14.8% 236% $117

Sport & Entertainment

Cairo

$37 5.8%

Maputo

$58 5.1% 56.5% $21

Getting Around

Cairo

$11 1.8%

Maputo

$33 2.9% 188% $21

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $220 in Cairo versus $536 in Maputo. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 62% higher in Maputo, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $28.00 in Cairo versus $63.0 in Maputo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $141 vs $225 – making Cairo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇬 Cairo

🇲🇿 Maputo

🕒 Local time

08:18 8:18 AM

07:18 7:18 AM

1 h behind Cairo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,120,350 Capital

1,244,227 Capital

💱 Currency

Egyptian Pound EGP £

Mozambican Metical MZN MT

📈 Exchange rate

100 EGP = 1.91 USD

100 EGP = 1.7 EUR

100 MZN = 1.58 USD

100 MZN = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MZN, USD, EUR to EGP – Egyptian Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇬 Egyptian Pound (£)

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 52.32 EGP (100 EGP = 1.91 USD). 1 EUR = 58.68 EGP (100 EGP = 1.7 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 EGP in detail →

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Between locations

Cairo Maputo 6,230 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Cairo
Maputo

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

Cairo vs Maputo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Maputo is pricier by about 72%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $965 per month in Cairo and $1,663 in Maputo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cairo, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 59% more in Maputo, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $28.00 in Cairo and $63.0 in Maputo. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Cairo, where all-in costs run around $643, than in Maputo at $1,109. In Cairo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Maputo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Cairo – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Cairo. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Maputo makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.