Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cairo and Matola

For one person, living is cheaper in Cairo: $647 a month against $995 in Matola, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

32

Cost of Living Index in Cairo
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Cairo Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Matola
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Matola Living Index

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Cairo

🇪🇬 Egypt

$647

/mo nomad

Matola

🇲🇿 Mozambique

$995

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cairo 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 Cairo and in Matola actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $647 per month in Cairo vs $995 in Matola, rent included.

Cairo $647
Matola $995

A couple spends around $1,035 per month in Cairo vs $1,520 in Matola, rent included.

Cairo $1,035
Matola $1,520

A family of three spends $1,423 per month in Cairo vs $2,045 in Matola, rent included.

Cairo $1,423
Matola $2,045

Cairo is about 35% cheaper than Matola, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Cairo and Matola are more affordable than the global median – Cairo 52% lower, Matola 26% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.64 E£248

$7.60 MZN 481

-38.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.12 E£1,501

$63.4 MZN 4,010

-55.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.03 E£322

$7.32 MZN 463

-17.62%

Cappuccino

$1.72 E£92.1

$1.58 MZN 99.9

8.86%

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

$0.36 E£19.38

$0.82 MZN 52.1

-56.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.12 E£6.41

$0.74 MZN 46.85

-83.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.51 E£80.4

$1.15 MZN 72.9

31.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.32 E£124

$1.52 MZN 96.3

52.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.92 E£48.92

$1.54 MZN 97.4

-40.26%

White Bread (500g)

$0.73 E£38.92

$0.99 MZN 62.8

-26.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.74 E£39.64

$1.66 MZN 105

-55.42%

Eggs

$1.19 E£63.7

$1.84 MZN 117

-35.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.33 E£231

$13.09 MZN 828

-66.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.03 E£269

$5.65 MZN 357

-10.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.28 E£496

$4.55 MZN 288

103.96%

Apples (1kg)

$1.77 E£94.4

$2.07 MZN 131

-14.49%

Banana (1kg)

$0.73 E£39.03

$0.59 MZN 37.08

23.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.55 E£29.51

$1.71 MZN 108

-67.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.50 E£26.91

$1.07 MZN 67.9

-53.27%

Potato (1kg)

$0.42 E£22.42

$0.99 MZN 62.7

-57.58%

Onion (1kg)

$0.41 E£21.81

$0.82 MZN 51.8

-50.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.33 E£17.51

$0.97 MZN 61.2

-65.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.21 E£11.20

$0.53 MZN 33.63

-60.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.98 E£106

$2.83 MZN 179

-30.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.81 E£417

$6.98 MZN 442

11.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 E£84.7

$0.90 MZN 57.2

76.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 E£112

$1.24 MZN 78.4

68.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.35 E£18.83

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.69 E£464

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.39 E£21.02

$1.59 MZN 101

-75.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.22 E£11.57

$1.20 MZN 75.6

-81.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 E£80.5

$24.67 MZN 1,560

-93.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.43 E£22.88

$1.42 MZN 89.8

-69.72%

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

$32.7K E£1.7M

$32.2K MZN 2.0M

1.49%

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

$27.2K E£1.5M

$22.8K MZN 1.4M

19.27%

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

$27.27 E£1,456

$39.72 MZN 2,512

-31.34%

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

$8.58 E£458

$7.80 MZN 493

10.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.99 E£747

$77.3 MZN 4,891

-81.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.69 E£1,585

$39.53 MZN 2,500

-24.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.25 E£387

Cinema Ticket

$4.86 E£260

$7.87 MZN 498

-38.25%

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

$121 E£6,438

$130 MZN 8,234

-7.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,560 E£190.1K

$5,052 MZN 319.5K

-29.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$40.28 E£2,151

$49.07 MZN 3,104

-17.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.53 E£2,645

$57.0 MZN 3,606

-13.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 E£6,137

$78.1 MZN 4,939

47.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$60.0 E£3,206

$79.4 MZN 5,019

-24.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$222 E£11.9K

$473 MZN 29.9K

-53.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$195 E£10.4K

$389 MZN 24.6K

-49.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$550 E£29.3K

$693 MZN 43.8K

-20.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$346 E£18.5K

$552 MZN 34.9K

-37.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$800 E£42.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$525 E£28.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$200 E£10.7K

$315 MZN 19.9K

-36.54%

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 11, 2026

Last update for Matola: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cairo

$195 30.2%

Matola

$389 39.1% 99.7% $194

Groceries & Markets

Cairo

$142 21.9%

Matola

$182 18.3% 28.6% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Cairo

$119 18.4%

Matola

$119 11.9% 0.5% $0.6

Eating Out

Cairo

$90 13.9%

Matola

$117 11.7% 29.8% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cairo

$50 7.7%

Matola

$125 12.6% 151% $75

Sport & Entertainment

Cairo

$39 6.1%

Matola

$55 5.6% 40.2% $16

Getting Around

Cairo

$12 1.8%

Matola

$7.6 * 0.8% 34.6% $4

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $222 in Cairo versus $473 in Matola. 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 58% higher in Matola, 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 Matola. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $142 vs $182 – making Cairo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇬 Cairo

🇲🇿 Matola

🕒 Local time

15:13 3:13 PM

14:13 2:13 PM

1 h behind Cairo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,120,350 Capital

675,422

💱 Currency

Egyptian Pound EGP £

Mozambican Metical MZN MT

📈 Exchange rate

100 EGP = 1.87 USD

100 EGP = 1.67 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 53.4 EGP (100 EGP = 1.87 USD). 1 EUR = 60.03 EGP (100 EGP = 1.67 EUR).

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 EGP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cairo Matola 6,230 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Cairo
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

Cairo vs Matola: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Matola is pricier by about 54%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $970 per month in Cairo and $1,492 in Matola. 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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $647 in Cairo and $995 in Matola. That's a gap of about 54%.

Kindergarten costs $121 per month in Cairo and $130 in Matola. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Cairo, where all-in costs run around $647, than in Matola at $995. In Cairo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Matola 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, Matola makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.