Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Maputo

For one person, living is cheaper in Maputo: $1,127 a month against $1,556 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in Maputo
Learn more

Maputo Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,556

/mo nomad

Maputo

🇲🇿 Mozambique

$1,127

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cape Town 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 Cape Town and in Maputo actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,556 per month in Cape Town vs $1,127 in Maputo, rent included.

Cape Town $1,556
Maputo $1,127

A couple spends around $2,432 per month in Cape Town vs $1,729 in Maputo, rent included.

Cape Town $2,432
Maputo $1,729

A family of three spends $3,307 per month in Cape Town vs $2,331 in Maputo, rent included.

Cape Town $3,307
Maputo $2,331

Cape Town costs about 38% more than Maputo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Cape Town sits 14% above the global median, while Maputo is 17% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.09 R 202

$10.08 MZN 637

19.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.34 R 741

$63.4 MZN 4,010

-30.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.15 R 103

$7.01 MZN 443

-12.27%

Cappuccino

$2.36 R 39.41

$2.17 MZN 137

8.76%

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

$1.26 R 21.12

$0.81 MZN 51.5

55.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.00 R 16.63

$0.69 MZN 43.66

44.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.08 R 51.5

$1.60 MZN 101

92.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 R 61.8

$2.39 MZN 151

54.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.34 R 22.47

$1.60 MZN 101

-16.25%

White Bread (500g)

$1.19 R 19.94

$0.99 MZN 62.4

20.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.10 R 35.11

$1.59 MZN 101

32.08%

Eggs

$3.05 R 50.9

$2.47 MZN 156

23.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.73 R 146

$20.84 MZN 1,318

-58.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.97 R 116

$5.70 MZN 361

22.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.39 R 157

$5.68 MZN 360

65.32%

Apples (1kg)

$1.89 R 31.52

$1.97 MZN 125

-4.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.88 R 31.40

$0.76 MZN 48.10

147.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.69 R 28.15

$1.68 MZN 106

0.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.04 R 34.16

$1.09 MZN 69.0

87.16%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 R 26.19

$1.00 MZN 63.3

57.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 R 24.72

$0.81 MZN 51.1

82.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 R 21.42

$0.98 MZN 62.2

30.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R 19.87

$0.85 MZN 54.0

40.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.63 R 60.6

$2.78 MZN 176

30.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.17 R 103

$10.18 MZN 644

-39.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 23.20

$1.01 MZN 64.0

37.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 R 36.42

$1.29 MZN 81.5

68.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.37 R 22.89

$0.22 MZN 13.89

522.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.3 R 1,024

$23.85 MZN 1,508

156.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.57 R 9.60

$1.60 MZN 101

-64.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 R 24.68

$1.19 MZN 75.5

24.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 R 81.8

$24.69 MZN 1,562

-80.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 R 26.36

$1.36 MZN 86.2

16.18%

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

$34.7K R 579.9K

$31.3K MZN 2.0M

10.80%

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

$34.1K R 569.7K

$23.0K MZN 1.5M

48.29%

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

$117 R 1,953

$70.3 MZN 4,444

66.41%

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

$28.35 R 474

$7.64 MZN 483

271.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.58 R 678

$88.1 MZN 5,573

-53.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.54 R 811

$42.70 MZN 2,701

13.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.80 R 181

$26.59 MZN 1,682

-59.38%

Cinema Ticket

$9.11 R 152

$7.69 MZN 486

18.47%

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

$302 R 5,045

$174 MZN 11.0K

74.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,720 R 112.3K

$5,168 MZN 326.9K

30.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.2 R 923

$50.2 MZN 3,177

9.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.70 R 546

$56.0 MZN 3,540

-41.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 R 1,970

$79.6 MZN 5,035

48.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 R 1,736

$79.2 MZN 5,007

31.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,041 R 17.4K

$547 MZN 34.6K

90.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$691 R 11.5K

$381 MZN 24.1K

81.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,981 R 33.1K

$1,059 MZN 67.0K

86.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,388 R 23.2K

$558 MZN 35.3K

148.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,420 R 40.4K

$4,188 MZN 264.9K

-42.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,552 R 25.9K

$2,047 MZN 129.5K

-24.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,576 R 26.3K

$326 MZN 20.6K

383.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

-56.12%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 24, 2026

Last update for Maputo: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$691 44.4%

Maputo

$381 33.8% 44.8% $310

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$224 14.4%

Maputo

$224 19.9% 0% $0.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$186 11.9%

Maputo

$166 14.7% 10.7% $20

Eating Out

Cape Town

$175 11.3%

Maputo

$147 13% 16.4% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$139 9%

Maputo

$119 10.6% 14.4% $20

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.8%

Maputo

$32 2.9% 56.8% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.3%

Maputo

$58 5.2% 13% $8.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,041 in Cape Town versus $547 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 in Cape Town are about 4.8 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Cape Town versus $63 in Maputo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $224 vs $224 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇲🇿 Maputo

🕒 Local time

01:22 1:22 AM

Same time as Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

1,244,227 Capital

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Mozambican Metical MZN MT

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 5.99 USD

100 ZAR = 5.36 EUR

100 MZN = 1.58 USD

100 MZN = 1.42 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MZN, USD, EUR to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 16.71 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.99 USD). 1 EUR = 18.66 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.36 EUR).

Mozambican Metical exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 63.25 MZN (100 MZN = 1.58 USD). 1 EUR = 70.62 MZN (100 MZN = 1.42 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cape Town Maputo 1,620 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
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

Cape Town vs Maputo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 38% more than Maputo, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,335 per month in Cape Town and $1,690 in Maputo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Maputo, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $547 there versus $1,041 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,556 in Cape Town and $1,127 in Maputo. That makes Maputo about 28% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $302 per month in Cape Town and $174 in Maputo. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,556 in Cape Town and $1,127 in Maputo, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Maputo – 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 Maputo. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Cape Town makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.