Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dubai and Maputo

For one person, living is cheaper in Maputo: $1,109 a month against $2,854 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $20,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

139

Cost of Living Index in Dubai
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Dubai Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Maputo
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Maputo Living Index

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Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,854

/mo nomad

Maputo

🇲🇿 Mozambique

$1,109

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,854 in Dubai versus $1,109 in Maputo.

Dubai $2,854
Maputo $1,109

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,321 in Dubai versus $1,720 in Maputo.

Dubai $4,321
Maputo $1,720

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,788 in Dubai versus $2,331 in Maputo.

Dubai $5,788
Maputo $2,331

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

The two cities straddle the global median: Dubai is 113% above, Maputo is 17% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.04 AED 47.89

$10.37 MZN 656

25.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.4 AED 299

$63.2 MZN 3,995

28.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.32 AED 34.25

$6.95 MZN 440

34.10%

Cappuccino

$5.97 AED 21.93

$2.28 MZN 144

161.84%

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

$1.63 AED 5.98

$0.87 MZN 55.2

87.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.81 AED 2.99

$0.73 MZN 46.29

10.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.65 AED 50.1

$1.60 MZN 101

753.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.38 AED 49.15

$2.32 MZN 147

476.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.81 AED 6.64

$1.52 MZN 96.1

19.08%

White Bread (500g)

$1.57 AED 5.78

$1.00 MZN 63.0

57.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 AED 9.16

$1.67 MZN 106

49.10%

Eggs

$3.28 AED 12.04

$2.52 MZN 159

30.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.67 AED 46.53

$21.02 MZN 1,329

-39.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.75 AED 35.80

$5.87 MZN 371

66.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.18 AED 48.40

$5.59 MZN 353

135.78%

Apples (1kg)

$2.61 AED 9.57

$1.99 MZN 126

31.16%

Banana (1kg)

$1.93 AED 7.09

$0.79 MZN 50.2

144.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.92 AED 7.05

$1.71 MZN 108

12.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.36 AED 5.00

$1.09 MZN 68.7

24.77%

Potato (1kg)

$1.17 AED 4.29

$1.03 MZN 65.4

13.59%

Onion (1kg)

$1.01 AED 3.71

$0.75 MZN 47.25

34.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.51 AED 5.56

$0.96 MZN 61.0

57.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 AED 2.29

$0.91 MZN 57.4

-31.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.85 AED 21.50

$2.83 MZN 179

106.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.14 AED 59.3

$10.11 MZN 639

59.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.65 AED 9.74

$0.98 MZN 61.7

170.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.95 AED 10.82

$1.32 MZN 83.6

123.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.64 AED 6.03

$0.37 MZN 23.45

343.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.6 AED 270

$23.65 MZN 1,496

211.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.17 AED 11.66

$1.60 MZN 101

98.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 AED 2.63

$1.19 MZN 75.2

-40.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.96 AED 29.23

$24.44 MZN 1,546

-67.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 AED 3.64

$1.36 MZN 85.8

-27.21%

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

$27.4K AED 100.5K

$31.7K MZN 2.0M

-13.77%

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

$22.5K AED 82.8K

$22.5K MZN 1.4M

0.15%

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

$250 AED 920

$71.5 MZN 4,520

250.41%

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

$54.2 AED 199

$7.75 MZN 490

599.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$91.8 AED 337

$88.1 MZN 5,573

4.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$98.6 AED 362

$42.26 MZN 2,673

133.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$42.61 AED 156

$26.54 MZN 1,679

60.55%

Cinema Ticket

$16.03 AED 58.9

$7.88 MZN 499

103.43%

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

$843 AED 3,098

$129 MZN 8,158

553.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.3K AED 67.1K

$5,162 MZN 326.5K

253.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.0 AED 250

$49.15 MZN 3,109

38.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.9 AED 213

$55.3 MZN 3,496

4.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 AED 370

$77.2 MZN 4,881

30.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 AED 371

$78.1 MZN 4,940

29.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,380 AED 8,741

$536 MZN 33.9K

343.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,506 AED 5,531

$382 MZN 24.2K

294.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,437 AED 16.3K

$1,061 MZN 67.1K

318.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,010 AED 11.1K

$566 MZN 35.8K

431.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,121 AED 26.2K

$4,129 MZN 261.1K

72.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,135 AED 15.2K

$2,051 MZN 129.7K

101.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,391 AED 12.5K

$325 MZN 20.6K

943.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.54

-81.84%

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

Last update for Dubai: October 5, 2026

Last update for Maputo: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dubai

$1.5K 52.5%

Maputo

$382 33.8% 74.6% $1.1K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dubai

$396 13.8%

Maputo

$167 14.8% 57.8% $229

Eating Out

Dubai

$309 10.8%

Maputo

$150 13.3% 51.3% $158

Groceries & Markets

Dubai

$293 10.2%

Maputo

$225 19.9% 23.1% $68

Clothing & Footwear

Dubai

$147 5.1%

Maputo

$117 10.3% 20.7% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Dubai

$131 4.6%

Maputo

$58 5.1% 55.6% $73

Getting Around

Dubai

$87 3%

Maputo

$33 2.9% 62.4% $54

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,380 in Dubai and $536 in Maputo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dubai pays 943% 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: $81.0 in Dubai vs $63.0 in Maputo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $293 vs $225 per month, with Maputo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇪 Dubai

🇲🇿 Maputo

🕒 Local time

09:21 9:21 AM

07:21 7:21 AM

2 h behind Dubai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,790,000

1,244,227 Capital

💱 Currency

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

Mozambican Metical MZN MT

📈 Exchange rate

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.243 EUR

100 MZN = 1.58 USD

100 MZN = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MZN, USD, EUR to AED – UAE Dirham Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇪 UAE Dirham (د.إ)

UAE Dirham exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.67 AED (1 AED = 0.272 USD). 1 EUR = 4.12 AED (1 AED = 0.243 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 AED in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Dubai Maputo 6,170 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Dubai
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

Dubai vs Maputo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Maputo is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. The 157% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 943% higher in Dubai, 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: $2,380 in Dubai versus $536 in Maputo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Maputo runs roughly 211% less than in Dubai. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $843 in Dubai versus $129 in Maputo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,109 in Maputo versus $2,854 in Dubai, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Maputo but tight or insufficient in Dubai. The gap between the two cities makes Maputo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Maputo is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Dubai, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Dubai and Maputo 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 Maputo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 157% less than in Dubai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.