Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dubai and Matola

For one person, living is cheaper in Matola: $995 a month against $2,896 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $22,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

140

Cost of Living Index in Dubai
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Dubai Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Matola
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Matola Living Index

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Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,896

/mo nomad

Matola

🇲🇿 Mozambique

$995

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,896 in Dubai versus $995 in Matola.

Dubai $2,896
Matola $995

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,384 in Dubai versus $1,520 in Matola.

Dubai $4,384
Matola $1,520

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,872 in Dubai versus $2,045 in Matola.

Dubai $5,872
Matola $2,045

Living in Dubai is roughly 191% more expensive than in Matola, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Dubai is 115% above, Matola is 26% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.67 AED 46.55

$7.60 MZN 481

66.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.7 AED 300

$63.4 MZN 4,010

28.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.34 AED 34.30

$7.32 MZN 463

27.60%

Cappuccino

$5.89 AED 21.62

$1.58 MZN 99.9

272.78%

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

$1.69 AED 6.20

$0.82 MZN 52.1

106.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 AED 2.86

$0.74 MZN 46.85

5.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.66 AED 50.2

$1.15 MZN 72.9

1087.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.49 AED 49.54

$1.52 MZN 96.3

787.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 AED 6.78

$1.54 MZN 97.4

19.48%

White Bread (500g)

$1.50 AED 5.50

$0.99 MZN 62.8

51.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.57 AED 9.45

$1.66 MZN 105

54.82%

Eggs

$3.32 AED 12.18

$1.84 MZN 117

80.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.60 AED 46.28

$13.09 MZN 828

-3.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.66 AED 35.46

$5.65 MZN 357

70.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.78 AED 46.93

$4.55 MZN 288

180.88%

Apples (1kg)

$2.60 AED 9.54

$2.07 MZN 131

25.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 AED 6.99

$0.59 MZN 37.08

222.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.91 AED 7.02

$1.71 MZN 108

11.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.37 AED 5.02

$1.07 MZN 67.9

28.04%

Potato (1kg)

$1.13 AED 4.14

$0.99 MZN 62.7

14.14%

Onion (1kg)

$1.01 AED 3.71

$0.82 MZN 51.8

23.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 AED 5.30

$0.97 MZN 61.2

48.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 AED 2.48

$0.53 MZN 33.63

26.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.88 AED 21.59

$2.83 MZN 179

107.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.15 AED 59.3

$6.98 MZN 442

131.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.72 AED 10.00

$0.90 MZN 57.2

202.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 AED 11.32

$1.24 MZN 78.4

148.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.60 AED 5.87

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.0 AED 279

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.24 AED 11.91

$1.59 MZN 101

103.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 AED 2.61

$1.20 MZN 75.6

-40.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.96 AED 29.22

$24.67 MZN 1,560

-67.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.98 AED 3.62

$1.42 MZN 89.8

-30.99%

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

$27.4K AED 100.6K

$32.2K MZN 2.0M

-15.00%

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

$22.0K AED 80.9K

$22.8K MZN 1.4M

-3.50%

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

$249 AED 913

$39.72 MZN 2,512

525.63%

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

$54.4 AED 200

$7.80 MZN 493

597.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$91.5 AED 336

$77.3 MZN 4,891

18.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$103 AED 380

$39.53 MZN 2,500

161.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$42.32 AED 155

Cinema Ticket

$16.29 AED 59.8

$7.87 MZN 498

106.99%

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

$844 AED 3,098

$130 MZN 8,234

547.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.3K AED 67.1K

$5,052 MZN 319.5K

261.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.0 AED 246

$49.07 MZN 3,104

36.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.9 AED 213

$57.0 MZN 3,606

1.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 AED 375

$78.1 MZN 4,939

30.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.7 AED 363

$79.4 MZN 5,019

24.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,393 AED 8,788

$473 MZN 29.9K

406.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,533 AED 5,630

$389 MZN 24.6K

293.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,594 AED 16.9K

$693 MZN 43.8K

562.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,939 AED 10.8K

$552 MZN 34.9K

432.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,046 AED 25.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,222 AED 15.5K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,461 AED 12.7K

$315 MZN 19.9K

999.43%

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 10, 2026

Last update for Matola: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dubai

$1.5K 52.9%

Matola

$389 39.1% 74.6% $1.1K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dubai

$394 13.6%

Matola

$125 12.6% 68.3% $270

Eating Out

Dubai

$305 10.5%

Matola

$117 11.7% 61.7% $188

Groceries & Markets

Dubai

$292 10.1%

Matola

$182 18.3% 37.5% $109

Clothing & Footwear

Dubai

$147 5.1%

Matola

$119 11.9% 19.1% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Dubai

$136 4.7%

Matola

$55 5.6% 59.4% $81

Getting Around

Dubai

$89 3.1%

Matola

$7.6 * 0.8% 91.5% $82

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,393 in Dubai and $473 in Matola. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dubai pays 999% 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: $82.0 in Dubai vs $63.0 in Matola for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $292 vs $182 per month, with Matola cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇪 Dubai

🇲🇿 Matola

🕒 Local time

14:37 2:37 PM

12:37 12:37 PM

2 h behind Dubai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,790,000

675,422

💱 Currency

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

Mozambican Metical MZN MT

📈 Exchange rate

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.242 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 3.67 AED (1 AED = 0.272 USD). 1 EUR = 4.13 AED (1 AED = 0.242 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 AED in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Dubai Matola 6,180 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Dubai
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

Dubai vs Matola: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Matola is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. The 191% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 999% 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: $2,393 in Dubai versus $473 in Matola. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 60% higher in Dubai. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,896 per month in Dubai versus $995 in Matola – a 191% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $995 in Matola versus $2,896 in Dubai, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Matola but tight or insufficient in Dubai. The gap between the two cities makes Matola the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Matola 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 Matola 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 Matola gentler on the wallet – expenses run 191% less than in Dubai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.