Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Johannesburg and Maputo

For one person, living is cheaper in Maputo: $1,128 a month against $1,430 in Johannesburg, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

69

Cost of Living Index in Johannesburg
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Johannesburg Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Maputo
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Maputo Living Index

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Johannesburg

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,430

/mo nomad

Maputo

🇲🇿 Mozambique

$1,128

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,430 per month in Johannesburg vs $1,128 in Maputo, rent included.

Johannesburg $1,430
Maputo $1,128

A couple spends around $2,195 per month in Johannesburg vs $1,739 in Maputo, rent included.

Johannesburg $2,195
Maputo $1,739

A family of three spends $2,960 per month in Johannesburg vs $2,351 in Maputo, rent included.

Johannesburg $2,960
Maputo $2,351

Johannesburg costs about 27% more than Maputo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Johannesburg sits 6% above the global median, while Maputo is 16% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.98 R 197

$10.28 MZN 650

16.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.02 R 709

$63.7 MZN 4,026

-32.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.12 R 117

$7.16 MZN 453

-0.56%

Cappuccino

$2.41 R 39.72

$2.23 MZN 141

8.07%

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

$1.17 R 19.21

$0.89 MZN 56.3

31.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.93 R 15.30

$0.73 MZN 46.00

27.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.25 R 37.03

$1.58 MZN 99.7

42.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 R 45.49

$2.41 MZN 152

14.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 R 21.59

$1.58 MZN 100

-17.09%

White Bread (500g)

$1.28 R 21.12

$0.99 MZN 62.4

29.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 R 28.37

$1.60 MZN 101

7.50%

Eggs

$2.63 R 43.34

$2.43 MZN 154

8.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.47 R 140

$21.22 MZN 1,342

-60.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.47 R 90.0

$5.70 MZN 361

-4.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.80 R 145

$5.79 MZN 366

51.99%

Apples (1kg)

$2.12 R 34.89

$2.02 MZN 128

4.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.79 R 29.45

$0.75 MZN 47.17

138.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.85 R 30.47

$1.69 MZN 107

9.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 R 34.99

$1.07 MZN 67.8

98.13%

Potato (1kg)

$1.74 R 28.61

$1.01 MZN 63.8

72.28%

Onion (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.09

$0.74 MZN 46.88

147.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.43 R 23.53

$0.92 MZN 58.2

55.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 R 21.99

$0.91 MZN 57.9

46.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.30 R 54.3

$2.89 MZN 183

14.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.91 R 97.3

$10.36 MZN 655

-42.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.81 R 29.89

$1.03 MZN 64.8

75.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.49 R 40.95

$1.34 MZN 85.1

85.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.01 R 33.11

$0.38 MZN 23.80

428.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$89.9 R 1,481

$23.39 MZN 1,479

284.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.83 R 13.62

$1.52 MZN 96.1

-45.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.89 R 14.70

$1.19 MZN 75.1

-25.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.42 R 238

$24.82 MZN 1,570

-41.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 R 24.51

$1.35 MZN 85.6

10.37%

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

$35.2K R 579.4K

$32.3K MZN 2.0M

8.95%

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

$32.5K R 534.9K

$23.2K MZN 1.5M

40.22%

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

$233 R 3,841

$69.9 MZN 4,418

233.74%

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

$37.52 R 618

$7.86 MZN 497

377.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.32 R 598

$89.1 MZN 5,638

-59.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.44 R 600

$42.69 MZN 2,700

-14.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.23 R 284

$25.63 MZN 1,621

-32.77%

Cinema Ticket

$7.66 R 126

$8.01 MZN 507

-4.37%

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

$246 R 4,048

$127 MZN 8,033

93.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,533 R 91.2K

$5,168 MZN 326.9K

7.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.4 R 963

$49.94 MZN 3,158

17.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.21 R 745

$55.0 MZN 3,478

-17.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 R 1,817

$79.7 MZN 5,043

38.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 R 1,734

$80.4 MZN 5,086

30.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$493 R 8,127

$546 MZN 34.5K

-9.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$435 R 7,160

$375 MZN 23.7K

15.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 R 16.2K

$1,091 MZN 69.0K

-9.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$896 R 14.8K

$563 MZN 35.6K

59.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$967 R 15.9K

$4,248 MZN 268.7K

-77.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$746 R 12.3K

$2,061 MZN 130.3K

-63.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,738 R 28.6K

$323 MZN 20.4K

438.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.91

-56.36%

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

Last update for Johannesburg: October 13, 2026

Last update for Maputo: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Johannesburg

$435 30.4%

Maputo

$375 33.3% 13.7% $59

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Johannesburg

$307 21.5%

Maputo

$167 14.8% 45.6% $140

Groceries & Markets

Johannesburg

$218 15.3%

Maputo

$226 20% 3.5% $7.5

Eating Out

Johannesburg

$171 12%

Maputo

$150 13.3% 12.6% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Johannesburg

$144 10.1%

Maputo

$119 10.6% 17% $24

Getting Around

Johannesburg

$103 7.2%

Maputo

$32 2.9% 68.7% $71

Sport & Entertainment

Johannesburg

$52 3.6%

Maputo

$59 5.2% 13.4% $7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $493 in Johannesburg versus $546 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 439% higher in Johannesburg, 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 $43.00 in Johannesburg versus $64.0 in Maputo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $218 vs $226 – making Johannesburg the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Johannesburg

🇲🇿 Maputo

🕒 Local time

16:47 4:47 PM

Same time as Johannesburg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,434,827

1,244,227 Capital

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Mozambican Metical MZN MT

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

100 MZN = 1.58 USD

100 MZN = 1.41 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 October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

Mozambican Metical exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 63.25 MZN (100 MZN = 1.58 USD). 1 EUR = 71.11 MZN (100 MZN = 1.41 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

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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

Johannesburg vs Maputo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Johannesburg costs about 27% 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 $2,145 per month in Johannesburg and $1,692 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43.00 in Johannesburg and $64.0 in Maputo. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,430 in Johannesburg and $1,128 in Maputo. That's a gap of about 27%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Maputo, where all-in costs run around $1,128, than in Johannesburg at $1,430. In Maputo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Johannesburg it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Maputo costs $1,128 versus $1,430 in Johannesburg. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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