Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Maputo

For one person, living is cheaper in Maputo: $1,109 a month against $4,086 in London, rent and utilities included – about $35,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

London
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$4,086
/mo nomad
Maputo
🇲🇿 Mozambique
$1,109
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $4,086 per month in London vs $1,109 in Maputo, rent included.

  • London $4,086
  • Maputo $1,109

A couple spends around $5,816 per month in London vs $1,720 in Maputo, rent included.

  • London $5,816
  • Maputo $1,720

A family of three spends $7,546 per month in London vs $2,331 in Maputo, rent included.

  • London $7,546
  • Maputo $2,331

London costs about 268% more than Maputo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

London sits 205% above the global median, while Maputo is 17% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
London
Maputo
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$26.62 £20.11
$10.37 MZN 656
156.70%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$108 £81.3
$63.2 MZN 3,995
70.35%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.39 £7.85
$6.95 MZN 440
49.50%
Cappuccino
$5.79 £4.38
$2.28 MZN 144
153.95%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.01 £2.27
$0.87 MZN 55.2
245.98%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.15 £1.63
$0.73 MZN 46.29
194.52%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$9.35 £7.06
$1.60 MZN 101
484.38%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.84 £5.93
$2.32 MZN 147
237.93%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
London
Maputo
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.79 £1.35
$1.52 MZN 96.1
17.76%
White Bread (500g)
$2.06 £1.56
$1.00 MZN 63.0
106.00%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.31 £1.74
$1.67 MZN 106
38.32%
Eggs
$5.05 £3.82
$2.52 MZN 159
100.40%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.57 £9.50
$21.02 MZN 1,329
-40.20%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.66 £8.05
$5.87 MZN 371
81.60%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.13 £12.94
$5.59 MZN 353
206.44%
Apples (1kg)
$3.03 £2.29
$1.99 MZN 126
52.26%
Banana (1kg)
$1.41 £1.07
$0.79 MZN 50.2
78.48%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.05 £2.31
$1.71 MZN 108
78.36%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.38 £2.56
$1.09 MZN 68.7
210.09%
Potato (1kg)
$1.67 £1.26
$1.03 MZN 65.4
62.14%
Onion (1kg)
$1.73 £1.31
$0.75 MZN 47.25
130.67%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.41 £1.07
$0.96 MZN 61.0
46.87%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.79 £1.35
$0.91 MZN 57.4
96.70%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$23.22 £17.55
$2.83 MZN 179
720.49%
Wine (Bottle)
$12.99 £9.82
$10.11 MZN 639
28.49%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.18 £2.40
$0.98 MZN 61.7
224.49%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.41 £3.33
$1.32 MZN 83.6
234.09%
🚌 Getting Around
London
Maputo
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.87 £2.93
$0.37 MZN 23.45
945.95%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$250 £189
$23.65 MZN 1,496
957.29%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.71 £4.31
$1.60 MZN 101
256.87%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.33 £2.51
$1.19 MZN 75.2
179.83%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$57.9 £43.76
$24.44 MZN 1,546
136.95%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.04 £1.54
$1.36 MZN 85.8
50.00%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$37.5K £28.4K
$31.7K MZN 2.0M
18.28%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$40.9K £30.9K
$22.5K MZN 1.4M
81.71%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
London
Maputo
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$376 £284
$71.5 MZN 4,520
426.29%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$17.88 £13.51
$7.75 MZN 490
130.71%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$40.01 £30.24
$88.1 MZN 5,573
-54.59%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
London
Maputo
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$61.2 £46.22
$42.26 MZN 2,673
44.72%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$21.07 £15.93
$26.54 MZN 1,679
-20.61%
Cinema Ticket
$17.95 £13.57
$7.88 MZN 499
127.79%
🧸 Childcare & Education
London
Maputo
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$2,865 £2,165
$129 MZN 8,158
2121.50%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$35.3K £26.7K
$5,162 MZN 326.5K
584.67%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
London
Maputo
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$116 £87.7
$49.15 MZN 3,109
136.01%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$54.1 £40.87
$55.3 MZN 3,496
-2.15%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$127 £95.7
$77.2 MZN 4,881
64.08%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$159 £120
$78.1 MZN 4,940
103.98%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
London
Maputo
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,853 £2,156
$536 MZN 33.9K
431.99%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,301 £1,739
$382 MZN 24.2K
502.20%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$5,201 £3,931
$1,061 MZN 67.1K
390.30%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$3,723 £2,813
$566 MZN 35.8K
557.41%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$19.0K £14.4K
$4,129 MZN 261.1K
360.40%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$7,881 £5,955
$2,051 MZN 129.7K
284.18%
💵 Salaries & Financials
London
Maputo
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$4,818 £3,641
$325 MZN 20.6K
1382.53%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.65
25
-81.40%

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

Last update for London: October 4, 2026

Last update for Maputo: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
London
$2.3K
Maputo
$382 83.4% $1.9K
Monthly Utilities & Internet
London
$434
Maputo
$167 61.4% $267
Eating Out
London
$397
Maputo
$150 62.1% $246
Groceries & Markets
London
$349
Maputo
$225 35.6% $124
Getting Around
London
$288
Maputo
$33 88.6% $255
Clothing & Footwear
London
$205
Maputo
$117 43.1% $88
Sport & Entertainment
London
$97
Maputo
$58 40.2% $39

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,853 in London versus $536 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 1383% higher in London, 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 $108 in London versus $63.0 in Maputo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $349 vs $225 – making Maputo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇬🇧 London
🇲🇿 Maputo
🕒 Local time
07:14 7:14 AM
08:14 8:14 AM
1 h ahead of London
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
8,908,083 Capital
1,244,227 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MZN, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

British Pound exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.756 GBP (1 GBP = 1.32 USD). 1 EUR = 0.848 GBP (1 GBP = 1.18 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).

On the map
Between locations
  • London Maputo 9,190 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight
From you
  • London
  • 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
London vs Maputo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in London and in Maputo compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $4,086 in London, $1,109 in Maputo – roughly 268% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.
What salary covers living expenses in London compared to Maputo?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $6,129 per month in London and $1,663 in Maputo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between London and Maputo?
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.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Groceries cost about 55% more in London, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $108 in London and $63.0 in Maputo. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Which city is more doable on $2,000 per month?
A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Maputo, where all-in costs run around $1,109, than in London at $4,086. In Maputo it covers expenses comfortably, while in London it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
How does quality of life compare between London and Maputo?
It depends on your priorities. London has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,109 in Maputo to $4,086 in London. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
How do I decide between London and Maputo?
If budget matters most, go with Maputo. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, London makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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