Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Matola

For one person, living is cheaper in Matola: $995 a month against $3,986 in London, rent and utilities included – about $35,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

London
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$3,986
/mo nomad
Matola
🇲🇿 Mozambique
$995
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,986 per month in London vs $995 in Matola, rent included.

  • London $3,986
  • Matola $995

A couple spends around $5,791 per month in London vs $1,520 in Matola, rent included.

  • London $5,791
  • Matola $1,520

A family of three spends $7,595 per month in London vs $2,045 in Matola, rent included.

  • London $7,595
  • Matola $2,045

London costs about 301% more than Matola, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

London sits 195% above the global median, while Matola is 26% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
London
Matola
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$25.93 £19.45
$7.60 MZN 481
241.18%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$107 £79.9
$63.4 MZN 4,010
67.98%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.71 £8.03
$7.32 MZN 463
46.31%
Cappuccino
$5.47 £4.11
$1.58 MZN 99.9
246.20%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.97 £2.23
$0.82 MZN 52.1
262.20%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.20 £1.65
$0.74 MZN 46.85
197.30%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$9.13 £6.85
$1.15 MZN 72.9
693.91%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.94 £5.96
$1.52 MZN 96.3
422.37%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
London
Matola
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.86 £1.40
$1.54 MZN 97.4
20.78%
White Bread (500g)
$2.07 £1.55
$0.99 MZN 62.8
109.09%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.42 £1.81
$1.66 MZN 105
45.78%
Eggs
$5.09 £3.82
$1.84 MZN 117
176.63%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.87 £9.66
$13.09 MZN 828
-1.68%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.43 £7.82
$5.65 MZN 357
84.60%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$16.87 £12.66
$4.55 MZN 288
270.77%
Apples (1kg)
$3.11 £2.33
$2.07 MZN 131
50.24%
Banana (1kg)
$1.40 £1.05
$0.59 MZN 37.08
137.29%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.08 £2.31
$1.71 MZN 108
80.12%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.27 £2.45
$1.07 MZN 67.9
205.61%
Potato (1kg)
$1.58 £1.19
$0.99 MZN 62.7
59.60%
Onion (1kg)
$1.74 £1.31
$0.82 MZN 51.8
112.20%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.40 £1.05
$0.97 MZN 61.2
44.33%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.80 £1.35
$0.53 MZN 33.63
239.62%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$23.28 £17.46
$2.83 MZN 179
722.61%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.03 £9.77
$6.98 MZN 442
86.68%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.17 £2.38
$0.90 MZN 57.2
252.22%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.42 £3.32
$1.24 MZN 78.4
256.45%
🚌 Getting Around
London
Matola
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$4.07 £3.05
-
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$247 £185
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.58 £4.18
$1.59 MZN 101
250.94%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.36 £2.52
$1.20 MZN 75.6
180.00%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$56.8 £42.58
$24.67 MZN 1,560
130.04%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.13 £1.60
$1.42 MZN 89.8
50.00%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$38.2K £28.6K
$32.2K MZN 2.0M
18.52%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$40.9K £30.7K
$22.8K MZN 1.4M
79.14%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
London
Matola
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$372 £279
$39.72 MZN 2,512
836.96%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$17.82 £13.37
$7.80 MZN 493
128.46%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$40.37 £30.29
$77.3 MZN 4,891
-47.80%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
London
Matola
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$60.0 £44.99
$39.53 MZN 2,500
51.71%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$21.29 £15.97
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$17.74 £13.31
$7.87 MZN 498
125.41%
🧸 Childcare & Education
London
Matola
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$2,864 £2,149
$130 MZN 8,234
2100.32%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$35.3K £26.5K
$5,052 MZN 319.5K
599.32%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
London
Matola
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$114 £85.5
$49.07 MZN 3,104
132.36%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$54.3 £40.71
$57.0 MZN 3,606
-4.81%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$124 £93.2
$78.1 MZN 4,939
59.10%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$163 £122
$79.4 MZN 5,019
105.49%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
London
Matola
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,869 £2,152
$473 MZN 29.9K
506.69%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,233 £1,675
$389 MZN 24.6K
473.53%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$5,266 £3,951
$693 MZN 43.8K
659.62%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$3,778 £2,835
$552 MZN 34.9K
584.86%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$18.3K £13.8K
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$8,024 £6,020
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
London
Matola
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$5,037 £3,779
$315 MZN 19.9K
1500.11%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.74
25
-81.04%

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

Last update for London: 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
London
$2.2K
Matola
$389 82.6% $1.8K
Monthly Utilities & Internet
London
$430
Matola
$125 71% $305
Eating Out
London
$388
Matola
$117 69.9% $271
Groceries & Markets
London
$349
Matola
$182 47.8% $167
Getting Around
London
$285
Matola
$7.6 * 97.3% $278
Clothing & Footwear
London
$205
Matola
$119 42.2% $86
Sport & Entertainment
London
$95
Matola
$55 42.1% $40

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,869 in London versus $473 in Matola. 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 1500% 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 $107 in London versus $63.0 in Matola. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $349 vs $182 – making Matola the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇬🇧 London
🇲🇿 Matola
🕒 Local time
11:40 11:40 AM
12:40 12:40 PM
1 h ahead of London
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
8,908,083 Capital
675,422
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MZN, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

British Pound exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 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).

On the map
Between locations
  • London Matola 9,190 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight
From you
  • London
  • 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
London vs Matola: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in London and in Matola compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $3,986 in London, $995 in Matola – roughly 301% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.
What salary covers living expenses in London compared to Matola?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,979 per month in London and $1,492 in Matola. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between London and Matola?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Matola, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Which city is more expensive overall: London or Matola?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,986 in London and $995 in Matola. That's a gap of about 301%.
What is the difference in childcare costs between London and Matola?
Kindergarten costs $2,864 per month in London and $130 in Matola. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Which city is more doable on $2,000 per month?
A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Matola, where all-in costs run around $995, than in London at $3,986. In Matola 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 Matola?
It depends on your priorities. London has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $995 in Matola to $3,986 in London. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
How do I decide between London and Matola?
If budget matters most, go with Matola. 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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