Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Maputo and Bansko

For one person, living is cheaper in Bansko: $970 a month against $1,109 in Maputo, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. The total is higher in Maputo despite lower rent and utilities.

55

Cost of Living Index in Maputo
Learn more

Maputo Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Bansko
Learn more

Bansko Living Index

Jump to prices

Maputo

🇲🇿 Mozambique

$1,109

/mo nomad

Bansko

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$970

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Maputo and in Bansko

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Maputo and in Bansko actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,109 per month in Maputo vs $970 in Bansko, rent included.

Maputo $1,109
Bansko $970

A couple spends around $1,720 per month in Maputo vs $1,464 in Bansko, rent included.

Maputo $1,720
Bansko $1,464

A family of three spends $2,331 per month in Maputo vs $1,957 in Bansko, rent included.

Maputo $2,331
Bansko $1,957

Maputo costs about 14% more than Bansko, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Maputo and Bansko are more affordable than the global median – Maputo 17% lower, Bansko 28% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.37 MZN 656

$8.66 BGN 15.15

19.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.2 MZN 3,995

$46.63 BGN 81.6

35.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.95 MZN 440

$9.01 BGN 15.77

-22.86%

Cappuccino

$2.28 MZN 144

$2.24 BGN 3.92

1.79%

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

$0.87 MZN 55.2

$1.50 BGN 2.63

-42.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.73 MZN 46.29

$0.86 BGN 1.51

-15.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.60 MZN 101

$1.76 BGN 3.07

-9.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.32 MZN 147

$2.00 BGN 3.51

16.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.52 MZN 96.1

$1.79 BGN 3.14

-15.08%

White Bread (500g)

$1.00 MZN 63.0

$0.81 BGN 1.42

23.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.67 MZN 106

$1.52 BGN 2.66

9.87%

Eggs

$2.52 MZN 159

$2.30 BGN 4.02

9.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.02 MZN 1,329

$9.60 BGN 16.81

118.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.87 MZN 371

$6.32 BGN 11.06

-7.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.59 MZN 353

$8.64 BGN 15.12

-35.30%

Apples (1kg)

$1.99 MZN 126

$1.28 BGN 2.24

55.47%

Banana (1kg)

$0.79 MZN 50.2

$1.68 BGN 2.95

-52.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.71 MZN 108

$1.70 BGN 2.98

0.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.09 MZN 68.7

$1.89 BGN 3.30

-42.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.03 MZN 65.4

$0.93 BGN 1.63

10.75%

Onion (1kg)

$0.75 MZN 47.25

$0.76 BGN 1.32

-1.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.96 MZN 61.0

$0.54 BGN 0.95

77.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.91 MZN 57.4

$0.58 BGN 1.02

56.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.83 MZN 179

$3.44 BGN 6.02

-17.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.11 MZN 639

$5.14 BGN 9.00

96.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 MZN 61.7

$1.11 BGN 1.94

-11.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.32 MZN 83.6

$1.70 BGN 2.97

-22.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.37 MZN 23.45

$0.88 BGN 1.55

-57.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$23.65 MZN 1,496

$26.76 BGN 46.83

-11.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.60 MZN 101

$1.29 BGN 2.26

24.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.19 MZN 75.2

$0.65 BGN 1.14

83.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.44 MZN 1,546

$10.18 BGN 17.81

140.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 MZN 85.8

$1.50 BGN 2.63

-9.33%

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

$31.7K MZN 2.0M

$28.8K BGN 50.4K

10.19%

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

$22.5K MZN 1.4M

$21.5K BGN 37.5K

4.92%

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

$71.5 MZN 4,520

$91.4 BGN 160

-21.85%

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

$7.75 MZN 490

$14.68 BGN 25.68

-47.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$88.1 MZN 5,573

$12.07 BGN 21.12

629.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.26 MZN 2,673

$32.28 BGN 56.5

30.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.54 MZN 1,679

$8.60 BGN 15.05

208.60%

Cinema Ticket

$7.88 MZN 499

$5.63 BGN 9.86

39.96%

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

$129 MZN 8,158

$228 BGN 400

-43.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,162 MZN 326.5K

$2,311 BGN 4,045

123.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.15 MZN 3,109

$30.48 BGN 53.3

61.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.3 MZN 3,496

$19.01 BGN 33.26

190.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.2 MZN 4,881

$45.53 BGN 79.7

69.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.1 MZN 4,940

$48.67 BGN 85.2

60.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$536 MZN 33.9K

$521 BGN 913

2.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MZN 24.2K

$367 BGN 643

4.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,061 MZN 67.1K

$634 BGN 1,110

67.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$566 MZN 35.8K

$558 BGN 976

1.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,129 MZN 261.1K

$1,204 BGN 2,106

243.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,051 MZN 129.7K

$971 BGN 1,699

111.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$325 MZN 20.6K

$1,670 BGN 2,923

-80.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.99

736.12%

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

Last update for Maputo: October 5, 2026

Last update for Bansko: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Maputo

$382 33.8%

Bansko

$367 38% 3.9% $15

Groceries & Markets

Maputo

$225 19.9%

Bansko

$193 20% 14.2% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Maputo

$167 14.8%

Bansko

$118 12.2% 29.4% $49

Eating Out

Maputo

$150 13.3%

Bansko

$145 15% 3.2% $4.9

Clothing & Footwear

Maputo

$117 10.3%

Bansko

$65 6.7% 44.7% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Maputo

$58 5.1%

Bansko

$44 4.5% 25% $14

Getting Around

Maputo

$33 2.9%

Bansko

$35 3.6% 6.6% $2.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $536 in Maputo versus $521 in Bansko. 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 414% higher in Bansko, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $63.0 in Maputo versus $47.00 in Bansko. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $225 vs $193 – making Bansko the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇿 Maputo

🇧🇬 Bansko

🕒 Local time

03:32 3:32 AM

04:32 4:32 AM

1 h ahead of Maputo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,244,227 Capital

8,000

💱 Currency

Mozambican Metical MZN MT

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

100 MZN = 1.58 USD

100 MZN = 1.41 EUR

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.509 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to MZN – Mozambican Metical Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇿 Mozambican Metical (MT)

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).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.75 BGN (1 BGN = 0.571 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.509 EUR).

USD to MZN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Maputo Bansko 7,600 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Maputo
Bansko

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

Maputo vs Bansko: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,109 in Maputo, $970 in Bansko – roughly 14% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,663 per month in Maputo and $1,455 in Bansko. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Bansko, 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 $63.0 in Maputo and $47.00 in Bansko. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,109 in Maputo and $970 in Bansko. That's a gap of about 14%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Bansko, where all-in costs run around $970, than in Maputo at $1,109. In Bansko it covers expenses comfortably, while in Maputo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Maputo has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $970 in Bansko to $1,109 in Maputo. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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