Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Maputo and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Maputo: $1,127 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $15,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

54

Cost of Living Index in Maputo
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Maputo Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Maputo

🇲🇿 Mozambique

$1,127

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Maputo and in Barcelona

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 Barcelona actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,127 in Maputo versus $2,453 in Barcelona.

Maputo $1,127
Barcelona $2,453

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,729 in Maputo versus $3,509 in Barcelona.

Maputo $1,729
Barcelona $3,509

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,331 in Maputo versus $4,564 in Barcelona.

Maputo $2,331
Barcelona $4,564

Living in Maputo costs roughly 54% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Maputo is 17% below, Barcelona is 80% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.08 MZN 637

$17.59 €15.75

-42.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.4 MZN 4,010

$67.5 €60.5

-6.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.01 MZN 443

$13.53 €12.12

-48.19%

Cappuccino

$2.17 MZN 137

$3.19 €2.86

-31.97%

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

$0.81 MZN 51.5

$2.91 €2.61

-72.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.69 MZN 43.66

$1.89 €1.70

-63.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.60 MZN 101

$4.01 €3.59

-60.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.39 MZN 151

$4.53 €4.06

-47.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.60 MZN 101

$1.31 €1.17

22.14%

White Bread (500g)

$0.99 MZN 62.4

$2.02 €1.81

-50.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.59 MZN 101

$1.85 €1.66

-14.05%

Eggs

$2.47 MZN 156

$4.83 €4.33

-48.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$20.84 MZN 1,318

$16.74 €14.99

24.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.70 MZN 361

$9.12 €8.17

-37.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.68 MZN 360

$19.64 €17.59

-71.08%

Apples (1kg)

$1.97 MZN 125

$2.98 €2.67

-33.89%

Banana (1kg)

$0.76 MZN 48.10

$2.02 €1.81

-62.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.68 MZN 106

$2.70 €2.42

-37.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.09 MZN 69.0

$2.80 €2.51

-61.07%

Potato (1kg)

$1.00 MZN 63.3

$2.09 €1.87

-52.15%

Onion (1kg)

$0.81 MZN 51.1

$2.07 €1.85

-60.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.98 MZN 62.2

$1.46 €1.31

-32.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 MZN 54.0

$0.94 €0.84

-9.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.78 MZN 176

$6.87 €6.15

-59.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.18 MZN 644

$7.89 €7.06

29.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 MZN 64.0

$1.41 €1.26

-28.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.29 MZN 81.5

$2.54 €2.27

-49.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.22 MZN 13.89

$3.14 €2.82

-92.99%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$23.85 MZN 1,508

$25.45 €22.79

-6.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.60 MZN 101

$2.99 €2.68

-46.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.19 MZN 75.5

$1.49 €1.34

-20.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.69 MZN 1,562

$33.37 €29.89

-26.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 MZN 86.2

$1.80 €1.61

-24.44%

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

$31.3K MZN 2.0M

$33.2K €29.7K

-5.62%

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

$23.0K MZN 1.5M

$31.7K €28.4K

-27.46%

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

$70.3 MZN 4,444

$180 €162

-61.06%

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

$7.64 MZN 483

$13.84 €12.39

-44.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$88.1 MZN 5,573

$33.70 €30.18

161.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.70 MZN 2,701

$51.5 €46.13

-17.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.59 MZN 1,682

$15.96 €14.29

66.60%

Cinema Ticket

$7.69 MZN 486

$10.99 €9.85

-30.03%

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

$174 MZN 11.0K

$917 €821

-81.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,168 MZN 326.9K

$16.5K €14.8K

-68.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.2 MZN 3,177

$87.0 €77.9

-42.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.0 MZN 3,540

$38.51 €34.49

45.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.6 MZN 5,035

$106 €94.8

-24.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.2 MZN 5,007

$120 €107

-33.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$547 MZN 34.6K

$1,699 €1,522

-67.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MZN 24.1K

$1,355 €1,214

-71.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,059 MZN 67.0K

$2,603 €2,331

-59.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$558 MZN 35.3K

$2,062 €1,847

-72.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,188 MZN 264.9K

$6,915 €6,193

-39.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,047 MZN 129.5K

$5,128 €4,592

-60.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$326 MZN 20.6K

$2,211 €1,980

-85.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

662.20%

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

Last update for Maputo: October 26, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Maputo

$381 33.8%

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3% 256% $974

Groceries & Markets

Maputo

$224 19.9%

Barcelona

$322 13.1% 43.9% $98

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Maputo

$166 14.7%

Barcelona

$228 9.3% 37.3% $62

Eating Out

Maputo

$147 13%

Barcelona

$268 10.9% 82.9% $121

Clothing & Footwear

Maputo

$119 10.6%

Barcelona

$158 6.4% 32.5% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Maputo

$58 5.2%

Barcelona

$74 3% 26.5% $15

Getting Around

Maputo

$32 2.9%

Barcelona

$48 2% 50.1% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $547 in Maputo and $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays about 6.8 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $63 in Maputo vs $67 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $224 vs $322 per month, with Maputo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇿 Maputo

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

17:26 5:26 PM

16:26 4:26 PM

1 h behind Maputo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,244,227 Capital

1,660,122

💱 Currency

Mozambican Metical MZN MT

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 MZN = 1.58 USD

100 MZN = 1.42 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to MZN – Mozambican Metical Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇿 Mozambican Metical (MT)

Mozambican Metical exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 63.25 MZN (100 MZN = 1.58 USD). 1 EUR = 70.62 MZN (100 MZN = 1.42 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to MZN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Maputo Barcelona 8,120 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Maputo
Barcelona

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 Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,127 in Maputo and $2,453 in Barcelona, so Maputo is about 54% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 85% lower in Maputo. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $547 in Maputo versus $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $174 in Maputo versus $917 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 44% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,127 in Maputo versus $2,453 in Barcelona, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Maputo but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Maputo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Maputo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 54% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.