Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Maputo and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Maputo: $1,109 a month against $1,351 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Bucharest outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

55

Cost of Living Index in Maputo
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Maputo Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index

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Maputo

🇲🇿 Mozambique

$1,109

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,351

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Maputo and in Bucharest

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,109 in Maputo versus $1,351 in Bucharest.

Maputo $1,109
Bucharest $1,351

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,720 in Maputo versus $2,033 in Bucharest.

Maputo $1,720
Bucharest $2,033

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,331 in Maputo versus $2,715 in Bucharest.

Maputo $2,331
Bucharest $2,715

Living in Maputo costs roughly 18% less than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

The two cities straddle the global median: Maputo is 17% below, Bucharest is 1% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.37 MZN 656

$14.46 RON 68.4

-28.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.2 MZN 3,995

$57.7 RON 273

9.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.95 MZN 440

$7.50 RON 35.46

-7.33%

Cappuccino

$2.28 MZN 144

$3.43 RON 16.20

-33.53%

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

$0.87 MZN 55.2

$2.46 RON 11.63

-64.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.73 MZN 46.29

$2.33 RON 11.01

-68.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.60 MZN 101

$3.80 RON 17.97

-57.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.32 MZN 147

$4.10 RON 19.41

-43.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.52 MZN 96.1

$1.65 RON 7.79

-7.88%

White Bread (500g)

$1.00 MZN 63.0

$1.35 RON 6.39

-25.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.67 MZN 106

$1.78 RON 8.42

-6.18%

Eggs

$2.52 MZN 159

$3.66 RON 17.33

-31.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.02 MZN 1,329

$8.57 RON 40.54

145.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.87 MZN 371

$6.80 RON 32.17

-13.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.59 MZN 353

$11.72 RON 55.4

-52.30%

Apples (1kg)

$1.99 MZN 126

$1.29 RON 6.11

54.26%

Banana (1kg)

$0.79 MZN 50.2

$1.56 RON 7.37

-49.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.71 MZN 108

$1.54 RON 7.28

11.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.09 MZN 68.7

$2.48 RON 11.75

-56.05%

Potato (1kg)

$1.03 MZN 65.4

$0.83 RON 3.92

24.10%

Onion (1kg)

$0.75 MZN 47.25

$0.80 RON 3.77

-6.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.96 MZN 61.0

$0.84 RON 3.98

14.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.91 MZN 57.4

$0.93 RON 4.39

-2.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.83 MZN 179

$6.44 RON 30.45

-56.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.11 MZN 639

$6.32 RON 29.91

59.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 MZN 61.7

$1.26 RON 5.94

-22.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.32 MZN 83.6

$1.60 RON 7.59

-17.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.37 MZN 23.45

$0.81 RON 3.85

-54.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$23.65 MZN 1,496

$21.13 RON 99.9

11.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.60 MZN 101

$0.60 RON 2.86

166.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.19 MZN 75.2

$0.61 RON 2.91

95.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.44 MZN 1,546

$6.17 RON 29.19

296.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 MZN 85.8

$1.96 RON 9.27

-30.61%

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

$31.7K MZN 2.0M

$28.1K RON 133.1K

12.77%

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

$22.5K MZN 1.4M

$26.3K RON 124.3K

-14.39%

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

$71.5 MZN 4,520

$197 RON 931

-63.70%

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

$7.75 MZN 490

$8.34 RON 39.44

-7.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$88.1 MZN 5,573

$9.19 RON 43.47

858.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.26 MZN 2,673

$49.87 RON 236

-15.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.54 MZN 1,679

$24.99 RON 118

6.20%

Cinema Ticket

$7.88 MZN 499

$8.46 RON 40.01

-6.86%

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

$129 MZN 8,158

$639 RON 3,023

-79.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,162 MZN 326.5K

$14.4K RON 68.1K

-64.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.15 MZN 3,109

$90.6 RON 429

-45.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.3 MZN 3,496

$38.05 RON 180

45.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.2 MZN 4,881

$79.7 RON 377

-3.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.1 MZN 4,940

$93.2 RON 441

-16.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$536 MZN 33.9K

$673 RON 3,184

-20.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MZN 24.2K

$449 RON 2,123

-14.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,061 MZN 67.1K

$1,098 RON 5,195

-3.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$566 MZN 35.8K

$729 RON 3,448

-22.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,129 MZN 261.1K

$3,740 RON 17.7K

10.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,051 MZN 129.7K

$2,189 RON 10.4K

-6.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$325 MZN 20.6K

$1,323 RON 6,259

-75.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.74

270.92%

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

Last update for Maputo: October 5, 2026

Last update for Bucharest: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Maputo

$382 33.8%

Bucharest

$449 33.5% 17.5% $67

Groceries & Markets

Maputo

$225 19.9%

Bucharest

$222 16.5% 1.5% $3.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Maputo

$167 14.8%

Bucharest

$214 16% 28.1% $47

Eating Out

Maputo

$150 13.3%

Bucharest

$226 16.8% 50.2% $75

Clothing & Footwear

Maputo

$117 10.3%

Bucharest

$136 10.1% 16.1% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Maputo

$58 5.1%

Bucharest

$67 5% 15.1% $8.8

Getting Around

Maputo

$33 2.9%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 14.1% $4.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $536 in Maputo and $673 in Bucharest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucharest pays 307% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $63.0 in Maputo vs $58.0 in Bucharest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $225 vs $222 per month, with Bucharest cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇿 Maputo

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

03:32 3:32 AM

04:32 4:32 AM

1 h ahead of Maputo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,244,227 Capital

1,883,425 Capital

💱 Currency

Mozambican Metical MZN MT

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

100 MZN = 1.58 USD

100 MZN = 1.41 EUR

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.189 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, 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).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.3 RON (1 RON = 0.189 EUR).

USD to MZN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Maputo Bucharest 7,860 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Maputo
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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

Maputo vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Maputo and Bucharest differ by about 22% in total monthly costs ($1,109 vs $1,351 including rent). Maputo is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 307% lower in Bucharest. 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: $536 in Maputo versus $673 in Bucharest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,109 per month in Maputo versus $1,351 in Bucharest – a 22% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Maputo runs roughly 12% less than in Bucharest. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,109 in Maputo versus $1,351 in Bucharest, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Maputo but tight or insufficient in Bucharest. 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 22% less than in Bucharest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.