Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Maputo and Buenos Aires

For one person, living is cheaper in Maputo: $1,109 a month against $1,685 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

55

Cost of Living Index in Maputo
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Maputo Living Index
81

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index

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Maputo

🇲🇿 Mozambique

$1,109

/mo nomad

Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,685

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Maputo and in Buenos Aires

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,109 in Maputo versus $1,685 in Buenos Aires.

Maputo $1,109
Buenos Aires $1,685

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,720 in Maputo versus $2,742 in Buenos Aires.

Maputo $1,720
Buenos Aires $2,742

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,331 in Maputo versus $3,799 in Buenos Aires.

Maputo $2,331
Buenos Aires $3,799

Living in Maputo costs roughly 34% less than in Buenos Aires, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Maputo is 17% below, Buenos Aires is 26% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.37 MZN 656

$18.73 ARS 28.4K

-44.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.2 MZN 3,995

$64.5 ARS 97.8K

-2.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.95 MZN 440

$12.88 ARS 19.5K

-46.04%

Cappuccino

$2.28 MZN 144

$3.98 ARS 6,029

-42.71%

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

$0.87 MZN 55.2

$2.05 ARS 3,103

-57.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.73 MZN 46.29

$1.55 ARS 2,349

-52.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.60 MZN 101

$3.84 ARS 5,830

-58.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.32 MZN 147

$4.60 ARS 6,970

-49.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.52 MZN 96.1

$1.44 ARS 2,181

5.56%

White Bread (500g)

$1.00 MZN 63.0

$2.46 ARS 3,738

-59.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.67 MZN 106

$1.63 ARS 2,467

2.45%

Eggs

$2.52 MZN 159

$2.89 ARS 4,385

-12.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.02 MZN 1,329

$10.65 ARS 16.1K

97.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.87 MZN 371

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

-41.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.59 MZN 353

$13.74 ARS 20.8K

-59.32%

Apples (1kg)

$1.99 MZN 126

$2.75 ARS 4,166

-27.64%

Banana (1kg)

$0.79 MZN 50.2

$2.18 ARS 3,300

-63.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.71 MZN 108

$1.45 ARS 2,205

17.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.09 MZN 68.7

$1.99 ARS 3,013

-45.23%

Potato (1kg)

$1.03 MZN 65.4

$1.24 ARS 1,885

-16.94%

Onion (1kg)

$0.75 MZN 47.25

$1.27 ARS 1,921

-40.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.96 MZN 61.0

$1.70 ARS 2,575

-43.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.91 MZN 57.4

$1.73 ARS 2,617

-47.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.83 MZN 179

$4.18 ARS 6,337

-32.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.11 MZN 639

$5.80 ARS 8,790

74.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 MZN 61.7

$2.09 ARS 3,163

-53.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.32 MZN 83.6

$2.77 ARS 4,198

-52.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.37 MZN 23.45

$0.75 ARS 1,132

-50.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$23.65 MZN 1,496

$27.15 ARS 41.2K

-12.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.60 MZN 101

$1.62 ARS 2,451

-1.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.19 MZN 75.2

$0.98 ARS 1,481

21.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.44 MZN 1,546

$7.72 ARS 11.7K

216.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 MZN 85.8

$1.36 ARS 2,058

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

$31.7K MZN 2.0M

$28.0K ARS 42.5M

13.33%

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

$22.5K MZN 1.4M

$34.5K ARS 52.4M

-34.82%

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

$71.5 MZN 4,520

$216 ARS 326.9K

-66.85%

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

$7.75 MZN 490

$25.61 ARS 38.8K

-69.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$88.1 MZN 5,573

$31.36 ARS 47.6K

180.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.26 MZN 2,673

$49.82 ARS 75.6K

-15.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.54 MZN 1,679

$17.06 ARS 25.9K

55.57%

Cinema Ticket

$7.88 MZN 499

$10.43 ARS 15.8K

-24.45%

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

$129 MZN 8,158

$466 ARS 706.7K

-72.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,162 MZN 326.5K

$9,057 ARS 13.7M

-43.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.15 MZN 3,109

$122 ARS 185.2K

-59.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.3 MZN 3,496

$97.4 ARS 147.8K

-43.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.2 MZN 4,881

$117 ARS 177.4K

-34.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.1 MZN 4,940

$140 ARS 211.9K

-44.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$536 MZN 33.9K

$763 ARS 1.2M

-29.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MZN 24.2K

$505 ARS 766.1K

-24.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,061 MZN 67.1K

$1,598 ARS 2.4M

-33.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$566 MZN 35.8K

$1,185 ARS 1.8M

-52.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,129 MZN 261.1K

$2,678 ARS 4.1M

54.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,051 MZN 129.7K

$1,858 ARS 2.8M

10.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$325 MZN 20.6K

$954 ARS 1.4M

-65.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

-56.33%

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

Last update for Maputo: October 5, 2026

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Maputo

$382 33.8%

Buenos Aires

$505 30.4% 32.2% $123

Groceries & Markets

Maputo

$225 19.9%

Buenos Aires

$284 17.1% 26.2% $59

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Maputo

$167 14.8%

Buenos Aires

$273 16.4% 62.9% $105

Eating Out

Maputo

$150 13.3%

Buenos Aires

$279 16.8% 85.7% $129

Clothing & Footwear

Maputo

$117 10.3%

Buenos Aires

$214 12.9% 83.4% $97

Sport & Entertainment

Maputo

$58 5.1%

Buenos Aires

$71 4.3% 21.8% $13

Getting Around

Maputo

$33 2.9%

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2% 12.1% $4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $536 in Maputo and $763 in Buenos Aires. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Buenos Aires pays 194% 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 $64.0 in Buenos Aires for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $225 vs $284 per month, with Maputo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇿 Maputo

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🕒 Local time

05:07 5:07 AM

00:07 12:07 AM

5 h behind Maputo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,244,227 Capital

2,891,082 Capital

💱 Currency

Mozambican Metical MZN MT

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MZN = 1.58 USD

100 MZN = 1.41 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ARS, 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).

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,701 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR).

USD to MZN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Maputo Buenos Aires 8,490 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Maputo
Buenos Aires

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 Buenos Aires: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Maputo and Buenos Aires differ by about 52% in total monthly costs ($1,109 vs $1,685 including rent). Maputo is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 194% lower in Buenos Aires. 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 $763 in Buenos Aires. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $129 in Maputo versus $466 in Buenos Aires. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 26% higher in Buenos Aires. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,109 in Maputo versus $1,685 in Buenos Aires, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Maputo but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. 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.

Safety-wise, Maputo and Buenos Aires are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Maputo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 52% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.