Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Maputo and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $1,128 in Maputo, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

55

Cost of Living Index in Maputo
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Maputo Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Maputo

🇲🇿 Mozambique

$1,128

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Maputo and in Chiang Mai

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

A single person spends $1,128 per month in Maputo vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Maputo $1,128
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $1,739 per month in Maputo vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Maputo $1,739
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $2,351 per month in Maputo vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Maputo $2,351
Chiang Mai $1,914

Maputo costs about 20% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Maputo and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Maputo 16% lower, Chiang Mai 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.28 MZN 650

$2.26 ฿75.4

354.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.7 MZN 4,026

$19.18 ฿641

231.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.16 MZN 453

$5.59 ฿187

28.09%

Cappuccino

$2.23 MZN 141

$1.72 ฿57.6

29.65%

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

$0.89 MZN 56.3

$0.64 ฿21.54

39.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.73 MZN 46.00

$0.33 ฿11.18

121.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.58 MZN 99.7

$2.36 ฿78.7

-33.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.41 MZN 152

$3.90 ฿130

-38.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 MZN 100

$2.05 ฿68.6

-22.93%

White Bread (500g)

$0.99 MZN 62.4

$1.40 ฿46.70

-29.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.60 MZN 101

$1.28 ฿42.89

25.00%

Eggs

$2.43 MZN 154

$2.25 ฿75.3

8.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.22 MZN 1,342

$16.94 ฿566

25.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.70 MZN 361

$2.74 ฿91.6

108.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.79 MZN 366

$9.36 ฿313

-38.14%

Apples (1kg)

$2.02 MZN 128

$2.40 ฿80.3

-15.83%

Banana (1kg)

$0.75 MZN 47.17

$1.01 ฿33.92

-25.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.69 MZN 107

$1.61 ฿53.9

4.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.07 MZN 67.8

$1.52 ฿50.7

-29.61%

Potato (1kg)

$1.01 MZN 63.8

$1.28 ฿42.90

-21.09%

Onion (1kg)

$0.74 MZN 46.88

$1.11 ฿37.22

-33.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.92 MZN 58.2

$0.72 ฿24.09

27.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.91 MZN 57.9

$0.52 ฿17.54

75.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.89 MZN 183

$4.33 ฿145

-33.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.36 MZN 655

$17.73 ฿593

-41.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 MZN 64.8

$1.63 ฿54.4

-36.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.34 MZN 85.1

$2.85 ฿95.3

-52.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.38 MZN 23.80

$0.85 ฿28.31

-55.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$23.39 MZN 1,479

$53.9 ฿1,801

-56.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.52 MZN 96.1

$1.17 ฿39.18

29.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.19 MZN 75.1

$0.57 ฿19.00

108.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.82 MZN 1,570

$2.37 ฿79.2

947.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 MZN 85.6

$1.45 ฿48.32

-6.90%

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

$32.3K MZN 2.0M

$20.5K ฿684.3K

57.64%

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

$23.2K MZN 1.5M

$26.5K ฿886.1K

-12.67%

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

$69.9 MZN 4,418

$62.3 ฿2,083

12.06%

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

$7.86 MZN 497

$12.27 ฿410

-35.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$89.1 MZN 5,638

$19.97 ฿668

346.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.69 MZN 2,700

$37.91 ฿1,267

12.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.63 MZN 1,621

$3.76 ฿126

581.65%

Cinema Ticket

$8.01 MZN 507

$6.71 ฿224

19.37%

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

$127 MZN 8,033

$797 ฿26.6K

-84.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,168 MZN 326.9K

$14.8K ฿495.7K

-65.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.94 MZN 3,158

$53.3 ฿1,780

-6.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.0 MZN 3,478

$25.05 ฿837

119.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.7 MZN 5,043

$91.6 ฿3,062

-12.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.4 MZN 5,086

$73.5 ฿2,455

9.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$546 MZN 34.5K

$464 ฿15.5K

17.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$375 MZN 23.7K

$305 ฿10.2K

23.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,091 MZN 69.0K

$915 ฿30.6K

19.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$563 MZN 35.6K

$552 ฿18.5K

2.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,248 MZN 268.7K

$1,912 ฿63.9K

122.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,061 MZN 130.3K

$1,438 ฿48.1K

43.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$323 MZN 20.4K

$595 ฿19.9K

-45.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

348.83%

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

Last update for Maputo: October 11, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Maputo

$375 33.3%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 18.8% $71

Groceries & Markets

Maputo

$226 20%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 5.4% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Maputo

$167 14.8%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 43.3% $72

Eating Out

Maputo

$150 13.3%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 47.2% $71

Clothing & Footwear

Maputo

$119 10.6%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 8.2% $9.8

Sport & Entertainment

Maputo

$59 5.2%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 12.6% $7.4

Getting Around

Maputo

$32 2.9%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 89.5% $29

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $546 in Maputo versus $464 in Chiang Mai. 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 84% higher in Chiang Mai, 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 $64.0 in Maputo versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $226 in Maputo vs $238 in Chiang Mai – so Maputo wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇿 Maputo

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

07:07 7:07 AM

12:07 12:07 PM

5 h ahead of Maputo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,244,227 Capital

127,240

💱 Currency

Mozambican Metical MZN MT

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 MZN = 1.58 USD

100 MZN = 1.41 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to MZN – Mozambican Metical Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇿 Mozambican Metical (MT)

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).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to MZN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Maputo Chiang Mai 8,730 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Maputo
Chiang Mai

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 Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Maputo costs about 20% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,692 per month in Maputo and $1,408 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chiang Mai, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $127 per month in Maputo and $797 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 5% cheaper in Maputo – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $938, than in Maputo at $1,128. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Maputo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $938 versus $1,128 in Maputo. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 Chiang Mai. 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.