Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Maputo and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Maputo: $1,109 a month against $1,526 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

55

Cost of Living Index in Maputo
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Maputo Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index

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Maputo

🇲🇿 Mozambique

$1,109

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,526

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Maputo and in Istanbul

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

A single person spends $1,109 per month in Maputo vs $1,526 in Istanbul, rent included.

Maputo $1,109
Istanbul $1,526

A couple spends around $1,720 per month in Maputo vs $2,399 in Istanbul, rent included.

Maputo $1,720
Istanbul $2,399

A family of three spends $2,331 per month in Maputo vs $3,272 in Istanbul, rent included.

Maputo $2,331
Istanbul $3,272

Maputo is about 27% cheaper than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Maputo sits 17% below the global median, while Istanbul is 14% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.37 MZN 656

$11.88 ₺585

-12.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.2 MZN 3,995

$55.1 ₺2,714

14.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.95 MZN 440

$9.14 ₺450

-23.96%

Cappuccino

$2.28 MZN 144

$4.24 ₺209

-46.23%

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

$0.87 MZN 55.2

$1.75 ₺86.0

-50.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.73 MZN 46.29

$0.54 ₺26.83

35.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.60 MZN 101

$4.69 ₺231

-65.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.32 MZN 147

$5.97 ₺294

-61.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.52 MZN 96.1

$1.26 ₺62.1

20.63%

White Bread (500g)

$1.00 MZN 63.0

$0.95 ₺46.81

5.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.67 MZN 106

$2.31 ₺114

-27.71%

Eggs

$2.52 MZN 159

$2.47 ₺122

2.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.02 MZN 1,329

$10.55 ₺520

99.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.87 MZN 371

$5.60 ₺276

4.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.59 MZN 353

$21.21 ₺1,045

-73.64%

Apples (1kg)

$1.99 MZN 126

$1.93 ₺95.1

3.11%

Banana (1kg)

$0.79 MZN 50.2

$2.29 ₺113

-65.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.71 MZN 108

$1.28 ₺63.1

33.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.09 MZN 68.7

$1.84 ₺90.8

-40.76%

Potato (1kg)

$1.03 MZN 65.4

$0.67 ₺32.86

53.73%

Onion (1kg)

$0.75 MZN 47.25

$0.59 ₺29.31

27.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.96 MZN 61.0

$1.33 ₺65.4

-27.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.91 MZN 57.4

$0.59 ₺29.10

54.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.83 MZN 179

$2.36 ₺116

19.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.11 MZN 639

$13.47 ₺664

-24.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 MZN 61.7

$2.42 ₺119

-59.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.32 MZN 83.6

$3.54 ₺174

-62.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.37 MZN 23.45

$0.83 ₺40.64

-55.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$23.65 MZN 1,496

$66.5 ₺3,273

-64.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.60 MZN 101

$1.35 ₺66.6

18.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.19 MZN 75.2

$0.85 ₺42.05

40.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.44 MZN 1,546

$10.86 ₺535

125.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 MZN 85.8

$1.47 ₺72.3

-7.48%

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

$31.7K MZN 2.0M

$51.6K ₺2.5M

-38.51%

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

$22.5K MZN 1.4M

$44.4K ₺2.2M

-49.36%

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

$71.5 MZN 4,520

$89.2 ₺4,395

-19.91%

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

$7.75 MZN 490

$11.60 ₺572

-33.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$88.1 MZN 5,573

$16.10 ₺793

447.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.26 MZN 2,673

$77.3 ₺3,805

-45.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.54 MZN 1,679

$22.66 ₺1,116

17.12%

Cinema Ticket

$7.88 MZN 499

$8.34 ₺411

-5.52%

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

$129 MZN 8,158

$974 ₺48.0K

-86.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,162 MZN 326.5K

$25.8K ₺1.3M

-79.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.15 MZN 3,109

$52.7 ₺2,597

-6.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.3 MZN 3,496

$39.16 ₺1,929

41.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.2 MZN 4,881

$103 ₺5,083

-25.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.1 MZN 4,940

$96.6 ₺4,759

-19.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$536 MZN 33.9K

$994 ₺49.0K

-46.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MZN 24.2K

$629 ₺31.0K

-39.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,061 MZN 67.1K

$2,024 ₺99.7K

-47.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$566 MZN 35.8K

$1,155 ₺56.9K

-50.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,129 MZN 261.1K

$3,160 ₺155.7K

30.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,051 MZN 129.7K

$1,838 ₺90.5K

11.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$325 MZN 20.6K

$1,203 ₺59.3K

-73.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

41.09

-39.16%

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

Last update for Maputo: October 5, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Maputo

$382 33.8%

Istanbul

$629 41.2% 64.7% $247

Groceries & Markets

Maputo

$225 19.9%

Istanbul

$264 17.3% 17.3% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Maputo

$167 14.8%

Istanbul

$117 7.7% 30.1% $50

Eating Out

Maputo

$150 13.3%

Istanbul

$218 14.3% 45% $68

Clothing & Footwear

Maputo

$117 10.3%

Istanbul

$131 8.6% 12.3% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Maputo

$58 5.1%

Istanbul

$94 6.1% 61.9% $36

Getting Around

Maputo

$33 2.9%

Istanbul

$75 4.9% 131% $43

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $536 in Maputo versus $994 in Istanbul. 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 270% higher in Istanbul, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $63.0 in Maputo versus $55.0 in Istanbul. Groceries tell a different story – $225 in Maputo vs $264 in Istanbul – so Maputo wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇿 Maputo

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

05:08 5:08 AM

06:08 6:08 AM

1 h ahead of Maputo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,244,227 Capital

15,701,602

💱 Currency

Mozambican Metical MZN MT

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

100 MZN = 1.58 USD

100 MZN = 1.41 EUR

100 TRY = 2.03 USD

100 TRY = 1.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, 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).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 49.26 TRY (100 TRY = 2.03 USD). 1 EUR = 55.25 TRY (100 TRY = 1.81 EUR).

USD to MZN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Maputo Istanbul 7,460 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Maputo
Istanbul

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 Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 38%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,663 per month in Maputo and $2,289 in Istanbul. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Kindergarten costs $129 per month in Maputo and $974 in Istanbul. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 17% more in Istanbul, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Maputo, where all-in costs run around $1,109, than in Istanbul at $1,526. In Maputo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Maputo – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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