Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Maputo and Johannesburg

For one person, living is cheaper in Maputo: $1,128 a month against $1,430 in Johannesburg, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 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
69

Cost of Living Index in Johannesburg
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Johannesburg Living Index

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Maputo

🇲🇿 Mozambique

$1,128

/mo nomad

Johannesburg

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,430

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Maputo and in Johannesburg

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

A single person spends $1,128 per month in Maputo vs $1,430 in Johannesburg, rent included.

Maputo $1,128
Johannesburg $1,430

A couple spends around $1,739 per month in Maputo vs $2,195 in Johannesburg, rent included.

Maputo $1,739
Johannesburg $2,195

A family of three spends $2,351 per month in Maputo vs $2,960 in Johannesburg, rent included.

Maputo $2,351
Johannesburg $2,960

Maputo is about 21% cheaper than Johannesburg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Maputo sits 16% below the global median, while Johannesburg is 6% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.28 MZN 650

$11.98 R 197

-14.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.7 MZN 4,026

$43.02 R 709

47.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.16 MZN 453

$7.12 R 117

0.56%

Cappuccino

$2.23 MZN 141

$2.41 R 39.72

-7.47%

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

$0.89 MZN 56.3

$1.17 R 19.21

-23.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.73 MZN 46.00

$0.93 R 15.30

-21.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.58 MZN 99.7

$2.25 R 37.03

-29.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.41 MZN 152

$2.76 R 45.49

-12.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 MZN 100

$1.31 R 21.59

20.61%

White Bread (500g)

$0.99 MZN 62.4

$1.28 R 21.12

-22.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.60 MZN 101

$1.72 R 28.37

-6.98%

Eggs

$2.43 MZN 154

$2.63 R 43.34

-7.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.22 MZN 1,342

$8.47 R 140

150.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.70 MZN 361

$5.47 R 90.0

4.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.79 MZN 366

$8.80 R 145

-34.20%

Apples (1kg)

$2.02 MZN 128

$2.12 R 34.89

-4.72%

Banana (1kg)

$0.75 MZN 47.17

$1.79 R 29.45

-58.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.69 MZN 107

$1.85 R 30.47

-8.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.07 MZN 67.8

$2.12 R 34.99

-49.53%

Potato (1kg)

$1.01 MZN 63.8

$1.74 R 28.61

-41.95%

Onion (1kg)

$0.74 MZN 46.88

$1.83 R 30.09

-59.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.92 MZN 58.2

$1.43 R 23.53

-35.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.91 MZN 57.9

$1.33 R 21.99

-31.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.89 MZN 183

$3.30 R 54.3

-12.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.36 MZN 655

$5.91 R 97.3

75.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 MZN 64.8

$1.81 R 29.89

-43.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.34 MZN 85.1

$2.49 R 40.95

-46.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.38 MZN 23.80

$2.01 R 33.11

-81.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$23.39 MZN 1,479

$89.9 R 1,481

-73.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.52 MZN 96.1

$0.83 R 13.62

83.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.19 MZN 75.1

$0.89 R 14.70

33.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.82 MZN 1,570

$14.42 R 238

72.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 MZN 85.6

$1.49 R 24.51

-9.40%

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

$32.3K MZN 2.0M

$35.2K R 579.4K

-8.22%

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

$23.2K MZN 1.5M

$32.5K R 534.9K

-28.68%

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

$69.9 MZN 4,418

$233 R 3,841

-70.04%

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

$7.86 MZN 497

$37.52 R 618

-79.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$89.1 MZN 5,638

$36.32 R 598

145.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.69 MZN 2,700

$36.44 R 600

17.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.63 MZN 1,621

$17.23 R 284

48.75%

Cinema Ticket

$8.01 MZN 507

$7.66 R 126

4.57%

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

$127 MZN 8,033

$246 R 4,048

-48.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,168 MZN 326.9K

$5,533 R 91.2K

-6.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.94 MZN 3,158

$58.4 R 963

-14.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.0 MZN 3,478

$45.21 R 745

21.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.7 MZN 5,043

$110 R 1,817

-27.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.4 MZN 5,086

$105 R 1,734

-23.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$546 MZN 34.5K

$493 R 8,127

10.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$375 MZN 23.7K

$435 R 7,160

-13.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,091 MZN 69.0K

$985 R 16.2K

10.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$563 MZN 35.6K

$896 R 14.8K

-37.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,248 MZN 268.7K

$967 R 15.9K

339.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,061 MZN 130.3K

$746 R 12.3K

176.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$323 MZN 20.4K

$1,738 R 28.6K

-81.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.91

129.15%

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

Last update for Maputo: October 11, 2026

Last update for Johannesburg: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Maputo

$375 33.3%

Johannesburg

$435 30.4% 15.8% $59

Groceries & Markets

Maputo

$226 20%

Johannesburg

$218 15.3% 3.3% $7.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Maputo

$167 14.8%

Johannesburg

$307 21.5% 84% $140

Eating Out

Maputo

$150 13.3%

Johannesburg

$171 12% 14.4% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Maputo

$119 10.6%

Johannesburg

$144 10.1% 20.4% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Maputo

$59 5.2%

Johannesburg

$52 3.6% 11.8% $7

Getting Around

Maputo

$32 2.9%

Johannesburg

$103 7.2% 219% $71

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $546 in Maputo versus $493 in Johannesburg. 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 439% higher in Johannesburg, 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 $64.0 in Maputo versus $43.00 in Johannesburg. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $226 vs $218 – making Johannesburg the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇿 Maputo

🇿🇦 Johannesburg

🕒 Local time

09:06 9:06 AM

Same time as Maputo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,244,227 Capital

4,434,827

💱 Currency

Mozambican Metical MZN MT

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 MZN = 1.58 USD

100 MZN = 1.41 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, 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).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

USD to MZN in detail →

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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 Johannesburg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Johannesburg costs about 27% more than Maputo, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. 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 $2,145 in Johannesburg. 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $64.0 in Maputo and $43.00 in Johannesburg. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,128 in Maputo and $1,430 in Johannesburg. That's a gap of about 27%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Maputo, where all-in costs run around $1,128, than in Johannesburg at $1,430. In Maputo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Johannesburg it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Maputo costs $1,128 versus $1,430 in Johannesburg. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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