Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Maputo and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Maputo: $1,127 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

54

Cost of Living Index in Maputo
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Maputo Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Maputo

🇲🇿 Mozambique

$1,127

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Maputo and in Mexico City

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

A single person spends $1,127 per month in Maputo vs $1,608 in Mexico City, rent included.

Maputo $1,127
Mexico City $1,608

A couple spends around $1,729 per month in Maputo vs $2,549 in Mexico City, rent included.

Maputo $1,729
Mexico City $2,549

A family of three spends $2,331 per month in Maputo vs $3,490 in Mexico City, rent included.

Maputo $2,331
Mexico City $3,490

Maputo is about 30% cheaper than Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Maputo sits 17% below the global median, while Mexico City is 18% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.08 MZN 637

$10.62 MX$199

-5.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.4 MZN 4,010

$48.35 MX$908

31.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.01 MZN 443

$10.35 MX$194

-32.27%

Cappuccino

$2.17 MZN 137

$3.69 MX$69.3

-41.19%

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

$0.81 MZN 51.5

$1.67 MX$31.29

-51.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.69 MZN 43.66

$1.27 MX$23.76

-45.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.60 MZN 101

$3.19 MX$59.9

-49.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.39 MZN 151

$5.31 MX$99.6

-54.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.60 MZN 101

$1.72 MX$32.38

-6.98%

White Bread (500g)

$0.99 MZN 62.4

$3.04 MX$57.1

-67.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.59 MZN 101

$1.94 MX$36.44

-18.04%

Eggs

$2.47 MZN 156

$2.89 MX$54.2

-14.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$20.84 MZN 1,318

$10.97 MX$206

89.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.70 MZN 361

$9.25 MX$174

-38.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.68 MZN 360

$15.13 MX$284

-62.46%

Apples (1kg)

$1.97 MZN 125

$3.05 MX$57.2

-35.41%

Banana (1kg)

$0.76 MZN 48.10

$1.94 MX$36.45

-60.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.68 MZN 106

$2.03 MX$38.02

-17.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.09 MZN 69.0

$2.31 MX$43.46

-52.81%

Potato (1kg)

$1.00 MZN 63.3

$2.04 MX$38.21

-50.98%

Onion (1kg)

$0.81 MZN 51.1

$1.80 MX$33.79

-55.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.98 MZN 62.2

$1.48 MX$27.77

-33.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 MZN 54.0

$1.27 MX$23.80

-33.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.78 MZN 176

$5.30 MX$99.6

-47.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.18 MZN 644

$16.10 MX$302

-36.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 MZN 64.0

$1.98 MX$37.23

-48.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.29 MZN 81.5

$4.25 MX$79.8

-69.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.22 MZN 13.89

$0.31 MX$5.73

-29.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$23.85 MZN 1,508

$19.73 MX$371

20.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.60 MZN 101

$1.84 MX$34.50

-13.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.19 MZN 75.5

$0.53 MX$10.02

124.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.69 MZN 1,562

$5.30 MX$99.4

365.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 MZN 86.2

$1.51 MX$28.36

-9.93%

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

$31.3K MZN 2.0M

$21.8K MX$408.4K

44.00%

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

$23.0K MZN 1.5M

$24.0K MX$450.3K

-4.13%

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

$70.3 MZN 4,444

$63.0 MX$1,182

11.56%

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

$7.64 MZN 483

$27.39 MX$514

-72.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$88.1 MZN 5,573

$35.67 MX$670

146.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.70 MZN 2,701

$58.9 MX$1,107

-27.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.59 MZN 1,682

$23.64 MX$444

12.48%

Cinema Ticket

$7.69 MZN 486

$6.40 MX$120

20.16%

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

$174 MZN 11.0K

$432 MX$8,103

-59.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,168 MZN 326.9K

$11.4K MX$214.5K

-54.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.2 MZN 3,177

$68.2 MX$1,281

-26.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.0 MZN 3,540

$53.1 MX$997

5.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.6 MZN 5,035

$108 MX$2,023

-26.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.2 MZN 5,007

$117 MX$2,202

-32.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$547 MZN 34.6K

$1,113 MX$20.9K

-50.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MZN 24.1K

$710 MX$13.3K

-46.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,059 MZN 67.0K

$2,588 MX$48.6K

-59.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$558 MZN 35.3K

$1,406 MX$26.4K

-60.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,188 MZN 264.9K

$3,631 MX$68.2K

15.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,047 MZN 129.5K

$2,135 MX$40.1K

-4.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$326 MZN 20.6K

$946 MX$17.8K

-65.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

120.26%

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

Last update for Maputo: October 26, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Maputo

$381 33.8%

Mexico City

$710 44.2% 86.4% $329

Groceries & Markets

Maputo

$224 19.9%

Mexico City

$320 19.9% 42.9% $96

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Maputo

$166 14.7%

Mexico City

$126 7.8% 24.1% $40

Eating Out

Maputo

$147 13%

Mexico City

$199 12.4% 35.6% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Maputo

$119 10.6%

Mexico City

$156 9.7% 30.7% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Maputo

$58 5.2%

Mexico City

$72 4.5% 23.5% $14

Getting Around

Maputo

$32 2.9%

Mexico City

$25 1.6% 21.2% $6.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $547 in Maputo versus $1,113 in Mexico City. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Mexico City are about 2.9 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $63 in Maputo versus $48 in Mexico City. Groceries tell a different story – $224 in Maputo vs $320 in Mexico City – so Maputo wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇿 Maputo

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

01:22 1:22 AM

17:22 5:22 PM

8 h behind Maputo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,244,227 Capital

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

Mozambican Metical MZN MT

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MZN = 1.58 USD

100 MZN = 1.42 EUR

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to MZN – Mozambican Metical Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇿 Mozambican Metical (MT)

Mozambican Metical exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 63.25 MZN (100 MZN = 1.58 USD). 1 EUR = 70.62 MZN (100 MZN = 1.42 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

USD to MZN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Maputo Mexico City 15,030 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Maputo
Mexico City

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 Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,127 in Maputo, $1,608 in Mexico City – Maputo comes out roughly 30% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,690 per month in Maputo and $2,412 in Mexico City. 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $547 there versus $1,113 in Mexico City.

Kindergarten costs $174 per month in Maputo and $432 in Mexico City. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 43% more in Mexico City, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,127 in Maputo and $1,608 in Mexico City, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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.

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