Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Maputo and Phuket

Name: Phuket
Address: Phuket, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Maputo: $1,127 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 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
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Maputo

🇲🇿 Mozambique

$1,127

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Maputo and in Phuket

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

A single person spends $1,127 per month in Maputo vs $1,278 in Phuket, rent included.

Maputo $1,127
Phuket $1,278

A couple spends around $1,729 per month in Maputo vs $2,216 in Phuket, rent included.

Maputo $1,729
Phuket $2,216

A family of three spends $2,331 per month in Maputo vs $3,154 in Phuket, rent included.

Maputo $2,331
Phuket $3,154

Maputo is about 12% cheaper than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Maputo and Phuket are more affordable than the global median – Maputo 17% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.08 MZN 637

$4.47 ฿151

125.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.4 MZN 4,010

$32.41 ฿1,093

95.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.01 MZN 443

$8.81 ฿297

-20.43%

Cappuccino

$2.17 MZN 137

$2.83 ฿95.4

-23.32%

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

$0.81 MZN 51.5

$0.87 ฿29.41

-6.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.69 MZN 43.66

$0.49 ฿16.65

40.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.60 MZN 101

$2.56 ฿86.3

-37.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.39 MZN 151

$3.68 ฿124

-35.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.60 MZN 101

$1.66 ฿55.9

-3.61%

White Bread (500g)

$0.99 MZN 62.4

$1.46 ฿49.31

-32.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.59 MZN 101

$1.50 ฿50.5

6.00%

Eggs

$2.47 MZN 156

$2.09 ฿70.5

18.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$20.84 MZN 1,318

$19.07 ฿643

9.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.70 MZN 361

$3.30 ฿111

72.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.68 MZN 360

$10.91 ฿368

-47.94%

Apples (1kg)

$1.97 MZN 125

$2.93 ฿98.9

-32.76%

Banana (1kg)

$0.76 MZN 48.10

$1.69 ฿57.0

-55.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.68 MZN 106

$2.25 ฿75.8

-25.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.09 MZN 69.0

$2.08 ฿70.0

-47.60%

Potato (1kg)

$1.00 MZN 63.3

$1.51 ฿51.0

-33.77%

Onion (1kg)

$0.81 MZN 51.1

$1.38 ฿46.52

-41.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.98 MZN 62.2

$1.07 ฿35.96

-8.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 MZN 54.0

$0.52 ฿17.51

63.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.78 MZN 176

$4.20 ฿142

-33.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.18 MZN 644

$18.79 ฿634

-45.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 MZN 64.0

$1.82 ฿61.5

-44.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.29 MZN 81.5

$2.84 ฿95.8

-54.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.22 MZN 13.89

$1.45 ฿48.98

-84.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$23.85 MZN 1,508

$56.7 ฿1,912

-57.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.60 MZN 101

$3.02 ฿102

-47.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.19 MZN 75.5

$1.02 ฿34.33

16.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.69 MZN 1,562

$3.69 ฿125

569.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 MZN 86.2

$1.47 ฿49.76

-7.48%

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

$31.3K MZN 2.0M

$26.8K ฿903.4K

16.99%

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

$23.0K MZN 1.5M

$26.7K ฿900.5K

-13.84%

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

$70.3 MZN 4,444

$96.4 ฿3,251

-27.08%

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

$7.64 MZN 483

$11.26 ฿380

-32.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$88.1 MZN 5,573

$16.85 ฿568

422.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.70 MZN 2,701

$67.2 ฿2,268

-36.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.59 MZN 1,682

$10.73 ฿362

147.81%

Cinema Ticket

$7.69 MZN 486

$7.50 ฿253

2.53%

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

$174 MZN 11.0K

$476 ฿16.1K

-63.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,168 MZN 326.9K

$11.3K ฿380.0K

-54.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.2 MZN 3,177

$62.4 ฿2,104

-19.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.0 MZN 3,540

$28.41 ฿958

97.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.6 MZN 5,035

$94.3 ฿3,181

-15.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.2 MZN 5,007

$85.8 ฿2,895

-7.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$547 MZN 34.6K

$716 ฿24.2K

-23.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MZN 24.1K

$491 ฿16.6K

-22.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,059 MZN 67.0K

$1,927 ฿65.0K

-45.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$558 MZN 35.3K

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-61.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,188 MZN 264.9K

$4,175 ฿140.9K

0.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,047 MZN 129.5K

$3,045 ฿102.7K

-32.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$326 MZN 20.6K

$502 ฿16.9K

-35.08%

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 26, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Maputo

$381 33.8%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 28.8% $110

Groceries & Markets

Maputo

$224 19.9%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 19% $43

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Maputo

$166 14.7%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 25% $42

Eating Out

Maputo

$147 13%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 16.9% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Maputo

$119 10.6%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 2.2% $2.6

Sport & Entertainment

Maputo

$58 5.2%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 41.6% $24

Getting Around

Maputo

$32 2.9%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 119% $38

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $547 in Maputo versus $716 in Phuket. 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 54% higher in Phuket. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $63 in Maputo versus $32 in Phuket. Groceries tell a different story – $224 in Maputo vs $266 in Phuket – so Maputo wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇿 Maputo

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

03:05 3:05 AM

08:05 8:05 AM

5 h ahead of Maputo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,244,227 Capital

79,308

💱 Currency

Mozambican Metical MZN MT

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 MZN = 1.58 USD

100 MZN = 1.42 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 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 November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 63.25 MZN (100 MZN = 1.58 USD). 1 EUR = 70.62 MZN (100 MZN = 1.42 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to MZN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Maputo Phuket 8,040 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Maputo
Phuket

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 Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,127 in Maputo, $1,278 in Phuket – Maputo comes out roughly 12% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,690 per month in Maputo and $1,917 in Phuket. 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 $716 in Phuket.

Kindergarten costs $174 per month in Maputo and $476 in Phuket. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 19% more in Phuket, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,127 in Maputo and $1,278 in Phuket, 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, Phuket makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.