Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Maputo and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Maputo: $1,109 a month against $1,215 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. The total is higher in Playa del Carmen despite lower rent and utilities.

55

Cost of Living Index in Maputo
Learn more

Maputo Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

Jump to prices

Maputo

🇲🇿 Mozambique

$1,109

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,215

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Maputo and in Playa del Carmen

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 Playa del Carmen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,109 per month in Maputo vs $1,215 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Maputo $1,109
Playa del Carmen $1,215

A couple spends around $1,720 per month in Maputo vs $2,144 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Maputo $1,720
Playa del Carmen $2,144

A family of three spends $2,331 per month in Maputo vs $3,072 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Maputo $2,331
Playa del Carmen $3,072

Maputo is about 9% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Maputo and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Maputo 17% lower, Playa del Carmen 9% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.37 MZN 656

$10.97 MX$201

-5.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.2 MZN 3,995

$44.85 MX$823

40.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.95 MZN 440

$11.92 MX$219

-41.69%

Cappuccino

$2.28 MZN 144

$3.80 MX$69.9

-40.00%

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

$0.87 MZN 55.2

$1.31 MX$24.08

-33.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.73 MZN 46.29

$0.86 MX$15.72

-15.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.60 MZN 101

$3.21 MX$59.0

-50.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.32 MZN 147

$5.01 MX$92.0

-53.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.52 MZN 96.1

$1.46 MX$26.77

4.11%

White Bread (500g)

$1.00 MZN 63.0

$2.33 MX$42.72

-57.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.67 MZN 106

$1.44 MX$26.48

15.97%

Eggs

$2.52 MZN 159

$2.46 MX$45.20

2.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.02 MZN 1,329

$7.70 MX$141

172.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.87 MZN 371

$7.89 MX$145

-25.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.59 MZN 353

$12.80 MX$235

-56.33%

Apples (1kg)

$1.99 MZN 126

$2.92 MX$53.6

-31.85%

Banana (1kg)

$0.79 MZN 50.2

$1.42 MX$26.11

-44.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.71 MZN 108

$2.57 MX$47.10

-33.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.09 MZN 68.7

$2.14 MX$39.24

-49.07%

Potato (1kg)

$1.03 MZN 65.4

$1.95 MX$35.75

-47.18%

Onion (1kg)

$0.75 MZN 47.25

$1.94 MX$35.55

-61.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.96 MZN 61.0

$1.15 MX$21.13

-16.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.91 MZN 57.4

$1.22 MX$22.42

-25.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.83 MZN 179

$4.38 MX$80.3

-35.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.11 MZN 639

$9.85 MX$181

2.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 MZN 61.7

$1.54 MX$28.23

-36.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.32 MZN 83.6

$2.72 MX$49.86

-51.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.37 MZN 23.45

$0.52 MX$9.64

-28.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$23.65 MZN 1,496

$27.42 MX$503

-13.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.60 MZN 101

$4.91 MX$90.2

-67.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.19 MZN 75.2

$3.52 MX$64.7

-66.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.44 MZN 1,546

$5.69 MX$104

329.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 MZN 85.8

$1.54 MX$28.27

-11.69%

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

$31.7K MZN 2.0M

$21.2K MX$389.9K

49.46%

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

$22.5K MZN 1.4M

$24.5K MX$449.6K

-8.09%

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

$71.5 MZN 4,520

$83.6 MX$1,535

-14.53%

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

$7.75 MZN 490

$24.03 MX$441

-67.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$88.1 MZN 5,573

$29.33 MX$539

200.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.26 MZN 2,673

$64.9 MX$1,191

-34.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.54 MZN 1,679

$29.46 MX$541

-9.91%

Cinema Ticket

$7.88 MZN 499

$5.09 MX$93.4

54.81%

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

$129 MZN 8,158

$208 MX$3,813

-37.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,162 MZN 326.5K

$4,045 MX$74.3K

27.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.15 MZN 3,109

$44.55 MX$818

10.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.3 MZN 3,496

$42.06 MX$772

31.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.2 MZN 4,881

$75.5 MX$1,387

2.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.1 MZN 4,940

$91.4 MX$1,678

-14.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$536 MZN 33.9K

$986 MX$18.1K

-45.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MZN 24.2K

$385 MX$7,072

-0.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,061 MZN 67.1K

$1,713 MX$31.5K

-38.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$566 MZN 35.8K

$1,108 MX$20.4K

-48.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,129 MZN 261.1K

$4,016 MX$73.7K

2.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,051 MZN 129.7K

$6,247 MX$114.7K

-67.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$325 MZN 20.6K

$758 MX$13.9K

-57.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

118.34%

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

Last update for Maputo: October 5, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Maputo

$382 33.8%

Playa del Carmen

$385 31.4% 0.8% $3

Groceries & Markets

Maputo

$225 19.9%

Playa del Carmen

$260 21.2% 15.6% $35

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Maputo

$167 14.8%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.2% 18.1% $30

Eating Out

Maputo

$150 13.3%

Playa del Carmen

$204 16.6% 35.7% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Maputo

$117 10.3%

Playa del Carmen

$114 9.3% 2.4% $2.8

Sport & Entertainment

Maputo

$58 5.1%

Playa del Carmen

$75 6.1% 29.3% $17

Getting Around

Maputo

$33 2.9%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.2% 59.2% $19

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $536 in Maputo versus $986 in Playa del Carmen. 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 133% higher in Playa del Carmen, 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 $45.00 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries tell a different story – $225 in Maputo vs $260 in Playa del Carmen – so Maputo wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇿 Maputo

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

07:08 7:08 AM

00:08 12:08 AM

7 h behind Maputo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,244,227 Capital

149,923

💱 Currency

Mozambican Metical MZN MT

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MZN = 1.58 USD

100 MZN = 1.41 EUR

100 MXN = 5.45 USD

100 MXN = 4.86 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 October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 63.25 MZN (100 MZN = 1.58 USD). 1 EUR = 70.94 MZN (100 MZN = 1.41 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.36 MXN (100 MXN = 5.45 USD). 1 EUR = 20.59 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

USD to MZN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Maputo Playa del Carmen 13,880 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Maputo
Playa del Carmen

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 Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,109 in Maputo, $1,215 in Playa del Carmen – roughly 10% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,663 per month in Maputo and $1,823 in Playa del Carmen. 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 $208 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 16% more in Playa del Carmen, 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 Playa del Carmen at $1,215. In Maputo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,109 in Maputo to $1,215 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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