Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Matola and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Matola: $999 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $17,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

48

Cost of Living Index in Matola
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Matola Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Matola

🇲🇿 Mozambique

$999

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Matola and in Barcelona

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Matola and in Barcelona actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $999 in Matola versus $2,453 in Barcelona.

Matola $999
Barcelona $2,453

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,523 in Matola versus $3,509 in Barcelona.

Matola $1,523
Barcelona $3,509

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,048 in Matola versus $4,564 in Barcelona.

Matola $2,048
Barcelona $4,564

Living in Matola costs roughly 59% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Matola is 27% below, Barcelona is 80% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.80 MZN 493

$17.59 €15.69

-55.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.6 MZN 3,960

$67.5 €60.2

-7.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.34 MZN 464

$13.53 €12.07

-45.75%

Cappuccino

$1.59 MZN 100

$3.19 €2.85

-50.16%

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

$0.82 MZN 52.0

$2.91 €2.60

-71.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.67 MZN 42.67

$1.89 €1.69

-64.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.18 MZN 74.8

$4.01 €3.58

-70.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 MZN 97.5

$4.53 €4.04

-66.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 MZN 101

$1.31 €1.16

21.37%

White Bread (500g)

$0.99 MZN 62.6

$2.02 €1.80

-50.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.59 MZN 101

$1.85 €1.65

-14.05%

Eggs

$1.93 MZN 122

$4.83 €4.31

-60.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.47 MZN 852

$16.74 €14.93

-19.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.82 MZN 368

$9.12 €8.14

-36.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.76 MZN 301

$19.64 €17.52

-75.76%

Apples (1kg)

$1.97 MZN 125

$2.98 €2.66

-33.89%

Banana (1kg)

$0.62 MZN 39.38

$2.02 €1.80

-69.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.64 MZN 103

$2.70 €2.41

-39.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.03 MZN 65.4

$2.80 €2.50

-63.21%

Potato (1kg)

$1.00 MZN 63.5

$2.09 €1.86

-52.15%

Onion (1kg)

$0.74 MZN 47.08

$2.07 €1.85

-64.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.95 MZN 60.1

$1.46 €1.30

-34.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 MZN 33.64

$0.94 €0.84

-43.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.89 MZN 183

$6.87 €6.13

-57.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.21 MZN 456

$7.89 €7.04

-8.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 MZN 61.3

$1.41 €1.25

-31.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.21 MZN 76.8

$2.54 €2.26

-52.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.80

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.70

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.61 MZN 102

$2.99 €2.67

-46.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.20 MZN 76.1

$1.49 €1.33

-19.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.12 MZN 1,525

$33.37 €29.78

-27.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 MZN 88.5

$1.80 €1.60

-22.22%

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

$31.4K MZN 2.0M

$33.2K €29.6K

-5.35%

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

$22.5K MZN 1.4M

$31.7K €28.3K

-28.92%

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

$39.21 MZN 2,480

$180 €161

-78.27%

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

$7.64 MZN 483

$13.84 €12.35

-44.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$77.9 MZN 4,926

$33.70 €30.06

131.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.09 MZN 2,473

$51.5 €45.96

-24.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.24

Cinema Ticket

$7.60 MZN 481

$10.99 €9.81

-30.85%

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

$173 MZN 10.9K

$917 €818

-81.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,041 MZN 318.8K

$16.5K €14.7K

-69.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.21 MZN 3,113

$87.0 €77.7

-43.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.0 MZN 3,539

$38.51 €34.35

45.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.2 MZN 5,011

$106 €94.4

-25.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.4 MZN 4,898

$120 €107

-35.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$462 MZN 29.2K

$1,699 €1,516

-72.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$391 MZN 24.7K

$1,355 €1,209

-71.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$696 MZN 44.0K

$2,603 €2,322

-73.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$552 MZN 34.9K

$2,062 €1,840

-73.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,169

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,575

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$307 MZN 19.4K

$2,211 €1,972

-86.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

662.20%

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

Last update for Matola: October 27, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Matola

$391 39.1%

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3% 247% $965

Groceries & Markets

Matola

$185 18.6%

Barcelona

$322 13.1% 73.6% $136

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Matola

$125 12.5%

Barcelona

$228 9.3% 82.8% $103

Eating Out

Matola

$118 11.9%

Barcelona

$268 10.9% 126% $150

Clothing & Footwear

Matola

$118 11.8%

Barcelona

$158 6.4% 34.1% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Matola

$54 5.4%

Barcelona

$74 3% 35.4% $19

Getting Around

Matola

$7.6 * 0.8%

Barcelona

$48 2% 536% $41

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $462 in Matola and $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays about 7.2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $63 in Matola vs $67 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $185 vs $322 per month, with Matola cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇿 Matola

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

01:31 1:31 AM

00:31 12:31 AM

1 h behind Matola

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

675,422

1,660,122

💱 Currency

Mozambican Metical MZN MT

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 MZN = 1.58 USD

100 MZN = 1.41 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to MZN – Mozambican Metical Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇿 Mozambican Metical (MT)

Mozambican Metical exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 63.25 MZN (100 MZN = 1.58 USD). 1 EUR = 70.89 MZN (100 MZN = 1.41 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to MZN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Matola Barcelona 8,110 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Matola
Barcelona

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

Matola vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $999 in Matola and $2,453 in Barcelona, so Matola is about 59% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 86% lower in Matola. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $462 in Matola versus $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $173 in Matola versus $917 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Matola – a meal for two runs $63 versus $67 in Barcelona. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $999 in Matola versus $2,453 in Barcelona, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Matola but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Matola the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

It comes down to priorities – Matola wins on affordability, Barcelona on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.