Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Matola and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Matola: $995 a month against $1,340 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $4,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Matola
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Matola Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index

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Matola

🇲🇿 Mozambique

$995

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,340

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Matola and in Bucharest

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $995 in Matola versus $1,340 in Bucharest.

Matola $995
Bucharest $1,340

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,520 in Matola versus $2,037 in Bucharest.

Matola $1,520
Bucharest $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,045 in Matola versus $2,734 in Bucharest.

Matola $2,045
Bucharest $2,734

Living in Matola costs roughly 26% less than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Matola 26% lower, Bucharest 1% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.60 MZN 481

$14.49 RON 68.6

-47.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.4 MZN 4,010

$58.1 RON 275

9.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.32 MZN 463

$7.48 RON 35.40

-2.14%

Cappuccino

$1.58 MZN 99.9

$3.44 RON 16.29

-54.07%

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

$0.82 MZN 52.1

$2.37 RON 11.22

-65.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 MZN 46.85

$2.30 RON 10.88

-67.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.15 MZN 72.9

$3.70 RON 17.51

-68.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.52 MZN 96.3

$4.16 RON 19.69

-63.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.54 MZN 97.4

$1.67 RON 7.90

-7.78%

White Bread (500g)

$0.99 MZN 62.8

$1.37 RON 6.50

-27.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.66 MZN 105

$1.72 RON 8.14

-3.49%

Eggs

$1.84 MZN 117

$3.64 RON 17.22

-49.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.09 MZN 828

$9.08 RON 42.98

44.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 MZN 357

$6.84 RON 32.35

-17.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.55 MZN 288

$12.00 RON 56.8

-62.08%

Apples (1kg)

$2.07 MZN 131

$1.23 RON 5.80

68.29%

Banana (1kg)

$0.59 MZN 37.08

$1.63 RON 7.73

-63.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.71 MZN 108

$1.57 RON 7.45

8.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.07 MZN 67.9

$2.54 RON 12.01

-57.87%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 MZN 62.7

$0.79 RON 3.75

25.32%

Onion (1kg)

$0.82 MZN 51.8

$0.77 RON 3.66

6.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.97 MZN 61.2

$0.87 RON 4.13

11.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 MZN 33.63

$0.99 RON 4.70

-46.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.83 MZN 179

$6.31 RON 29.86

-55.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.98 MZN 442

$6.20 RON 29.34

12.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 MZN 57.2

$1.19 RON 5.63

-24.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.24 MZN 78.4

$1.57 RON 7.45

-21.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 RON 4.08

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.10 RON 99.8

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.59 MZN 101

$0.64 RON 3.05

148.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.20 MZN 75.6

$0.60 RON 2.86

100.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.67 MZN 1,560

$6.43 RON 30.43

283.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 MZN 89.8

$1.96 RON 9.25

-27.55%

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

$32.2K MZN 2.0M

$29.0K RON 137.2K

11.11%

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

$22.8K MZN 1.4M

$26.6K RON 126.0K

-14.30%

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

$39.72 MZN 2,512

$196 RON 927

-79.72%

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

$7.80 MZN 493

$8.04 RON 38.04

-2.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$77.3 MZN 4,891

$9.35 RON 44.21

727.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.53 MZN 2,500

$50.2 RON 238

-21.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.33 RON 120

Cinema Ticket

$7.87 MZN 498

$8.15 RON 38.55

-3.44%

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

$130 MZN 8,234

$628 RON 2,971

-79.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,052 MZN 319.5K

$14.1K RON 66.6K

-64.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.07 MZN 3,104

$89.6 RON 424

-45.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.0 MZN 3,606

$38.32 RON 181

48.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.1 MZN 4,939

$79.3 RON 375

-1.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.4 MZN 5,019

$90.4 RON 428

-12.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$473 MZN 29.9K

$678 RON 3,209

-30.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$389 MZN 24.6K

$448 RON 2,121

-13.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$693 MZN 43.8K

$1,083 RON 5,125

-36.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$552 MZN 34.9K

$725 RON 3,430

-23.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,751 RON 17.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,195 RON 10.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$315 MZN 19.9K

$1,329 RON 6,290

-76.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

270.37%

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

Last update for Matola: October 11, 2026

Last update for Bucharest: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Matola

$389 39.1%

Bucharest

$448 33.5% 15.1% $59

Groceries & Markets

Matola

$182 18.3%

Bucharest

$225 16.8% 23.4% $43

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Matola

$125 12.6%

Bucharest

$213 15.9% 70.8% $88

Clothing & Footwear

Matola

$119 11.9%

Bucharest

$134 10% 12.9% $15

Eating Out

Matola

$117 11.7%

Bucharest

$225 16.8% 92.8% $108

Sport & Entertainment

Matola

$55 5.6%

Bucharest

$67 5% 20.4% $11

Getting Around

Matola

$7.6 * 0.8%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 273% $21

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 $473 in Matola and $678 in Bucharest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucharest pays 322% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $63.0 in Matola vs $58.0 in Bucharest. Groceries flip the comparison at $182 vs $225, with Matola cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇿 Matola

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

09:34 9:34 AM

10:34 10:34 AM

1 h ahead of Matola

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

675,422

1,883,425 Capital

💱 Currency

Mozambican Metical MZN MT

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

100 MZN = 1.58 USD

100 MZN = 1.41 EUR

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, 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).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.32 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

USD to MZN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Matola Bucharest 7,860 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Matola
Bucharest

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 Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Matola and Bucharest differ by about 35% in total monthly costs ($995 vs $1,340 including rent). Matola is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 322% lower in Bucharest. 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: $473 in Matola versus $678 in Bucharest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 23% higher in Bucharest. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $995 per month in Matola versus $1,340 in Bucharest – a 35% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $995 in Matola versus $1,340 in Bucharest, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Matola but tight or insufficient in Bucharest. 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.

Expats usually find Matola gentler on the wallet – expenses run 35% less than in Bucharest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.