Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Matola and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Matola: $992 a month against $1,647 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $7,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Matola, Mozambique
Budapest, Hungary
Matola
🇲🇿 Mozambique
$992
/mo nomad
Budapest
🇭🇺 Hungary
$1,647
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Matola and in Budapest

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

A single person spends $992 per month in Matola vs $1,647 in Budapest, rent included.

  • Matola $992
  • Budapest $1,647

A couple spends around $1,518 per month in Matola vs $2,567 in Budapest, rent included.

  • Matola $1,518
  • Budapest $2,567

A family of three spends $2,044 per month in Matola vs $3,488 in Budapest, rent included.

  • Matola $2,044
  • Budapest $3,488

Matola is about 40% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Matola sits 27% below the global median, while Budapest is 22% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Matola
Budapest
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$7.61 MZN 481
$13.63 Ft 4,419
-44.17%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$61.7 MZN 3,903
$60.7 Ft 19.7K
1.73%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.02 MZN 444
$10.02 Ft 3,248
-29.94%
Cappuccino
$1.52 MZN 96.1
$3.33 Ft 1,078
-54.35%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.83 MZN 52.6
$2.12 Ft 686
-60.85%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.73 MZN 46.06
$1.80 Ft 583
-59.44%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.20 MZN 75.8
$3.61 Ft 1,169
-66.76%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.60 MZN 101
$3.59 Ft 1,163
-55.43%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Matola
Budapest
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.54 MZN 97.4
$1.12 Ft 362
37.50%
White Bread (500g)
$1.03 MZN 65.2
$1.93 Ft 624
-46.63%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.63 MZN 103
$2.49 Ft 806
-34.54%
Eggs
$1.92 MZN 121
$3.94 Ft 1,278
-51.27%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$13.33 MZN 843
$11.28 Ft 3,656
18.17%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.90 MZN 373
$6.73 Ft 2,183
-12.33%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$4.66 MZN 295
$14.44 Ft 4,682
-67.73%
Apples (1kg)
$2.00 MZN 126
$1.86 Ft 603
7.53%
Banana (1kg)
$0.64 MZN 40.34
$2.04 Ft 660
-68.63%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.64 MZN 103
$2.29 Ft 742
-28.38%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.05 MZN 66.3
$3.99 Ft 1,294
-73.68%
Potato (1kg)
$1.00 MZN 63.2
$0.94 Ft 305
6.38%
Onion (1kg)
$0.80 MZN 50.5
$1.02 Ft 331
-21.57%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.96 MZN 61.0
$1.65 Ft 536
-41.82%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.57 MZN 35.74
$0.68 Ft 221
-16.18%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.90 MZN 183
$7.81 Ft 2,533
-62.87%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.06 MZN 446
$6.02 Ft 1,952
17.28%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.92 MZN 58.0
$1.29 Ft 419
-28.68%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.28 MZN 81.0
$2.02 Ft 656
-36.63%
🚌 Getting Around
Matola
Budapest
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
-
$1.50 Ft 485
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$27.13 Ft 8,792
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.52 MZN 96.1
$3.36 Ft 1,088
-54.76%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.20 MZN 75.9
$1.37 Ft 445
-12.41%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$24.95 MZN 1,578
$19.96 Ft 6,468
25.00%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.42 MZN 89.7
$1.86 Ft 604
-23.66%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$31.7K MZN 2.0M
$28.5K Ft 9.2M
11.03%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.2K MZN 1.5M
$33.4K Ft 10.8M
-30.47%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Matola
Budapest
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$39.43 MZN 2,494
$178 Ft 57.8K
-77.87%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$7.59 MZN 480
$23.58 Ft 7,643
-67.81%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$78.9 MZN 4,990
$24.12 Ft 7,817
227.07%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Matola
Budapest
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$39.42 MZN 2,493
$69.7 Ft 22.6K
-43.42%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$17.03 Ft 5,520
-
Cinema Ticket
$7.92 MZN 501
$10.48 Ft 3,397
-24.43%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Matola
Budapest
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$176 MZN 11.2K
$625 Ft 202.6K
-71.80%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,229 MZN 330.7K
$19.6K Ft 6.4M
-73.38%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Matola
Budapest
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$50.6 MZN 3,200
$102 Ft 33.1K
-50.40%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$56.0 MZN 3,541
$43.41 Ft 14.1K
28.98%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$77.9 MZN 4,927
$110 Ft 35.6K
-29.09%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$78.8 MZN 4,982
$121 Ft 39.1K
-34.71%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Matola
Budapest
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$473 MZN 29.9K
$845 Ft 274.0K
-44.09%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$384 MZN 24.3K
$638 Ft 206.9K
-39.88%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$696 MZN 44.0K
$1,609 Ft 521.5K
-56.76%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$553 MZN 35.0K
$1,217 Ft 394.5K
-54.53%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$5,555 Ft 1.8M
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$3,898 Ft 1.3M
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Matola
Budapest
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$317 MZN 20.0K
$1,724 Ft 559.0K
-81.62%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
25
6.34
294.32%

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

Last update for Matola: November 2, 2026

Last update for Budapest: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Matola
$384
Budapest
$638 66.3% $255
Groceries & Markets
Matola
$185
Budapest
$260 40.1% $74
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Matola
$126
Budapest
$226 79.4% $100
Clothing & Footwear
Matola
$118
Budapest
$169 42.8% $51
Eating Out
Matola
$116
Budapest
$220 90.2% $104
Sport & Entertainment
Matola
$55
Budapest
$91 64% $35
Getting Around
Matola
$7.5 *
Budapest
$43 476% $36

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $473 in Matola versus $845 in Budapest. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Budapest are about 5.4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $62 in Matola versus $61 in Budapest. Groceries tell a different story – $185 in Matola vs $260 in Budapest – so Matola wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇲🇿 Matola
🇭🇺 Budapest
🕒 Local time
03:00 3:00 AM
02:00 2:00 AM
1 h behind Matola
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
675,422
1,686,222 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to MZN – Mozambican Metical Converter

Mozambican Metical exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 63.25 MZN (100 MZN = 1.58 USD). 1 EUR = 71 MZN (100 MZN = 1.41 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 324 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.09 USD). 1 EUR = 364 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Matola Budapest 8,280 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Matola
  • Budapest

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 Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Matola cheaper than Budapest?
Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 66%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,488 per month in Matola and $2,471 in Budapest. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Matola, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $473 there versus $845 in Budapest.
How do food prices compare in Matola and in Budapest?
Groceries cost about 40% more in Budapest, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $176 per month in Matola and $625 in Budapest. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Is $1,200 a realistic budget for living in Matola or in Budapest?
A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Matola, where all-in costs run around $992, than in Budapest at $1,647. In Matola it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Matola or Budapest more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Matola – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Matola. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Budapest makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

Matola vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?