Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Matola and Cairo

For one person, living is cheaper in Cairo: $647 a month against $995 in Matola, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Matola
Learn more

Matola Living Index
32

Cost of Living Index in Cairo
Learn more

Cairo Living Index

Jump to prices

Matola

🇲🇿 Mozambique

$995

/mo nomad

Cairo

🇪🇬 Egypt

$647

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Matola and in Cairo

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

A single person spends $995 per month in Matola vs $647 in Cairo, rent included.

Matola $995
Cairo $647

A couple spends around $1,520 per month in Matola vs $1,035 in Cairo, rent included.

Matola $1,520
Cairo $1,035

A family of three spends $2,045 per month in Matola vs $1,423 in Cairo, rent included.

Matola $2,045
Cairo $1,423

Matola costs about 54% more than Cairo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Matola and Cairo are more affordable than the global median – Matola 26% lower, Cairo 52% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.60 MZN 481

$4.64 E£248

63.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.4 MZN 4,010

$28.12 E£1,501

125.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.32 MZN 463

$6.03 E£322

21.39%

Cappuccino

$1.58 MZN 99.9

$1.72 E£92.1

-8.14%

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

$0.82 MZN 52.1

$0.36 E£19.38

127.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 MZN 46.85

$0.12 E£6.41

516.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.15 MZN 72.9

$1.51 E£80.4

-23.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.52 MZN 96.3

$2.32 E£124

-34.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.54 MZN 97.4

$0.92 E£48.92

67.39%

White Bread (500g)

$0.99 MZN 62.8

$0.73 E£38.92

35.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.66 MZN 105

$0.74 E£39.64

124.32%

Eggs

$1.84 MZN 117

$1.19 E£63.7

54.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.09 MZN 828

$4.33 E£231

202.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 MZN 357

$5.03 E£269

12.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.55 MZN 288

$9.28 E£496

-50.97%

Apples (1kg)

$2.07 MZN 131

$1.77 E£94.4

16.95%

Banana (1kg)

$0.59 MZN 37.08

$0.73 E£39.03

-19.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.71 MZN 108

$0.55 E£29.51

210.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.07 MZN 67.9

$0.50 E£26.91

114.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 MZN 62.7

$0.42 E£22.42

135.71%

Onion (1kg)

$0.82 MZN 51.8

$0.41 E£21.81

100.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.97 MZN 61.2

$0.33 E£17.51

193.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 MZN 33.63

$0.21 E£11.20

152.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.83 MZN 179

$1.98 E£106

42.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.98 MZN 442

$7.81 E£417

-10.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 MZN 57.2

$1.59 E£84.7

-43.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.24 MZN 78.4

$2.09 E£112

-40.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.35 E£18.83

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.69 E£464

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.59 MZN 101

$0.39 E£21.02

307.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.20 MZN 75.6

$0.22 E£11.57

445.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.67 MZN 1,560

$1.51 E£80.5

1533.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 MZN 89.8

$0.43 E£22.88

230.23%

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

$32.2K MZN 2.0M

$32.7K E£1.7M

-1.47%

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

$22.8K MZN 1.4M

$27.2K E£1.5M

-16.16%

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

$39.72 MZN 2,512

$27.27 E£1,456

45.65%

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

$7.80 MZN 493

$8.58 E£458

-9.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$77.3 MZN 4,891

$13.99 E£747

452.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.53 MZN 2,500

$29.69 E£1,585

33.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.25 E£387

Cinema Ticket

$7.87 MZN 498

$4.86 E£260

61.93%

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

$130 MZN 8,234

$121 E£6,438

7.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,052 MZN 319.5K

$3,560 E£190.1K

41.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.07 MZN 3,104

$40.28 E£2,151

21.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.0 MZN 3,606

$49.53 E£2,645

15.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.1 MZN 4,939

$115 E£6,137

-32.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.4 MZN 5,019

$60.0 E£3,206

32.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$473 MZN 29.9K

$222 E£11.9K

112.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$389 MZN 24.6K

$195 E£10.4K

99.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$693 MZN 43.8K

$550 E£29.3K

26.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$552 MZN 34.9K

$346 E£18.5K

59.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$800 E£42.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$525 E£28.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$315 MZN 19.9K

$200 E£10.7K

57.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

16.21

54.23%

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

Last update for Matola: October 11, 2026

Last update for Cairo: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Matola

$389 39.1%

Cairo

$195 30.2% 49.9% $194

Groceries & Markets

Matola

$182 18.3%

Cairo

$142 21.9% 22.3% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Matola

$125 12.6%

Cairo

$50 7.7% 60.1% $75

Clothing & Footwear

Matola

$119 11.9%

Cairo

$119 18.4% 0.5% $0.6

Eating Out

Matola

$117 11.7%

Cairo

$90 13.9% 22.9% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Matola

$55 5.6%

Cairo

$39 6.1% 28.7% $16

Getting Around

Matola

$7.6 * 0.8%

Cairo

$12 1.8% 53% $4

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 $222 in Cairo. 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 58% higher in Matola, 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 Matola versus $28.00 in Cairo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $182 vs $142 – making Cairo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇿 Matola

🇪🇬 Cairo

🕒 Local time

12:35 12:35 PM

13:35 1:35 PM

1 h ahead of Matola

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

675,422

9,120,350 Capital

💱 Currency

Mozambican Metical MZN MT

Egyptian Pound EGP £

📈 Exchange rate

100 MZN = 1.58 USD

100 MZN = 1.41 EUR

100 EGP = 1.87 USD

100 EGP = 1.67 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

EGP, 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).

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 53.4 EGP (100 EGP = 1.87 USD). 1 EUR = 60.03 EGP (100 EGP = 1.67 EUR).

USD to MZN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Matola Cairo 6,230 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Matola
Cairo

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 Cairo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Matola is pricier by about 54%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,492 per month in Matola and $970 in Cairo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cairo, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $995 in Matola and $647 in Cairo. That's a gap of about 54%.

Kindergarten costs $130 per month in Matola and $121 in Cairo. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Cairo, where all-in costs run around $647, than in Matola at $995. In Cairo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Matola it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Cairo – 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 Cairo. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Matola makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.