Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Matola and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $918 a month against $995 in Matola, rent and utilities included – about $920 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Matola
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Matola Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index

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Matola

🇲🇿 Mozambique

$995

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Matola and in Cebu

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $995 in Matola versus $918 in Cebu.

Matola $995
Cebu $918

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,520 in Matola versus $1,409 in Cebu.

Matola $1,520
Cebu $1,409

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,045 in Matola versus $1,900 in Cebu.

Matola $2,045
Cebu $1,900

Living in Matola is roughly 8% more expensive than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities sit below the global median: Matola 26% lower, Cebu 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.60 MZN 481

$3.09 ₱194

145.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.4 MZN 4,010

$24.22 ₱1,525

161.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.32 MZN 463

$3.92 ₱247

86.73%

Cappuccino

$1.58 MZN 99.9

$2.51 ₱158

-37.05%

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

$0.82 MZN 52.1

$1.59 ₱100

-48.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 MZN 46.85

$0.53 ₱33.43

39.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.15 MZN 72.9

$1.78 ₱112

-35.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.52 MZN 96.3

$2.17 ₱137

-29.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.54 MZN 97.4

$1.92 ₱121

-19.79%

White Bread (500g)

$0.99 MZN 62.8

$1.36 ₱85.4

-27.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.66 MZN 105

$1.01 ₱63.5

64.36%

Eggs

$1.84 MZN 117

$2.03 ₱128

-9.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.09 MZN 828

$9.86 ₱621

32.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 MZN 357

$4.39 ₱277

28.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.55 MZN 288

$7.60 ₱479

-40.13%

Apples (1kg)

$2.07 MZN 131

$3.30 ₱208

-37.27%

Banana (1kg)

$0.59 MZN 37.08

$1.39 ₱87.8

-57.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.71 MZN 108

$2.33 ₱147

-26.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.07 MZN 67.9

$1.50 ₱94.3

-28.67%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 MZN 62.7

$2.36 ₱149

-58.05%

Onion (1kg)

$0.82 MZN 51.8

$1.90 ₱119

-56.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.97 MZN 61.2

$1.19 ₱74.9

-18.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 MZN 33.63

$0.63 ₱39.71

-15.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.83 MZN 179

$3.00 ₱189

-5.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.98 MZN 442

$6.03 ₱379

15.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 MZN 57.2

$1.23 ₱77.7

-26.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.24 MZN 78.4

$1.75 ₱110

-29.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.86

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.64 ₱796

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.59 MZN 101

$0.77 ₱48.62

106.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.20 MZN 75.6

$0.23 ₱14.53

421.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.67 MZN 1,560

$4.46 ₱281

453.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 MZN 89.8

$1.31 ₱82.8

8.40%

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

$32.2K MZN 2.0M

$21.2K ₱1.3M

51.67%

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

$22.8K MZN 1.4M

$19.1K ₱1.2M

19.24%

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

$39.72 MZN 2,512

$120 ₱7,569

-66.96%

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

$7.80 MZN 493

$14.00 ₱882

-44.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$77.3 MZN 4,891

$27.54 ₱1,734

180.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.53 MZN 2,500

$32.33 ₱2,035

22.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.65 ₱419

Cinema Ticket

$7.87 MZN 498

$5.65 ₱356

39.29%

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

$130 MZN 8,234

$275 ₱17.3K

-52.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,052 MZN 319.5K

$7,918 ₱498.5K

-36.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.07 MZN 3,104

$49.33 ₱3,106

-0.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.0 MZN 3,606

$25.24 ₱1,589

125.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.1 MZN 4,939

$77.0 ₱4,846

1.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.4 MZN 5,019

$57.2 ₱3,601

38.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$473 MZN 29.9K

$500 ₱31.5K

-5.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$389 MZN 24.6K

$309 ₱19.4K

26.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$693 MZN 43.8K

$1,078 ₱67.9K

-35.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$552 MZN 34.9K

$615 ₱38.7K

-10.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,886 ₱181.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,917 ₱120.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$315 MZN 19.9K

$346 ₱21.8K

-9.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

247.22%

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

Last update for Matola: October 11, 2026

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Matola

$389 39.1%

Cebu

$309 33.6% 20.7% $81

Groceries & Markets

Matola

$182 18.3%

Cebu

$206 22.4% 12.9% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Matola

$125 12.6%

Cebu

$162 17.6% 29.6% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Matola

$119 11.9%

Cebu

$94 10.2% 20.8% $25

Eating Out

Matola

$117 11.7%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 24.4% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Matola

$55 5.6%

Cebu

$44 4.8% 21.1% $12

Getting Around

Matola

$7.6 * 0.8%

Cebu

$16 1.7% 106% $8

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 $500 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cebu pays 10% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $63.0 in Matola vs $24.00 in Cebu. Groceries flip the comparison at $182 vs $206, with Matola cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇿 Matola

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

15:05 3:05 PM

21:05 9:05 PM

6 h ahead of Matola

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

675,422

964,169

💱 Currency

Mozambican Metical MZN MT

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 MZN = 1.58 USD

100 MZN = 1.41 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, 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).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to MZN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Matola Cebu 10,650 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Matola
Cebu

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 Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in clothing, eating out, and utilities. The 8% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 10% lower in Cebu. 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 $500 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Matola pay roughly 13% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $995 per month in Matola versus $918 in Cebu – a 8% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $918 in Cebu versus $995 in Matola, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Matola. The gap between the two cities makes Cebu the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Cebu is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Matola, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Matola and Cebu are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Cebu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 8% less than in Matola. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.