Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Matola and London

For one person, living is cheaper in Matola: $995 a month against $3,986 in London, rent and utilities included – about $35,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Matola
🇲🇿 Mozambique
$995
/mo nomad
London
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$3,986
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Matola and in London

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

A single person spends $995 per month in Matola vs $3,986 in London, rent included.

  • Matola $995
  • London $3,986

A couple spends around $1,520 per month in Matola vs $5,791 in London, rent included.

  • Matola $1,520
  • London $5,791

A family of three spends $2,045 per month in Matola vs $7,595 in London, rent included.

  • Matola $2,045
  • London $7,595

Matola is about 75% cheaper than London, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Matola sits 26% below the global median, while London is 195% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Matola
London
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$7.60 MZN 481
$25.93 £19.45
-70.69%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$63.4 MZN 4,010
$107 £79.9
-40.47%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.32 MZN 463
$10.71 £8.03
-31.65%
Cappuccino
$1.58 MZN 99.9
$5.47 £4.11
-71.12%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.82 MZN 52.1
$2.97 £2.23
-72.39%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.74 MZN 46.85
$2.20 £1.65
-66.36%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.15 MZN 72.9
$9.13 £6.85
-87.40%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.52 MZN 96.3
$7.94 £5.96
-80.86%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Matola
London
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.54 MZN 97.4
$1.86 £1.40
-17.20%
White Bread (500g)
$0.99 MZN 62.8
$2.07 £1.55
-52.17%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.66 MZN 105
$2.42 £1.81
-31.40%
Eggs
$1.84 MZN 117
$5.09 £3.82
-63.85%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$13.09 MZN 828
$12.87 £9.66
1.71%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.65 MZN 357
$10.43 £7.82
-45.83%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$4.55 MZN 288
$16.87 £12.66
-73.03%
Apples (1kg)
$2.07 MZN 131
$3.11 £2.33
-33.44%
Banana (1kg)
$0.59 MZN 37.08
$1.40 £1.05
-57.86%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.71 MZN 108
$3.08 £2.31
-44.48%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.07 MZN 67.9
$3.27 £2.45
-67.28%
Potato (1kg)
$0.99 MZN 62.7
$1.58 £1.19
-37.34%
Onion (1kg)
$0.82 MZN 51.8
$1.74 £1.31
-52.87%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.97 MZN 61.2
$1.40 £1.05
-30.71%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.53 MZN 33.63
$1.80 £1.35
-70.56%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.83 MZN 179
$23.28 £17.46
-87.84%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.98 MZN 442
$13.03 £9.77
-46.43%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.90 MZN 57.2
$3.17 £2.38
-71.61%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.24 MZN 78.4
$4.42 £3.32
-71.95%
🚌 Getting Around
Matola
London
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
-
$4.07 £3.05
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$247 £185
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.59 MZN 101
$5.58 £4.18
-71.51%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.20 MZN 75.6
$3.36 £2.52
-64.29%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$24.67 MZN 1,560
$56.8 £42.58
-56.53%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.42 MZN 89.8
$2.13 £1.60
-33.33%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$32.2K MZN 2.0M
$38.2K £28.6K
-15.63%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$22.8K MZN 1.4M
$40.9K £30.7K
-44.18%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Matola
London
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$39.72 MZN 2,512
$372 £279
-89.33%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$7.80 MZN 493
$17.82 £13.37
-56.23%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$77.3 MZN 4,891
$40.37 £30.29
91.55%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Matola
London
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$39.53 MZN 2,500
$60.0 £44.99
-34.08%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$21.29 £15.97
-
Cinema Ticket
$7.87 MZN 498
$17.74 £13.31
-55.64%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Matola
London
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$130 MZN 8,234
$2,864 £2,149
-95.46%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,052 MZN 319.5K
$35.3K £26.5K
-85.70%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Matola
London
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$49.07 MZN 3,104
$114 £85.5
-56.96%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$57.0 MZN 3,606
$54.3 £40.71
5.05%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$78.1 MZN 4,939
$124 £93.2
-37.15%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$79.4 MZN 5,019
$163 £122
-51.34%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Matola
London
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$473 MZN 29.9K
$2,869 £2,152
-83.52%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$389 MZN 24.6K
$2,233 £1,675
-82.56%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$693 MZN 43.8K
$5,266 £3,951
-86.84%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$552 MZN 34.9K
$3,778 £2,835
-85.40%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$18.3K £13.8K
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$8,024 £6,020
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Matola
London
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$315 MZN 19.9K
$5,037 £3,779
-93.75%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
25
4.74
427.43%

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

Last update for Matola: October 11, 2026

Last update for London: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Matola
$389
London
$2.2K 474% $1.8K
Groceries & Markets
Matola
$182
London
$349 91.6% $167
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Matola
$125
London
$430 245% $305
Clothing & Footwear
Matola
$119
London
$205 72.9% $86
Eating Out
Matola
$117
London
$388 232% $271
Sport & Entertainment
Matola
$55
London
$95 72.7% $40
Getting Around
Matola
$7.6 *
London
$285 3671% $278

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 $2,869 in London. 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 1500% higher in London, 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 $107 in London. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $182 vs $349 – making Matola the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇲🇿 Matola
🇬🇧 London
🕒 Local time
16:02 4:02 PM
15:02 3:02 PM
1 h behind Matola
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
675,422
8,908,083 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, USD, EUR to MZN – Mozambican Metical Converter

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).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Matola London 9,190 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Matola
  • London

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 London: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Matola and in London compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $995 in Matola, $3,986 in London – roughly 301% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.
What salary covers living expenses in Matola compared to London?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,492 per month in Matola and $5,979 in London. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Matola and London?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Matola, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Which city is more expensive overall: Matola or London?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $995 in Matola and $3,986 in London. That's a gap of about 301%.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Matola and London?
Kindergarten costs $130 per month in Matola and $2,864 in London. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Which city is more doable on $2,000 per month?
A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Matola, where all-in costs run around $995, than in London at $3,986. In Matola it covers expenses comfortably, while in London it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
How does quality of life compare between Matola and London?
It depends on your priorities. London has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $995 in Matola to $3,986 in London. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
How do I decide between Matola and London?
If budget matters most, go with Matola. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, London makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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