Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Matola and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Matola: $999 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $7,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

48

Cost of Living Index in Matola
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Matola Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Matola

🇲🇿 Mozambique

$999

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Matola and in Mexico City

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

A single person spends $999 per month in Matola vs $1,608 in Mexico City, rent included.

Matola $999
Mexico City $1,608

A couple spends around $1,523 per month in Matola vs $2,549 in Mexico City, rent included.

Matola $1,523
Mexico City $2,549

A family of three spends $2,048 per month in Matola vs $3,490 in Mexico City, rent included.

Matola $2,048
Mexico City $3,490

Matola is about 38% cheaper than Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Matola sits 27% below the global median, while Mexico City is 18% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.80 MZN 493

$10.62 MX$199

-26.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.6 MZN 3,960

$48.35 MX$906

29.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.34 MZN 464

$10.35 MX$194

-29.08%

Cappuccino

$1.59 MZN 100

$3.69 MX$69.2

-56.91%

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

$0.82 MZN 52.0

$1.67 MX$31.23

-50.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.67 MZN 42.67

$1.27 MX$23.71

-47.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.18 MZN 74.8

$3.19 MX$59.8

-63.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 MZN 97.5

$5.31 MX$99.5

-71.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 MZN 101

$1.72 MX$32.32

-7.56%

White Bread (500g)

$0.99 MZN 62.6

$3.04 MX$57.0

-67.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.59 MZN 101

$1.94 MX$36.38

-18.04%

Eggs

$1.93 MZN 122

$2.89 MX$54.1

-33.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.47 MZN 852

$10.97 MX$206

22.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.82 MZN 368

$9.25 MX$173

-37.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.76 MZN 301

$15.13 MX$283

-68.54%

Apples (1kg)

$1.97 MZN 125

$3.05 MX$57.1

-35.41%

Banana (1kg)

$0.62 MZN 39.38

$1.94 MX$36.38

-68.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.64 MZN 103

$2.03 MX$37.95

-19.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.03 MZN 65.4

$2.31 MX$43.38

-55.41%

Potato (1kg)

$1.00 MZN 63.5

$2.04 MX$38.14

-50.98%

Onion (1kg)

$0.74 MZN 47.08

$1.80 MX$33.73

-58.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.95 MZN 60.1

$1.48 MX$27.72

-35.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 MZN 33.64

$1.27 MX$23.75

-58.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.89 MZN 183

$5.30 MX$99.4

-45.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.21 MZN 456

$16.10 MX$302

-55.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 MZN 61.3

$1.98 MX$37.16

-51.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.21 MZN 76.8

$4.25 MX$79.7

-71.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.72

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$370

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.61 MZN 102

$1.84 MX$34.44

-12.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.20 MZN 76.1

$0.53 MX$10.00

126.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.12 MZN 1,525

$5.30 MX$99.2

355.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 MZN 88.5

$1.51 MX$28.31

-7.28%

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

$31.4K MZN 2.0M

$21.8K MX$407.7K

44.42%

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

$22.5K MZN 1.4M

$24.0K MX$449.5K

-6.06%

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

$39.21 MZN 2,480

$63.0 MX$1,180

-37.74%

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

$7.64 MZN 483

$27.39 MX$513

-72.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$77.9 MZN 4,926

$35.67 MX$668

118.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.09 MZN 2,473

$58.9 MX$1,105

-33.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$443

Cinema Ticket

$7.60 MZN 481

$6.40 MX$120

18.75%

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

$173 MZN 10.9K

$432 MX$8,088

-59.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,041 MZN 318.8K

$11.4K MX$214.1K

-55.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.21 MZN 3,113

$68.2 MX$1,278

-27.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.0 MZN 3,539

$53.1 MX$996

5.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.2 MZN 5,011

$108 MX$2,020

-26.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.4 MZN 4,898

$117 MX$2,198

-33.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$462 MZN 29.2K

$1,113 MX$20.9K

-58.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$391 MZN 24.7K

$710 MX$13.3K

-45.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$696 MZN 44.0K

$2,588 MX$48.5K

-73.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$552 MZN 34.9K

$1,406 MX$26.3K

-60.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$68.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$40.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$307 MZN 19.4K

$946 MX$17.7K

-67.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

120.26%

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

Last update for Matola: October 27, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Matola

$391 39.1%

Mexico City

$710 44.2% 81.8% $320

Groceries & Markets

Matola

$185 18.6%

Mexico City

$320 19.9% 72.4% $134

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Matola

$125 12.5%

Mexico City

$126 7.8% 1.1% $1.3

Eating Out

Matola

$118 11.9%

Mexico City

$199 12.4% 67.7% $80

Clothing & Footwear

Matola

$118 11.8%

Mexico City

$156 9.7% 32.3% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Matola

$54 5.4%

Mexico City

$72 4.5% 32.1% $17

Getting Around

Matola

$7.6 * 0.8%

Mexico City

$25 1.6% 234% $18

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $462 in Matola versus $1,113 in Mexico City. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Mexico City are about 3.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $63 in Matola versus $48 in Mexico City. Groceries tell a different story – $185 in Matola vs $320 in Mexico City – so Matola wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇿 Matola

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

01:55 1:55 AM

17:55 5:55 PM

8 h behind Matola

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

675,422

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

Mozambican Metical MZN MT

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MZN = 1.58 USD

100 MZN = 1.41 EUR

100 MXN = 5.34 USD

100 MXN = 4.76 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to MZN – Mozambican Metical Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇿 Mozambican Metical (MT)

Mozambican Metical exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 63.25 MZN (100 MZN = 1.58 USD). 1 EUR = 70.89 MZN (100 MZN = 1.41 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.74 MXN (100 MXN = 5.34 USD). 1 EUR = 21 MXN (100 MXN = 4.76 EUR).

USD to MZN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Matola Mexico City 15,020 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Matola
Mexico City

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 Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $999 in Matola, $1,608 in Mexico City – Matola comes out roughly 38% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,498 per month in Matola and $2,412 in Mexico City. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Matola, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $462 there versus $1,113 in Mexico City.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $999 in Matola and $1,608 in Mexico City. That makes Matola about 38% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $173 per month in Matola and $432 in Mexico City. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Matola, where all-in costs run around $999, than in Mexico City at $1,608. In Matola it covers expenses comfortably, while in Mexico City it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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.

If budget matters most, go with Matola. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Mexico City makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.