Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Maputo

For one person, living is cheaper in Maputo: $1,127 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in Maputo
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Maputo Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Maputo

🇲🇿 Mozambique

$1,127

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Maputo

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Medellin and in Maputo actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $1,127 in Maputo, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Maputo $1,127

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $1,729 in Maputo, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Maputo $1,729

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $2,331 in Maputo, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Maputo $2,331

Medellin costs about 45% more than Maputo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Maputo is 17% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$10.08 MZN 637

-19.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.7K

$63.4 MZN 4,010

-25.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.6K

$7.01 MZN 443

35.52%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,722

$2.17 MZN 137

38.71%

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

$1.80 COP 5,801

$0.81 MZN 51.5

122.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,554

$0.69 MZN 43.66

104.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.2K

$1.60 MZN 101

98.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.5K

$2.39 MZN 151

140.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,869

$1.60 MZN 101

-5.63%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,667

$0.99 MZN 62.4

140.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,712

$1.59 MZN 101

11.32%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,320

$2.47 MZN 156

17.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$20.84 MZN 1,318

-51.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.8K

$5.70 MZN 361

73.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.1K

$5.68 MZN 360

146.30%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$1.97 MZN 125

101.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,005

$0.76 MZN 48.10

103.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,039

$1.68 MZN 106

29.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,041

$1.09 MZN 69.0

100.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,328

$1.00 MZN 63.3

96.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,125

$0.81 MZN 51.1

96.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,694

$0.98 MZN 62.2

17.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,009

$0.85 MZN 54.0

45.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$2.78 MZN 176

42.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.1K

$10.18 MZN 644

34.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,352

$1.01 MZN 64.0

64.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,281

$1.29 MZN 81.5

75.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,766

$0.22 MZN 13.89

431.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.5K

$23.85 MZN 1,508

224.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,089

$1.60 MZN 101

-20.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,603

$1.19 MZN 75.5

72.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$24.69 MZN 1,562

-65.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,343

$1.36 MZN 86.2

-0.74%

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

$34.1K COP 109.8M

$31.3K MZN 2.0M

8.75%

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

$34.7K COP 111.8M

$23.0K MZN 1.5M

50.77%

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

$170 COP 547.0K

$70.3 MZN 4,444

141.46%

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

$13.55 COP 43.7K

$7.64 MZN 483

77.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.5K

$88.1 MZN 5,573

-68.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 140.9K

$42.70 MZN 2,701

2.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.4K

$26.59 MZN 1,682

-35.35%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$7.69 MZN 486

-10.14%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$174 MZN 11.0K

359.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$5,168 MZN 326.9K

76.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.2K

$50.2 MZN 3,177

68.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 186.9K

$56.0 MZN 3,540

3.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.2K

$79.6 MZN 5,035

69.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 315.6K

$79.2 MZN 5,007

23.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$547 MZN 34.6K

120.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$381 MZN 24.1K

68.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$1,059 MZN 67.0K

91.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$558 MZN 35.3K

81.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.4M

$4,188 MZN 264.9K

-0.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$2,047 MZN 129.5K

-6.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$326 MZN 20.6K

101.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

-56.24%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Maputo: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Maputo

$381 33.8% 40.6% $260

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Maputo

$224 19.9% 24.7% $73

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Maputo

$166 14.7% 21.4% $45

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Maputo

$147 13% 13.6% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Maputo

$119 10.6% 29.4% $50

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Maputo

$32 2.9% 65.5% $61

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Maputo

$58 5.2% 1% $0.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $547 in Maputo. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Medellin are about 2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $63 in Maputo. Groceries tell a different story – $297 in Medellin vs $224 in Maputo – so Maputo wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇲🇿 Maputo

🕒 Local time

11:20 11:20 AM

18:20 6:20 PM

7 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

1,244,227 Capital

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Mozambican Metical MZN MT

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

100 MZN = 1.58 USD

100 MZN = 1.42 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MZN, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 3,224 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,600 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

Mozambican Metical exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 63.25 MZN (100 MZN = 1.58 USD). 1 EUR = 70.62 MZN (100 MZN = 1.42 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Maputo 12,130 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Maputo

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

Medellin vs Maputo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,639 in Medellin, $1,127 in Maputo – Maputo comes out roughly 31% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $1,690 in Maputo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Maputo, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $547 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

Kindergarten costs $797 per month in Medellin and $174 in Maputo. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 33% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,639 in Medellin and $1,127 in Maputo, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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