Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mozambique and China

For one person, living is cheaper in China: $791 a month against $1,111 in Mozambique, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Mozambique
China
🇲🇿 Mozambique
$1,111
/mo nomad
🇨🇳 China
$791
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mozambique and in China

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,111 in Mozambique versus $791 in China.

  • Mozambique $1,111
  • China $791

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,625 in Mozambique versus $1,251 in China.

  • Mozambique $1,625
  • China $1,251

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,138 in Mozambique versus $1,711 in China.

  • Mozambique $2,138
  • China $1,711

Internal cost variation is higher in Mozambique: monthly costs span $27 to $1,127, compared to $465–$1,222 in China. City choice carries more weight in Mozambique.

Living in Mozambique is roughly 40% more expensive than in China on average.

Both countries sit below the global median: Mozambique 18% lower, China 42% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Mozambique
China
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.28 MZN 650
$2.98 ¥19.81
244.97%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$46.15 MZN 2,919
$22.09 ¥147
108.92%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.33 MZN 464
$5.20 ¥34.60
40.96%
Cappuccino
$2.18 MZN 138
$2.97 ¥19.74
-26.60%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.93 MZN 58.6
$0.48 ¥3.19
93.75%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.62 MZN 39.12
$0.30 ¥2.01
106.67%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.54 MZN 97.5
$1.08 ¥7.18
42.59%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.41 MZN 153
$2.28 ¥15.15
5.70%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Mozambique
China
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.59 MZN 101
$1.80 ¥11.96
-11.67%
White Bread (500g)
$0.85 MZN 53.7
$1.68 ¥11.15
-49.40%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.48 MZN 93.4
$0.92 ¥6.13
60.87%
Eggs
$2.24 MZN 141
$1.61 ¥10.73
39.13%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$13.51 MZN 854
$13.38 ¥89.1
0.97%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.35 MZN 339
$3.35 ¥22.28
59.70%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$5.23 MZN 331
$11.35 ¥75.5
-53.92%
Apples (1kg)
$2.49 MZN 157
$1.82 ¥12.12
36.81%
Banana (1kg)
$1.43 MZN 90.5
$1.31 ¥8.69
9.16%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.12 MZN 134
$1.49 ¥9.89
42.28%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.35 MZN 85.1
$1.27 ¥8.47
6.30%
Potato (1kg)
$1.25 MZN 79.0
$0.71 ¥4.73
76.06%
Onion (1kg)
$1.15 MZN 73.0
$0.93 ¥6.21
23.66%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.89 MZN 56.3
$0.62 ¥4.12
43.55%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.80 MZN 50.7
$0.56 ¥3.74
42.86%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.86 MZN 181
$3.78 ¥25.15
-24.34%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.02 MZN 507
$12.13 ¥80.7
-33.88%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.03 MZN 65.2
$0.83 ¥5.54
24.10%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.35 MZN 85.6
$1.68 ¥11.21
-19.64%
🚌 Getting Around
Mozambique
China
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.22 MZN 13.88
$0.29 ¥1.92
-24.14%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$23.01 MZN 1,455
$17.83 ¥119
29.05%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.58 MZN 99.8
$1.49 ¥9.89
6.04%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.59 MZN 101
$0.37 ¥2.49
329.73%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$24.44 MZN 1,545
$7.10 ¥47.24
244.23%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.38 MZN 87.1
$1.26 ¥8.37
9.52%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$31.7K MZN 2.0M
$19.4K ¥129.4K
63.14%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$22.6K MZN 1.4M
$17.5K ¥116.7K
29.08%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mozambique
China
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$78.9 MZN 4,992
$54.6 ¥363
44.67%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$9.19 MZN 581
$8.73 ¥58.1
5.27%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$97.7 MZN 6,177
$11.07 ¥73.6
782.38%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Mozambique
China
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$41.01 MZN 2,594
$40.77 ¥271
0.59%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$26.01 MZN 1,645
$14.48 ¥96.4
79.63%
Cinema Ticket
$7.85 MZN 496
$6.78 ¥45.12
15.78%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Mozambique
China
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$164 MZN 10.3K
$517 ¥3,438
-68.34%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,220 MZN 330.1K
$19.8K ¥131.8K
-73.65%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Mozambique
China
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$44.24 MZN 2,798
$46.53 ¥310
-4.92%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$51.4 MZN 3,252
$35.66 ¥237
44.20%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$74.3 MZN 4,698
$77.0 ¥512
-3.51%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$73.2 MZN 4,631
$80.3 ¥534
-8.75%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Mozambique
China
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$525 MZN 33.2K
$386 ¥2,567
36.10%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$375 MZN 23.7K
$235 ¥1,561
59.92%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$956 MZN 60.5K
$822 ¥5,469
16.33%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$492 MZN 31.1K
$453 ¥3,015
8.61%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,170 MZN 263.7K
$4,697 ¥31.3K
-11.23%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,038 MZN 128.9K
$2,372 ¥15.8K
-14.08%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Mozambique
China
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$322 MZN 20.4K
$1,093 ¥7,274
-70.53%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
25
3.46
622.54%

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

Last update for Mozambique: October 26, 2026

Last update for China: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Mozambique
$375
China
$235 37.5% $141
Groceries & Markets
Mozambique
$202
China
$210 4.2% $8.4
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mozambique
$186
China
$74 60% $111
Eating Out
Mozambique
$149
China
$88 40.9% $61
Clothing & Footwear
Mozambique
$109
China
$108 1.5% $1.7
Sport & Entertainment
Mozambique
$57
China
$54 4.2% $2.4
Getting Around
Mozambique
$33
China
$22 33.2% $11

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $504 in Mozambique, $298 in China. Capital cities: $547 in Maputo vs $933 in Beijing (Pekin).

National salary averages: $316 in Mozambique, $873 in China. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 69% higher in Mozambique.

Dining out costs 168% more in Mozambique.

Public transport is 33% more expensive in Mozambique.

Salaries are about 2.8 times higher in China, and purchasing power comes out stronger in China.

Good to know
🇲🇿 Mozambique
🇨🇳 China
🕒 Local time
00:12 12:12 AM
06:12 6:12 AM
6 h ahead of Mozambique
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
29,668,834
1,442,965,000
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, USD, EUR to MZN – Mozambican Metical Converter

Mozambican Metical exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 63.24 MZN (100 MZN = 1.58 USD). 1 EUR = 70.4 MZN (100 MZN = 1.42 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 6.65 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.41 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Mozambique China 11,330 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Mozambique
  • China

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
Mozambique vs China: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which country is more expensive to live in: China or Mozambique?
At $791 per month in China and $1,111 in Mozambique, China comes out about 29% cheaper. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.
How do rents compare between China and Mozambique?
Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $504 in Mozambique and $298 in China. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.
How do I choose between living in China and in Mozambique?
It depends on what you’re after: China wins on affordability, while salaries, visas, language, and lifestyle can tip the balance either way.

Mozambique vs other spots: cost of living compared

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