Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mozambique and South Africa

Name: South Africa
Address: ZA

For one person, living is cheaper in Mozambique: $1,111 a month against $1,203 in South Africa, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

54

Cost of Living Index in Mozambique
Learn more

Mozambique Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in South Africa
Learn more

South Africa Living Index

Jump to prices

🇲🇿 Mozambique

$1,111

/mo nomad

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,203

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mozambique and in South Africa

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

A single person spends $1,111 per month in Mozambique vs $1,203 in South Africa, rent included.

Mozambique $1,111
South Africa $1,203

A couple spends around $1,625 per month in Mozambique vs $1,893 in South Africa, rent included.

Mozambique $1,625
South Africa $1,893

A family of three spends $2,138 per month in Mozambique vs $2,583 in South Africa, rent included.

Mozambique $2,138
South Africa $2,583

Cost ranges are similar: Mozambique spans $27–$1,127, South Africa $618–$1,556. City choice affects budget similarly in either country.

The cost of living in Mozambique is roughly 8% lower than in South Africa on average.

Both Mozambique and South Africa are more affordable than the global median – Mozambique 18% lower, South Africa 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.28 MZN 650

$10.67 R 177

-3.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.15 MZN 2,919

$41.66 R 693

10.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.33 MZN 464

$5.80 R 96.5

26.38%

Cappuccino

$2.18 MZN 138

$2.36 R 39.23

-7.63%

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

$0.93 MZN 58.6

$1.12 R 18.56

-16.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.62 MZN 39.12

$0.90 R 15.00

-31.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.54 MZN 97.5

$2.42 R 40.20

-36.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.41 MZN 153

$3.06 R 50.9

-21.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 MZN 101

$1.18 R 19.58

34.75%

White Bread (500g)

$0.85 MZN 53.7

$1.13 R 18.83

-24.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 MZN 93.4

$1.74 R 28.90

-14.94%

Eggs

$2.24 MZN 141

$2.57 R 42.80

-12.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.51 MZN 854

$8.43 R 140

60.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.35 MZN 339

$5.12 R 85.1

4.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.23 MZN 331

$7.59 R 126

-31.09%

Apples (1kg)

$2.49 MZN 157

$1.77 R 29.52

40.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MZN 90.5

$1.74 R 28.90

-17.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.12 MZN 134

$1.77 R 29.43

19.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.35 MZN 85.1

$1.76 R 29.26

-23.30%

Potato (1kg)

$1.25 MZN 79.0

$1.49 R 24.81

-16.11%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 MZN 73.0

$1.47 R 24.38

-21.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.89 MZN 56.3

$1.23 R 20.52

-27.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.80 MZN 50.7

$1.10 R 18.25

-27.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.86 MZN 181

$3.24 R 54.0

-11.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.02 MZN 507

$5.00 R 83.2

60.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 MZN 65.2

$1.50 R 24.90

-31.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 MZN 85.6

$1.94 R 32.26

-30.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.22 MZN 13.88

$1.48 R 24.58

-85.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$23.01 MZN 1,455

$59.3 R 986

-61.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.58 MZN 99.8

$1.09 R 18.21

44.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.59 MZN 101

$0.99 R 16.46

60.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.44 MZN 1,545

$7.46 R 124

227.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 MZN 87.1

$1.43 R 23.76

-3.50%

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

$31.7K MZN 2.0M

$35.3K R 587.4K

-10.14%

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

$22.6K MZN 1.4M

$32.4K R 539.7K

-30.21%

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

$78.9 MZN 4,992

$133 R 2,208

-40.54%

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

$9.19 MZN 581

$34.83 R 580

-73.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$97.7 MZN 6,177

$39.76 R 662

145.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.01 MZN 2,594

$33.09 R 551

23.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.01 MZN 1,645

$11.65 R 194

123.26%

Cinema Ticket

$7.85 MZN 496

$7.18 R 119

9.33%

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

$164 MZN 10.3K

$224 R 3,728

-27.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,220 MZN 330.1K

$5,462 R 90.9K

-4.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.24 MZN 2,798

$54.2 R 902

-18.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.4 MZN 3,252

$34.13 R 568

50.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.3 MZN 4,698

$102 R 1,699

-27.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.2 MZN 4,631

$88.5 R 1,472

-17.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$525 MZN 33.2K

$492 R 8,189

6.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$375 MZN 23.7K

$398 R 6,617

-5.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$956 MZN 60.5K

$946 R 15.7K

1.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$492 MZN 31.1K

$827 R 13.8K

-40.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 MZN 263.7K

$1,099 R 18.3K

279.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,038 MZN 128.9K

$769 R 12.8K

165.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$322 MZN 20.4K

$1,502 R 25.0K

-78.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.23

122.62%

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

Last update for Mozambique: October 26, 2026

Last update for South Africa: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mozambique

$375 33.8%

South Africa

$398 33.1% 6% $23

Groceries & Markets

Mozambique

$202 18.1%

South Africa

$196 16.3% 2.8% $5.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mozambique

$186 16.7%

South Africa

$207 17.2% 11.6% $22

Eating Out

Mozambique

$149 13.4%

South Africa

$157 13.1% 5.5% $8.2

Clothing & Footwear

Mozambique

$109 9.9%

South Africa

$126 10.4% 14.7% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Mozambique

$57 5.1%

South Africa

$47 4% 16.3% $9.3

Getting Around

Mozambique

$33 3%

South Africa

$71 5.9% 113% $38

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $504 in Mozambique vs $422 in South Africa. For reference, capital cities sit at $547 in Maputo and $450 in Pretoria.

Average salary: $316 in Mozambique vs $1,488 in South Africa. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 19% higher in Mozambique.

Dining out costs 51% more in Mozambique.

Public transport is 154% more expensive in South Africa.

Salaries are about 4.7 times higher in South Africa, and purchasing power comes out stronger in South Africa.

Good to know

🇲🇿 Mozambique

🇿🇦 South Africa

🕒 Local time

18:59 6:59 PM

Same time as Mozambique

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

29,668,834

62,027,503

💱 Currency

Mozambican Metical MZN MT

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 MZN = 1.58 USD

100 MZN = 1.42 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.01 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to MZN – Mozambican Metical Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇿 Mozambican Metical (MT)

Mozambican Metical exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 63.24 MZN (100 MZN = 1.58 USD). 1 EUR = 70.38 MZN (100 MZN = 1.42 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 16.64 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.01 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

USD to MZN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mozambique South Africa 720 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Mozambique
South Africa

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 South Africa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mozambique is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 8% lower on average.

Not necessarily. Overall, South Africa costs about 8% more, but the gap varies by category, and some expenses can be lower in South Africa. Compare the categories that matter most for your budget.

Mozambique is the budget-friendly choice for expats. But cost isn’t everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.