Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Matola

For one person, living is cheaper in Matola: $999 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
48

Cost of Living Index in Matola
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Matola Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Matola

🇲🇿 Mozambique

$999

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Matola

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

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $999 in Matola, rent included.

Phuket $1,278
Matola $999

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $1,523 in Matola, rent included.

Phuket $2,216
Matola $1,523

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $2,048 in Matola, rent included.

Phuket $3,154
Matola $2,048

Phuket costs about 28% more than Matola, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Phuket and Matola are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 6% lower, Matola 27% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$7.80 MZN 493

-42.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$62.6 MZN 3,960

-48.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$7.34 MZN 464

20.03%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$1.59 MZN 100

77.99%

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

$0.87 ฿29.42

$0.82 MZN 52.0

6.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.66

$0.67 MZN 42.67

-26.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$1.18 MZN 74.8

116.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$1.54 MZN 97.5

138.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.59 MZN 101

4.40%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.32

$0.99 MZN 62.6

47.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.59 MZN 101

-5.66%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$1.93 MZN 122

8.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$13.47 MZN 852

41.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$5.82 MZN 368

-43.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$4.76 MZN 301

129.20%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$1.97 MZN 125

48.73%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$0.62 MZN 39.38

172.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$1.64 MZN 103

37.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$1.03 MZN 65.4

101.94%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.00 MZN 63.5

51.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.54

$0.74 MZN 47.08

86.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.97

$0.95 MZN 60.1

12.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.53 MZN 33.64

-1.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$2.89 MZN 183

45.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$7.21 MZN 456

160.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$0.97 MZN 61.3

87.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$1.21 MZN 76.8

134.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.00

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$1.61 MZN 102

87.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.34

$1.20 MZN 76.1

-15.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$24.12 MZN 1,525

-84.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.78

$1.40 MZN 88.5

5.00%

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

$26.8K ฿903.7K

$31.4K MZN 2.0M

-14.77%

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

$26.7K ฿900.8K

$22.5K MZN 1.4M

18.45%

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

$96.4 ฿3,252

$39.21 MZN 2,480

145.73%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$7.64 MZN 483

47.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$77.9 MZN 4,926

-78.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,269

$39.09 MZN 2,473

71.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$7.60 MZN 481

-1.32%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$173 MZN 10.9K

175.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.1K

$5,041 MZN 318.8K

123.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,105

$49.21 MZN 3,113

26.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$56.0 MZN 3,539

-49.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,182

$79.2 MZN 5,011

19.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,896

$77.4 MZN 4,898

10.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$462 MZN 29.2K

54.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$391 MZN 24.7K

25.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$696 MZN 44.0K

177.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$552 MZN 34.9K

159.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$307 MZN 19.4K

63.78%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-77.72%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Matola: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Matola

$391 39.1% 20.4% $100

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Matola

$185 18.6% 30.4% $81

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Matola

$125 12.5% 0.2% $0.3

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Matola

$118 11.8% 3.3% $4.1

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Matola

$118 11.9% 2.7% $3.3

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Matola

$54 5.4% 34% $28

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Matola

$7.6 * 0.8% 89.2% $63

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $716 in Phuket versus $462 in Matola. 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 64% higher in Phuket. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $63 in Matola. Groceries tell a different story – $266 in Phuket vs $185 in Matola – so Matola wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇲🇿 Matola

🕒 Local time

05:24 5:24 AM

00:24 12:24 AM

5 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

675,422

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Mozambican Metical MZN MT

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.64 EUR

100 MZN = 1.58 USD

100 MZN = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MZN, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.83 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

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).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Matola 8,040 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Matola

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

Phuket vs Matola: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,278 in Phuket, $999 in Matola – Matola comes out roughly 22% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,917 per month in Phuket and $1,498 in Matola. 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 $716 in Phuket.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,278 in Phuket and $999 in Matola. That makes Matola about 22% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $476 per month in Phuket and $173 in Matola. 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 Phuket at $1,278. In Matola it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket 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, Phuket makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.