Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between South Africa and Mozambique

Name: Mozambique
Address: MZ

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.

58

Cost of Living Index in South Africa
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South Africa Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in Mozambique
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Mozambique Living Index

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🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,203

/mo nomad

🇲🇿 Mozambique

$1,111

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

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

South Africa $1,203
Mozambique $1,111

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

South Africa $1,893
Mozambique $1,625

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

South Africa $2,583
Mozambique $2,138

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

The cost of living in South Africa is about 8% higher than in Mozambique on average.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 R 178

$10.28 MZN 650

3.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.66 R 694

$46.15 MZN 2,919

-9.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.80 R 96.6

$7.33 MZN 464

-20.87%

Cappuccino

$2.36 R 39.29

$2.18 MZN 138

8.26%

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

$1.12 R 18.59

$0.93 MZN 58.6

20.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.90 R 15.02

$0.62 MZN 39.12

45.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.42 R 40.26

$1.54 MZN 97.5

57.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 R 51.0

$2.41 MZN 153

26.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 R 19.61

$1.59 MZN 101

-25.79%

White Bread (500g)

$1.13 R 18.86

$0.85 MZN 53.7

32.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 R 28.95

$1.48 MZN 93.4

17.57%

Eggs

$2.57 R 42.87

$2.24 MZN 141

14.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.43 R 140

$13.51 MZN 854

-37.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.12 R 85.3

$5.35 MZN 339

-4.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.59 R 127

$5.23 MZN 331

45.12%

Apples (1kg)

$1.77 R 29.57

$2.49 MZN 157

-28.92%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 R 28.94

$1.43 MZN 90.5

21.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 R 29.48

$2.12 MZN 134

-16.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.76 R 29.31

$1.35 MZN 85.1

30.37%

Potato (1kg)

$1.49 R 24.85

$1.25 MZN 79.0

19.20%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.41

$1.15 MZN 73.0

27.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.23 R 20.55

$0.89 MZN 56.3

38.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 R 18.28

$0.80 MZN 50.7

37.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.24 R 54.1

$2.86 MZN 181

13.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.00 R 83.3

$8.02 MZN 507

-37.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 R 24.94

$1.03 MZN 65.2

45.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 R 32.31

$1.35 MZN 85.6

43.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.48 R 24.62

$0.22 MZN 13.88

572.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.3 R 988

$23.01 MZN 1,455

157.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.09 R 18.24

$1.58 MZN 99.8

-31.01%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 R 16.49

$1.59 MZN 101

-37.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.46 R 124

$24.44 MZN 1,545

-69.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 R 23.80

$1.38 MZN 87.1

3.62%

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

$35.3K R 588.3K

$31.7K MZN 2.0M

11.29%

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

$32.4K R 540.5K

$22.6K MZN 1.4M

43.29%

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

$133 R 2,212

$78.9 MZN 4,992

68.17%

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

$34.83 R 580

$9.19 MZN 581

279.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.76 R 663

$97.7 MZN 6,177

-59.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.09 R 551

$41.01 MZN 2,594

-19.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.65 R 194

$26.01 MZN 1,645

-55.21%

Cinema Ticket

$7.18 R 120

$7.85 MZN 496

-8.54%

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

$224 R 3,734

$164 MZN 10.3K

37.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,462 R 91.0K

$5,220 MZN 330.1K

4.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.2 R 903

$44.24 MZN 2,798

22.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.13 R 569

$51.4 MZN 3,252

-33.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 R 1,701

$74.3 MZN 4,698

37.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.5 R 1,475

$73.2 MZN 4,631

20.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$492 R 8,202

$525 MZN 33.2K

-6.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$398 R 6,628

$375 MZN 23.7K

6.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$946 R 15.8K

$956 MZN 60.5K

-1.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$827 R 13.8K

$492 MZN 31.1K

68.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,099 R 18.3K

$4,170 MZN 263.7K

-73.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$769 R 12.8K

$2,038 MZN 128.9K

-62.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,502 R 25.0K

$322 MZN 20.4K

366.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.23

-55.08%

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

Last update for South Africa: October 26, 2026

Last update for Mozambique: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

South Africa

$398 33.1%

Mozambique

$375 33.8% 5.7% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

South Africa

$207 17.2%

Mozambique

$186 16.7% 10.4% $22

Groceries & Markets

South Africa

$196 16.3%

Mozambique

$202 18.1% 2.9% $5.6

Eating Out

South Africa

$157 13.1%

Mozambique

$149 13.4% 5.2% $8.2

Clothing & Footwear

South Africa

$126 10.4%

Mozambique

$109 9.9% 12.8% $16

Getting Around

South Africa

$71 5.9%

Mozambique

$33 3% 53.1% $38

Sport & Entertainment

South Africa

$47 4%

Mozambique

$57 5.1% 19.5% $9.3

Cost Breakdown

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

Average salary: $1,488 in South Africa vs $316 in Mozambique. 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

🇿🇦 South Africa

🇲🇿 Mozambique

🕒 Local time

00:30 12:30 AM

Same time as South Africa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

62,027,503

29,668,834

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Mozambican Metical MZN MT

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6 USD

100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR

100 MZN = 1.58 USD

100 MZN = 1.42 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MZN, USD, EUR to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 16.66 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6 USD). 1 EUR = 18.55 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR).

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).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

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

From you

South Africa
Mozambique

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

South Africa vs Mozambique: 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.