Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between the United States and Mozambique

For one person, living is cheaper in Mozambique: $1,111 a month against $2,734 in the United States, rent and utilities included – about $19,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

United States
Mozambique
🇺🇸 United States
$2,734
/mo nomad
🇲🇿 Mozambique
$1,111
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in the United States 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 the United States and in Mozambique actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,734 per month in the United States vs $1,111 in Mozambique, rent included.

  • United States $2,734
  • Mozambique $1,111

A couple spends around $3,985 per month in the United States vs $1,625 in Mozambique, rent included.

  • United States $3,985
  • Mozambique $1,625

A family of three spends $5,235 per month in the United States vs $2,138 in Mozambique, rent included.

  • United States $5,235
  • Mozambique $2,138

The regional cost range is wider in the United States ($979–$5,160) than in Mozambique ($27–$1,127), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in the United States is about 146% higher than in Mozambique on average.

The United States sits 101% above the global median, while Mozambique is 18% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
United States
Mozambique
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$20.03 $20.03
$10.28 MZN 650
94.84%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$80.0 $80.0
$46.15 MZN 2,919
73.43%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.80 $11.80
$7.33 MZN 464
60.98%
Cappuccino
$5.55 $5.55
$2.18 MZN 138
154.59%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.66 $2.66
$0.93 MZN 58.6
186.02%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.17 $2.17
$0.62 MZN 39.12
250.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.12 $6.12
$1.54 MZN 97.5
297.40%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.94 $7.94
$2.41 MZN 153
229.46%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
United States
Mozambique
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.04 $1.04
$1.59 MZN 101
-34.59%
White Bread (500g)
$3.59 $3.59
$0.85 MZN 53.7
322.35%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$4.52 $4.52
$1.48 MZN 93.4
205.41%
Eggs
$4.28 $4.28
$2.24 MZN 141
91.07%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$13.22 $13.22
$13.51 MZN 854
-2.15%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$12.60 $12.60
$5.35 MZN 339
135.51%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.60 $17.60
$5.23 MZN 331
236.52%
Apples (1kg)
$5.30 $5.30
$2.49 MZN 157
112.85%
Banana (1kg)
$1.69 $1.69
$1.43 MZN 90.5
18.18%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.44 $4.44
$2.12 MZN 134
109.43%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.77 $4.77
$1.35 MZN 85.1
253.33%
Potato (1kg)
$2.97 $2.97
$1.25 MZN 79.0
137.60%
Onion (1kg)
$3.15 $3.15
$1.15 MZN 73.0
173.91%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.20 $2.20
$0.89 MZN 56.3
147.19%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.35 $2.35
$0.80 MZN 50.7
193.75%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$10.98 $10.98
$2.86 MZN 181
283.92%
Wine (Bottle)
$15.05 $15.05
$8.02 MZN 507
87.66%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.06 $2.06
$1.03 MZN 65.2
100.00%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.79 $3.79
$1.35 MZN 85.6
180.74%
🚌 Getting Around
United States
Mozambique
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.94 $1.94
$0.22 MZN 13.88
781.82%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$59.4 $59.4
$23.01 MZN 1,455
158.11%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.58 $3.58
$1.58 MZN 99.8
126.58%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.88 $1.88
$1.59 MZN 101
18.24%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$29.84 $29.84
$24.44 MZN 1,545
22.09%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.02 $1.02
$1.38 MZN 87.1
-26.09%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$28.8K $28.8K
$31.7K MZN 2.0M
-9.35%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.2K $26.2K
$22.6K MZN 1.4M
15.78%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
United States
Mozambique
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$218 $218
$78.9 MZN 4,992
176.14%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$62.5 $62.5
$9.19 MZN 581
579.76%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$74.5 $74.5
$97.7 MZN 6,177
-23.78%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
United States
Mozambique
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$41.86 $41.86
$41.01 MZN 2,594
2.07%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$22.81 $22.81
$26.01 MZN 1,645
-12.30%
Cinema Ticket
$14.70 $14.70
$7.85 MZN 496
87.26%
🧸 Childcare & Education
United States
Mozambique
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,489 $1,489
$164 MZN 10.3K
810.48%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$25.3K $25.3K
$5,220 MZN 330.1K
383.74%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
United States
Mozambique
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$54.3 $54.3
$44.24 MZN 2,798
22.83%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$42.71 $42.71
$51.4 MZN 3,252
-16.94%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$94.1 $94.1
$74.3 MZN 4,698
26.65%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$114 $114
$73.2 MZN 4,631
55.03%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
United States
Mozambique
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,659 $1,659
$525 MZN 33.2K
215.99%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,348 $1,348
$375 MZN 23.7K
259.28%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,682 $2,682
$956 MZN 60.5K
180.57%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,169 $2,169
$492 MZN 31.1K
340.76%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,283 $3,283
$4,170 MZN 263.7K
-21.27%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,482 $2,482
$2,038 MZN 128.9K
21.79%
💵 Salaries & Financials
United States
Mozambique
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$4,296 $4,296
$322 MZN 20.4K
1233.76%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.55
25
-73.80%

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

Last update for the United States: October 25, 2026

Last update for Mozambique: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
United States
$1.3K
Mozambique
$375 72.2% $973
Groceries & Markets
United States
$415
Mozambique
$202 51.5% $214
Monthly Utilities & Internet
United States
$355
Mozambique
$186 47.6% $169
Eating Out
United States
$328
Mozambique
$149 54.5% $179
Clothing & Footwear
United States
$137
Mozambique
$109 20.2% $28
Getting Around
United States
$80
Mozambique
$33 58.3% $47
Sport & Entertainment
United States
$71
Mozambique
$57 20.4% $15

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $1,620 in the United States vs $504 in Mozambique. For reference, capital cities sit at $2,768 in Washington, DC and $547 in Maputo.

Average salary: $4,549 in the United States vs $316 in Mozambique. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 221% higher in the United States.

Dining out costs 27% more in the United States.

Public transport is 163% more expensive in the United States.

Salaries are about 14 times higher in the United States, and purchasing power comes out stronger in the United States.

Good to know
🇺🇸 United States
🇲🇿 Mozambique
🕒 Local time
15:59 3:59 PM
21:59 9:59 PM
6 h ahead of the United States
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
340,110,988
29,668,834
Exchange rates and currency converter

MZN, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 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).

On the map
Between locations
  • United States Mozambique 14,240 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight
From you
  • United States
  • 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
United States vs Mozambique: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do Mozambique and the United States compare in cost of living?
Mozambique is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 59% lower on average.
How do rents compare between Mozambique and the United States?
Housing costs more in the United States: a central one-bedroom averages $1,620 versus $504 in Mozambique.
Where are groceries and transport cheaper: Mozambique or the United States?
Groceries, public transport, and eating out all cost less in Mozambique – part of why living there is about 59% cheaper overall.
How far does $2,000 go in Mozambique compared to the United States?
$2,000 buys a comfortable lifestyle in Mozambique, but in the United States it only works with careful planning outside the capital. Same money, very different lives.
How do I choose between living in Mozambique and in the United States?
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.

United States vs other spots: cost of living compared

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