Cost of living comparison

compared to

Maputo vs. Shanghai Cost of Living Summary

Maputo is 14.7% cheaper than Shanghai.

Restaurants
pay 78.3% more in Maputo
Groceries
pay 9.9% less in Maputo
Transportation
pay 18.8% more in Maputo
Housing
pay 25.9% less in Maputo
Childcare
pay 87.0% less in Maputo
Entertainment and Sports
pay 18.3% less in Maputo
Clothing
pay 1.9% more in Maputo

The cost of restaurants, transportation, and clothing in Maputo are more expensive than in Shanghai. Expenses including childcare, housing, entertainment and sports, and groceries are lower in Maputo. Notably, restaurants is significantly more expensive in Maputo.

Maputo vs. Shanghai Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Maputo instead of Shanghai, you would:

pay 78.3% more for restaurants

 
Shanghai
Maputo
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $4.47
CN¥29.94
$10.17
MZN649.90
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$5.22
CN¥34.93
$7.13
MZN455.34
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $0.60
CN¥4.01
$0.85
MZN54.07

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pay 9.9% less for groceries

 
Shanghai
Maputo
Bread
1 loaf
$1.98
CN¥13.22
$1.01
MZN64.68
Local cheese (8 oz) $8.60
CN¥57.52
$10.43
MZN666.56
Milk (1 gallon) $6.88
CN¥46.02
$5.92
MZN378.48

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pay 18.8% more for transportation

 
Shanghai
Maputo
Gasoline (1 gallon) $4.96
CN¥33.21
$5.24
MZN334.69
Monthly public transit pass $29.83
CN¥199.59
$23.47
MZN1,499.77
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $19,374.76
CN¥130K
$31,685.19
MZN2M

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pay 25.9% less for housing

 
Shanghai
Maputo
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$10.55
CN¥70.59
$87.62
MZN5,599.12
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $1,036.96
CN¥6,938.07
$543.78
MZN34,747.44
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $588.71
CN¥3,938.93
$378.02
MZN24,155.78

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pay 87.0% less for childcare

 
Shanghai
Maputo
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $1,413.50
CN¥9,457.42
$128.31
MZN8,198.72
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $27,686.22
CN¥185K
$5,140.04
MZN328K

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pay 18.3% less for entertainment and sports

 
Shanghai
Maputo
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $1.19
CN¥7.98
$1.56
MZN99.98
Cappuccino in mid-range area $3.35
CN¥22.41
$2.22
MZN141.85
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$3.73
CN¥24.95
$2.82
MZN179.97

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pay 1.9% more for clothing

 
Shanghai
Maputo
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$54.37
CN¥363.79
$50.07
MZN3,199.50
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$37.09
CN¥248.19
$56.07
MZN3,582.77
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$75.49
CN¥505.08
$78.24
MZN4,999.22

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We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Sources: MyLifeElsewhere's cost-of-living dataset (prices updated October 2026). How we calculate this

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