Maputo - Post Report Question and Answers
How would you describe the availability and cost of groceries and household supplies relative to your home country?
Overall, everything a person NEEDS is available for purchase in Maputo. Pork products, particularly bacon, are rare and expensive, and specialty products like turkey for Thanksgiving can be both expensive and small. Dairy products are generally shelf-stable, so they taste different. Tortillas and tortilla chips are hard to find and VERY expensive. You are better off making your own. American ketchup, mustard and mayonnaise are hard to find. - Feb 2020
Most groceries are cheap. You can also do some grocery shopping in ZA on one of your weekend getaways to Kruger. Electronics are crazy expensive, and not much cheaper in ZA. - Feb 2019
If you shop in regular stores, you can save a lot. Sometimes you just want to go to a nice, gourmet store where there is fresh everything from South Africa, and that is expensive. I do a combination of both. - Feb 2017
The dollar continues to do well here, so prices are great right now. Availability is also great since South Africa is next door (so most things are imported). I can get almost anything here: cheese (including basic cheddar), sour cream, Mexican food supplies, a variety of alcohol, etc. - Jan 2017
Groceries got a lot better by the end of my tour. Nearly everything is imported from South Africa with an imported price tag to match, but as many travel to South Africa frequently, it's easy to grocery shop there for much cheaper. Personally, I didn't travel to South Africa JUST to grocery shop - although many did - as I found all the products I wanted in Maputo and couldn't justify the cost of the gas to shop in SA... but every time I passed through SA, which was about every 4-6 weeks of average, I did a big shop and filled up our freezer. - Jul 2014
Groceries are expensive compared to DC but the quality and prices of fresh produce are very good and there are fruit and vegetables vendors all over the place. You can also get fresh seafood delivered for almost nothing. I was disappointed to discover that Mozambique does have its own dairy industry, so non-UHT milk is expensive and imported from South Africa. - Apr 2014
If you do local fruits and veggies, you can save some money. Also, using local shopping stores will help the checking account. More grocery stores are opening up there, so things might be a little better. The best steaks I've ever had in my life came from Swazi and SA. Cheeses were limited unless you wanted to pay an arm or leg for some imported items. South African wines are great! - Oct 2012
Most items are available, although inconsistently and at a price often multiples of that in the US. (Milk is US$10 a gallon in 2011.) If you're single or a couple, prices are annoying, but for a family it can be horrifying. For better prices, selection and consistent availability, many travel to South Africa monthly and buy in large quantities. (Aseptic package milk being about US$6 a gallon there in 2011.) - Jun 2011
Groceries and appliances, not too bad. Everything is imported, but from their next door neighbor. Furniture is difficult and a bit expensive, though. - May 2010
Groceries are readily available but expensive compared to costs in neighbouring South Africa. - May 2009
Double what you'd pay in S. Africa or the States. - Dec 2008
