Hi!
I am a new member and lifetime expat (first move was at three weeks old). I am considering a position in Maputo and Pemba that would be for six months. It is a semi-volunteer position that would give me housing an a monthly stipend for meals and incidentals. As I have never lived in Mozambique before (or even in Africa!) I have no way of judging the adequacy of this stipend and would appreciate your feedback.
Housing, insurance, and business expenses are taken care of. The stipend would be for food and other personal expenses. Is $1,200 a month sufficient? I am used to living on a low budget but want to be sure I'll be able to eat healthy food and, if at all possible, join a gym (it does not need to be fancy).
Thank you for your input!
Stephanie
Adequate living stipend for Maputo/Pemba
Stephanie,
I cannot speak for Maputo but I can tell you that you will have a very difficult time getting by in Pemba on $1,200/month. Pemba has seen truly astronomic rises in property value since the discovery of gas offshore and the rental market is almost exclusively targeted at O&G expats at the moment. There are a few non-profits currently active in Pemba (US Peace Corps being one) and perhaps they could be of some help. Not knowing what your non-prof is doing, perhaps it's possible for you to live onsite...I know of a few people set up like that. Otherwise, your looking somehwere on the order of $2,500/month minimum and thats if you can find something. Pemba could very soon rival Luanda for the most expensive city in Africa, so keep that in mind.
SBT
Agreed, $1,200 is not much in Moz nowdays, before you could live like a KING! Maputo, well it depends where you live in the surroundings, transport will be a problem should you wanna live in a cheaper area. Perhaps you should try and share with someone apartment wise. I see you are from SP, in fact I am working in Brasil and living in Moz.......let us know how things progress.
1200$ just for food and other expenses its not enough? Are you kiding? If the guy had to pay house and other stuff I would say YES!! but, food and personal expenses?! come one!!
Pedro, you are right. The $1,200 is for food and other personal expenses. I would be given housing separately. During the month in Maputo, I'd have to eat out but for the five months in Pemba I would have a kitchen.
ahhhh...I read your post wrong. Apologies. Yes, you'll be able to get by just fine on $1,200/month for food and incidentals in Pemba. There is one gym in town just above the port. I'm not sure what the rates are there but I'll stop by sometime and check into it.
Thank you, sbt2003! That would be wonderful. I still haven't decided for sure whether I will accept the assignment, and being certain I can stay healthy would certainly help my decision. The job will likely be stressful; I'll need the exercise to stay fit and relaxed!
