Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Malabo

For one person, living is cheaper in Malabo: $673 a month against $1,806 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $13,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,806

/mo nomad

Malabo

🇬🇶 Equatorial Guinea

$673

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Malabo

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,806 in Athens versus $673 in Malabo.

Athens $1,806
Malabo $673

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,731 in Athens versus $1,117 in Malabo.

Athens $2,731
Malabo $1,117

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,656 in Athens versus $1,560 in Malabo.

Athens $3,656
Malabo $1,560

Living in Athens is roughly 168% more expensive than in Malabo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Athens is 35% above, Malabo is 50% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.66 €14.87

$8.70 FCFA 5,088

91.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €59.1

$69.6 FCFA 40.7K

-4.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.06 €9.87

$8.65 FCFA 5,060

27.86%

Cappuccino

$4.14 €3.69

$4.79 FCFA 2,804

-13.57%

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

$2.80 €2.50

$0.84 FCFA 491

233.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.57 €0.51

$0.41 FCFA 240

39.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.64 €5.03

$1.69 FCFA 989

233.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.46 €4.87

Milk (1 liter)

$1.96 €1.75

$2.73 FCFA 1,596

-28.21%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 €1.26

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.83 €2.53

$1.75 FCFA 1,025

61.71%

Eggs

$5.04 €4.50

$3.70 FCFA 2,165

36.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.35 €13.70

$6.75 FCFA 3,948

127.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.34 €9.23

$6.02 FCFA 3,522

71.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.97 €16.93

$7.08 FCFA 4,142

167.94%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 €1.93

$2.37 FCFA 1,385

-8.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.91 €1.70

$1.76 FCFA 1,027

8.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.38 €1.23

Tomato (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

Potato (1kg)

$1.10 €0.98

Onion (1kg)

$1.13 €1.00

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 €0.99

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 €0.74

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.60 €4.99

$4.47 FCFA 2,615

25.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.19 €9.09

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.18 €1.95

$1.40 FCFA 822

55.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.45 €2.19

$0.89 FCFA 521

175.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.38 €1.23

$1.74 FCFA 1,020

-20.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.87 €27.55

$26.67 FCFA 15.6K

15.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.37 €3.90

$0.83 FCFA 485

426.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.04 €0.93

$0.90 FCFA 528

15.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.11 €15.27

$8.72 FCFA 5,103

96.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.31 €2.07

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

$28.0K €25.0K

$32.6K FCFA 19.1M

-14.07%

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

$28.0K €25.0K

$29.1K FCFA 17.0M

-3.62%

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

$210 €187

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

$26.70 €23.83

$17.56 FCFA 10.3K

52.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.13 €26.89

$17.07 FCFA 9,986

76.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.6 €48.72

$34.14 FCFA 20.0K

59.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.03 €23.23

$14.84 FCFA 8,685

75.40%

Cinema Ticket

$10.78 €9.62

$5.42 FCFA 3,173

98.89%

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

$575 €513

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.1K €11.7K

$344 FCFA 201.4K

3712.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.2 €83.1

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.68 €36.30

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.9

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 €115

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$756 €674

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$652 €582

$223 FCFA 130.4K

192.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,294 €1,154

$346 FCFA 202.3K

274.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,163 €1,038

$285 FCFA 166.7K

308.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,008 €3,577

$841 FCFA 492.3K

376.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,452 €3,081

$648 FCFA 378.9K

433.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,243 €1,110

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

6.8

-34.12%

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

Last update for Athens: October 5, 2026

Last update for Malabo: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$652 36.5%

Malabo

–

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$315 17.6%

Malabo

–

Eating Out

Athens

$269 15%

Malabo

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$267 14.9%

Malabo

–

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$165 9.2%

Malabo

–

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$76 4.3%

Malabo

–

Getting Around

Athens

$46 2.6%

Malabo

–

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $66.0 in Athens vs $70.0 in Malabo. Groceries flip the comparison at $315 vs $152, with Malabo cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇬🇶 Malabo

🕒 Local time

10:00 10:00 AM

08:00 8:00 AM

2 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

297,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Central African CFA Franc XAF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 XAF = 1.71 USD

1,000 XAF = 1.52 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

XAF, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Central African CFA Franc exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 585 XAF (1,000 XAF = 1.71 USD). 1 EUR = 656 XAF (1,000 XAF = 1.52 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Athens Malabo 4,100 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Athens
Malabo

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

Athens vs Malabo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Malabo wins on cost – living expenses run 168% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Malabo the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $2,709 in Athens and $1,009 in Malabo to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Dining out is cheaper in Malabo – a meal for two runs $70.0 versus $66.0 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

A monthly transit pass in Malabo runs roughly 16% less than in Athens. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $673 in Malabo versus $1,806 in Athens, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Malabo but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Malabo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Malabo delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $673 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Malabo hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens and Malabo are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Malabo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 168% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.