Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Malabo

For one person, living is cheaper in Malabo: $635 a month against $2,443 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $21,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,443

/mo nomad

Malabo

🇬🇶 Equatorial Guinea

$635

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona 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 Barcelona and in Malabo actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,443 in Barcelona versus $635 in Malabo.

Barcelona $2,443
Malabo $635

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,519 in Barcelona versus $1,085 in Malabo.

Barcelona $3,519
Malabo $1,085

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,595 in Barcelona versus $1,534 in Malabo.

Barcelona $4,595
Malabo $1,534

Living in Barcelona is roughly 284% more expensive than in Malabo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 81% above, Malabo is 53% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.66 €15.73

$8.58 FCFA 5,010

105.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.1

$69.1 FCFA 40.4K

-2.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.61 €12.13

$8.29 FCFA 4,844

64.17%

Cappuccino

$3.10 €2.76

$4.75 FCFA 2,771

-34.74%

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

$3.00 €2.67

$0.81 FCFA 472

270.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 €1.72

$0.44 FCFA 257

338.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.84 €3.42

$1.73 FCFA 1,010

121.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 €3.88

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 €1.11

$2.70 FCFA 1,574

-53.70%

White Bread (500g)

$2.12 €1.89

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$1.66 FCFA 971

18.67%

Eggs

$4.76 €4.24

$3.66 FCFA 2,139

30.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.07 €15.20

$6.77 FCFA 3,952

152.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.96 €7.98

$6.11 FCFA 3,571

46.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.65 €18.39

$7.13 FCFA 4,164

189.62%

Apples (1kg)

$3.16 €2.82

$2.45 FCFA 1,430

28.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$1.67 FCFA 973

17.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

Tomato (1kg)

$2.88 €2.57

Potato (1kg)

$2.06 €1.83

Onion (1kg)

$2.18 €1.94

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 €1.37

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 €0.86

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.97 €6.21

$4.43 FCFA 2,586

57.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.03

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 €1.26

$1.45 FCFA 846

-2.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.69 €2.39

$0.89 FCFA 520

202.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.31 €2.95

$1.73 FCFA 1,013

91.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.61 €22.81

$26.22 FCFA 15.3K

-2.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.08 €2.75

$0.88 FCFA 516

250.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 €1.32

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.87 €29.28

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.87 €1.66

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

$33.0K €29.4K

$32.6K FCFA 19.0M

1.09%

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

$31.9K €28.5K

$29.9K FCFA 17.5M

6.79%

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

$183 €163

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

$14.24 €12.69

$17.44 FCFA 10.2K

-18.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.56 €30.79

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.4 €45.81

$33.78 FCFA 19.7K

52.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.38 €14.60

$14.38 FCFA 8,397

13.91%

Cinema Ticket

$11.06 €9.86

$5.52 FCFA 3,221

100.36%

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

$944 €841

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.3K €19.8K

$344 FCFA 201.0K

6369.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.7 €78.1

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.77 €34.54

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.1

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 €105

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,697 €1,512

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,337 €1,191

$223 FCFA 130.4K

498.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,692 €2,398

$330 FCFA 192.9K

714.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,077 €1,850

$275 FCFA 160.6K

655.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,155 €6,373

$852 FCFA 497.7K

739.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,079 €4,524

$651 FCFA 380.0K

680.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,241 €1,997

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.19

6.8

-53.09%

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

Last update for Barcelona: November 2, 2026

Last update for Malabo: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.7%

Malabo

–

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$328 13.4%

Malabo

–

Eating Out

Barcelona

$267 10.9%

Malabo

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$232 9.5%

Malabo

–

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$157 6.4%

Malabo

–

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Malabo

–

Getting Around

Barcelona

$49 2%

Malabo

–

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $69 in Malabo. Groceries flip the comparison at $328 vs $152, with Malabo cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇬🇶 Malabo

🕒 Local time

23:25 11:25 PM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

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 = 1.53 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

XAF, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 0.891 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Central African CFA Franc exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 584 XAF (1,000 XAF = 1.71 USD). 1 EUR = 656 XAF (1,000 XAF = 1.53 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Barcelona Malabo 4,240 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
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

Barcelona vs Malabo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,443 in Barcelona and $635 in Malabo, so Malabo is about 74% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,664 in Barcelona and $953 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 Barcelona – a meal for two runs $67 versus $69 in Malabo. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $2,443 per month in Barcelona versus $635 in Malabo – Malabo is about 74% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $635 in Malabo versus $2,443 in Barcelona, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Malabo but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Malabo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.