Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Malabo

For one person, living is cheaper in Malabo: $673 a month against $1,621 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $11,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Malabo

🇬🇶 Equatorial Guinea

$673

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,621 per month in Budapest vs $673 in Malabo, rent included.

Budapest $1,621
Malabo $673

A couple spends around $2,555 per month in Budapest vs $1,117 in Malabo, rent included.

Budapest $2,555
Malabo $1,117

A family of three spends $3,489 per month in Budapest vs $1,560 in Malabo, rent included.

Budapest $3,489
Malabo $1,560

Budapest costs about 141% more than Malabo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Budapest sits 21% above the global median, while Malabo is 50% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.99 Ft 4,551

$8.70 FCFA 5,088

60.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.3 Ft 19.6K

$69.6 FCFA 40.7K

-13.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.96 Ft 3,241

$8.65 FCFA 5,060

15.14%

Cappuccino

$3.38 Ft 1,100

$4.79 FCFA 2,804

-29.44%

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

$2.13 Ft 692

$0.84 FCFA 491

153.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 Ft 608

$0.41 FCFA 240

356.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.75 Ft 1,221

$1.69 FCFA 989

121.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.57 Ft 1,162

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 Ft 368

$2.73 FCFA 1,596

-58.61%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 Ft 599

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 Ft 777

$1.75 FCFA 1,025

36.57%

Eggs

$3.83 Ft 1,245

$3.70 FCFA 2,165

3.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.33 Ft 3,686

$6.75 FCFA 3,948

67.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.74 Ft 2,192

$6.02 FCFA 3,522

11.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,780

$7.08 FCFA 4,142

107.49%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 Ft 597

$2.37 FCFA 1,385

-22.36%

Banana (1kg)

$2.01 Ft 653

$1.76 FCFA 1,027

14.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.36 Ft 767

Tomato (1kg)

$3.77 Ft 1,226

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 Ft 313

Onion (1kg)

$1.03 Ft 334

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.56 Ft 509

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 Ft 216

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,591

$4.47 FCFA 2,615

78.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.01 Ft 1,954

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 Ft 421

$1.40 FCFA 822

-7.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 Ft 676

$0.89 FCFA 521

133.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 Ft 489

$1.74 FCFA 1,020

-13.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.61 Ft 8,982

$26.67 FCFA 15.6K

3.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.30 Ft 1,074

$0.83 FCFA 485

297.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.30 Ft 424

$0.90 FCFA 528

44.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.78 Ft 6,436

$8.72 FCFA 5,103

126.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.81 Ft 591

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

$29.3K Ft 9.5M

$32.6K FCFA 19.1M

-9.94%

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

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

$29.1K FCFA 17.0M

17.34%

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

$170 Ft 55.3K

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

$23.98 Ft 7,802

$17.56 FCFA 10.3K

36.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.42 Ft 7,621

$17.07 FCFA 9,986

37.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

$34.14 FCFA 20.0K

94.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.18 Ft 6,239

$14.84 FCFA 8,685

29.25%

Cinema Ticket

$9.52 Ft 3,098

$5.42 FCFA 3,173

75.65%

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

$537 Ft 174.6K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

$344 FCFA 201.4K

4725.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 Ft 33.0K

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 Ft 36.7K

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.6K

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 Ft 262.0K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 Ft 204.7K

$223 FCFA 130.4K

182.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,549 Ft 504.1K

$346 FCFA 202.3K

348.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,167 Ft 379.7K

$285 FCFA 166.7K

309.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

$841 FCFA 492.3K

567.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

$648 FCFA 378.9K

512.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,626 Ft 529.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.43

6.8

-5.44%

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

Last update for Budapest: 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

Budapest

$629 38.7%

Malabo

–

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.8%

Malabo

–

Eating Out

Budapest

$224 13.8%

Malabo

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$217 13.4%

Malabo

–

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$169 10.4%

Malabo

–

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$85 5.2%

Malabo

–

Getting Around

Budapest

$43 2.7%

Malabo

–

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $60.0 in Budapest versus $70.0 in Malabo. Groceries tell a different story – $258 in Budapest vs $152 in Malabo – so Malabo wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇬🇶 Malabo

🕒 Local time

06:52 6:52 AM

05:52 5:52 AM

1 h behind Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

297,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Central African CFA Franc XAF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR

1,000 XAF = 1.71 USD

1,000 XAF = 1.52 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

XAF, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 325 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 365 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR).

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 HUF in detail →

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Between locations

Budapest Malabo 4,960 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
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

Budapest vs Malabo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 141%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,432 per month in Budapest and $1,009 in Malabo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Public transport costs about 4% less in Malabo. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Groceries cost about 70% more in Budapest, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Malabo, where all-in costs run around $673, than in Budapest at $1,621. In Malabo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Malabo – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Malabo. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Budapest makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.