Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Malabo

For one person, living is cheaper in Malabo: $673 a month against $1,685 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $12,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

81

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
Learn more

Buenos Aires Living Index

Jump to prices

Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,685

/mo nomad

Malabo

🇬🇶 Equatorial Guinea

$673

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,685 in Buenos Aires versus $673 in Malabo.

Buenos Aires $1,685
Malabo $673

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,742 in Buenos Aires versus $1,117 in Malabo.

Buenos Aires $2,742
Malabo $1,117

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,799 in Buenos Aires versus $1,560 in Malabo.

Buenos Aires $3,799
Malabo $1,560

Living in Buenos Aires is roughly 151% more expensive than in Malabo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Buenos Aires is 26% above, Malabo is 50% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.73 ARS 28.4K

$8.70 FCFA 5,088

115.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.5 ARS 97.8K

$69.6 FCFA 40.7K

-7.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.88 ARS 19.5K

$8.65 FCFA 5,060

48.90%

Cappuccino

$3.98 ARS 6,029

$4.79 FCFA 2,804

-16.91%

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

$2.05 ARS 3,103

$0.84 FCFA 491

144.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 ARS 2,349

$0.41 FCFA 240

278.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.84 ARS 5,830

$1.69 FCFA 989

127.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.60 ARS 6,970

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 ARS 2,181

$2.73 FCFA 1,596

-47.25%

White Bread (500g)

$2.46 ARS 3,738

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 ARS 2,467

$1.75 FCFA 1,025

-6.86%

Eggs

$2.89 ARS 4,385

$3.70 FCFA 2,165

-21.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.65 ARS 16.1K

$6.75 FCFA 3,948

57.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

$6.02 FCFA 3,522

66.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.74 ARS 20.8K

$7.08 FCFA 4,142

94.07%

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 ARS 4,166

$2.37 FCFA 1,385

16.03%

Banana (1kg)

$2.18 ARS 3,300

$1.76 FCFA 1,027

23.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.45 ARS 2,205

Tomato (1kg)

$1.99 ARS 3,013

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ARS 1,885

Onion (1kg)

$1.27 ARS 1,921

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.70 ARS 2,575

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 ARS 2,617

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.18 ARS 6,337

$4.47 FCFA 2,615

-6.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.80 ARS 8,790

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.09 ARS 3,163

$1.40 FCFA 822

49.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 ARS 4,198

$0.89 FCFA 521

211.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 ARS 1,132

$1.74 FCFA 1,020

-56.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.15 ARS 41.2K

$26.67 FCFA 15.6K

1.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.62 ARS 2,451

$0.83 FCFA 485

95.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.98 ARS 1,481

$0.90 FCFA 528

8.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.72 ARS 11.7K

$8.72 FCFA 5,103

-11.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 ARS 2,058

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

$28.0K ARS 42.5M

$32.6K FCFA 19.1M

-13.98%

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

$34.5K ARS 52.4M

$29.1K FCFA 17.0M

18.80%

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

$216 ARS 326.9K

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

$25.61 ARS 38.8K

$17.56 FCFA 10.3K

45.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.36 ARS 47.6K

$17.07 FCFA 9,986

83.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.82 ARS 75.6K

$34.14 FCFA 20.0K

45.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.06 ARS 25.9K

$14.84 FCFA 8,685

14.96%

Cinema Ticket

$10.43 ARS 15.8K

$5.42 FCFA 3,173

92.44%

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

$466 ARS 706.7K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,057 ARS 13.7M

$344 FCFA 201.4K

2531.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$122 ARS 185.2K

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$97.4 ARS 147.8K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 ARS 177.4K

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$140 ARS 211.9K

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$763 ARS 1.2M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$505 ARS 766.1K

$223 FCFA 130.4K

126.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,598 ARS 2.4M

$346 FCFA 202.3K

362.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,185 ARS 1.8M

$285 FCFA 166.7K

315.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,678 ARS 4.1M

$841 FCFA 492.3K

218.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,858 ARS 2.8M

$648 FCFA 378.9K

186.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$954 ARS 1.4M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

6.8

741.91%

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 6, 2026

Last update for Malabo: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$505 30.4%

Malabo

–

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$284 17.1%

Malabo

–

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$279 16.8%

Malabo

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$273 16.4%

Malabo

–

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$214 12.9%

Malabo

–

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$71 4.3%

Malabo

–

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2%

Malabo

–

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $64.0 in Buenos Aires vs $70.0 in Malabo. Groceries flip the comparison at $284 vs $152, with Malabo cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇬🇶 Malabo

🕒 Local time

01:46 1:46 AM

05:46 5:46 AM

4 h ahead of Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

297,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

Central African CFA Franc XAF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR

1,000 XAF = 1.71 USD

1,000 XAF = 1.52 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

XAF, USD, EUR to ARS – Argentine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇷 Argentine Peso ($)

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,701 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.88 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 ARS in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Buenos Aires Malabo 8,190 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Buenos Aires
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

Buenos Aires vs Malabo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buenos Aires and Malabo differ by about 151% in total monthly costs ($1,685 vs $673 including rent). Malabo is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,528 in Buenos Aires 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 $64.0 in Buenos Aires. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

A monthly transit pass in Malabo runs roughly 2% less than in Buenos Aires. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $673 in Malabo versus $1,685 in Buenos Aires, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Malabo but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. 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.

Safety-wise, Buenos Aires 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 151% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.