Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Malabo

For one person, living is cheaper in Malabo: $673 a month against $1,568 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $10,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,568

/mo nomad

Malabo

🇬🇶 Equatorial Guinea

$673

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,568 per month in Cape Town vs $673 in Malabo, rent included.

Cape Town $1,568
Malabo $673

A couple spends around $2,438 per month in Cape Town vs $1,117 in Malabo, rent included.

Cape Town $2,438
Malabo $1,117

A family of three spends $3,307 per month in Cape Town vs $1,560 in Malabo, rent included.

Cape Town $3,307
Malabo $1,560

Cape Town costs about 133% more than Malabo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Cape Town sits 17% above the global median, while Malabo is 50% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.78 R 194

$8.70 FCFA 5,088

35.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.55 R 768

$69.6 FCFA 40.7K

-33.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.96 R 98.4

$8.65 FCFA 5,060

-31.10%

Cappuccino

$2.47 R 40.80

$4.79 FCFA 2,804

-48.43%

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

$1.33 R 21.91

$0.84 FCFA 491

58.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 R 16.99

$0.41 FCFA 240

151.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.01 R 49.72

$1.69 FCFA 989

78.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 R 60.4

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 R 22.96

$2.73 FCFA 1,596

-49.08%

White Bread (500g)

$1.19 R 19.60

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.11 R 34.84

$1.75 FCFA 1,025

20.57%

Eggs

$3.01 R 49.58

$3.70 FCFA 2,165

-18.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.96 R 148

$6.75 FCFA 3,948

32.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.65 R 110

$6.02 FCFA 3,522

10.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.29 R 153

$7.08 FCFA 4,142

31.21%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.13

$2.37 FCFA 1,385

-22.78%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 R 31.31

$1.76 FCFA 1,027

7.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.75 R 28.83

Tomato (1kg)

$2.09 R 34.41

Potato (1kg)

$1.55 R 25.64

Onion (1kg)

$1.49 R 24.53

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 R 19.19

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.71 R 61.2

$4.47 FCFA 2,615

-17.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.06 R 100

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 22.85

$1.40 FCFA 822

-0.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 R 36.32

$0.89 FCFA 521

147.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.51 R 24.98

$1.74 FCFA 1,020

-13.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.0 R 1,006

$26.67 FCFA 15.6K

128.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.63 R 10.33

$0.83 FCFA 485

-24.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.53 R 25.29

$0.90 FCFA 528

70.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.81 R 79.4

$8.72 FCFA 5,103

-44.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 R 26.08

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

$35.5K R 585.7K

$32.6K FCFA 19.1M

9.01%

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

$31.7K R 523.8K

$29.1K FCFA 17.0M

9.23%

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

$116 R 1,920

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

$28.37 R 468

$17.56 FCFA 10.3K

61.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.69 R 671

$17.07 FCFA 9,986

138.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.85 R 806

$34.14 FCFA 20.0K

43.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.13 R 184

$14.84 FCFA 8,685

-25.00%

Cinema Ticket

$8.83 R 146

$5.42 FCFA 3,173

62.92%

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

$261 R 4,314

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,702 R 110.6K

$344 FCFA 201.4K

1847.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.4 R 914

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.27 R 532

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 R 1,939

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 R 1,766

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,015 R 16.7K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$715 R 11.8K

$223 FCFA 130.4K

221.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,801 R 29.7K

$346 FCFA 202.3K

420.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,330 R 22.0K

$285 FCFA 166.7K

367.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,331 R 38.5K

$841 FCFA 492.3K

177.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,513 R 25.0K

$648 FCFA 378.9K

133.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,636 R 27.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

6.8

61.32%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 4, 2026

Last update for Malabo: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$715 45.3%

Malabo

–

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$222 14.1%

Malabo

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$185 11.7%

Malabo

–

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11%

Malabo

–

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$141 8.9%

Malabo

–

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.8%

Malabo

–

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Malabo

–

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47.00 in Cape Town versus $70.0 in Malabo. Groceries tell a different story – $222 in Cape Town vs $152 in Malabo – so Malabo wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇬🇶 Malabo

🕒 Local time

06:46 6:46 AM

05:46 5:46 AM

1 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

297,000 Capital

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Central African CFA Franc XAF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.06 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

1,000 XAF = 1.71 USD

1,000 XAF = 1.52 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

XAF, USD, EUR to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 16.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.06 USD). 1 EUR = 18.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 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 ZAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cape Town Malabo 4,310 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
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

Cape Town vs Malabo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 133% more than Malabo, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,352 per month in Cape Town and $1,009 in Malabo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,568 in Cape Town and $673 in Malabo. That's a gap of about 133%.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47.00 in Cape Town and $70.0 in Malabo. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Malabo, where all-in costs run around $673, than in Cape Town at $1,568. In Malabo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cape Town it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Malabo costs $673 versus $1,568 in Cape Town. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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