Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dubai and Malabo

For one person, living is cheaper in Malabo: $635 a month against $2,889 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $27,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Dubai
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Dubai Living Index

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Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,889

/mo nomad

Malabo

🇬🇶 Equatorial Guinea

$635

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,889 in Dubai versus $635 in Malabo.

Dubai $2,889
Malabo $635

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,444 in Dubai versus $1,085 in Malabo.

Dubai $4,444
Malabo $1,085

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,999 in Dubai versus $1,534 in Malabo.

Dubai $5,999
Malabo $1,534

Living in Dubai is roughly 355% more expensive than in Malabo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Dubai is 114% above, Malabo is 53% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.94 AED 47.54

$8.58 FCFA 5,010

50.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.2 AED 306

$69.1 FCFA 40.4K

20.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.35 AED 34.32

$8.29 FCFA 4,844

12.79%

Cappuccino

$5.88 AED 21.60

$4.75 FCFA 2,771

23.79%

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

$1.57 AED 5.77

$0.81 FCFA 472

93.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 AED 3.47

$0.44 FCFA 257

113.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.44 AED 49.38

$1.73 FCFA 1,010

676.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.57 AED 49.84

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 AED 6.83

$2.70 FCFA 1,574

-31.11%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 AED 5.73

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.64 AED 9.68

$1.66 FCFA 971

59.04%

Eggs

$3.53 AED 12.96

$3.66 FCFA 2,139

-3.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.97 AED 47.62

$6.77 FCFA 3,952

91.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.94 AED 36.51

$6.11 FCFA 3,571

62.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.92 AED 47.45

$7.13 FCFA 4,164

81.21%

Apples (1kg)

$2.55 AED 9.36

$2.45 FCFA 1,430

4.08%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 AED 7.54

$1.67 FCFA 973

22.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.84 AED 6.77

Tomato (1kg)

$1.54 AED 5.64

Potato (1kg)

$1.17 AED 4.31

Onion (1kg)

$1.02 AED 3.76

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.57 AED 5.75

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 AED 2.46

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.31 AED 23.17

$4.43 FCFA 2,586

42.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.16 AED 59.4

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.58 AED 9.48

$1.45 FCFA 846

77.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.89 AED 10.60

$0.89 FCFA 520

224.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 AED 5.15

$1.73 FCFA 1,013

-19.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$82.4 AED 303

$26.22 FCFA 15.3K

214.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.29 AED 12.07

$0.88 FCFA 516

273.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.65 AED 2.40

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 AED 29.84

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.00 AED 3.68

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

$26.3K AED 96.6K

$32.6K FCFA 19.0M

-19.36%

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

$22.0K AED 81.0K

$29.9K FCFA 17.5M

-26.30%

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

$239 AED 877

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

$56.9 AED 209

$17.44 FCFA 10.2K

226.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$93.9 AED 345

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$90.8 AED 334

$33.78 FCFA 19.7K

168.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$46.38 AED 170

$14.38 FCFA 8,397

222.53%

Cinema Ticket

$16.24 AED 59.6

$5.52 FCFA 3,221

194.20%

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

$934 AED 3,429

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.9K AED 76.8K

$344 FCFA 201.0K

5977.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.7 AED 260

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.3 AED 225

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 AED 377

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 AED 426

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,487 AED 9,134

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,520 AED 5,581

$223 FCFA 130.4K

580.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,234 AED 19.2K

$330 FCFA 192.9K

1484.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,028 AED 11.1K

$275 FCFA 160.6K

1001.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,982 AED 25.6K

$852 FCFA 497.7K

719.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,433 AED 16.3K

$651 FCFA 380.0K

581.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,553 AED 13.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.57

6.8

-32.79%

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

Last update for Dubai: 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

Dubai

$1.5K 52.6%

Malabo

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dubai

$390 13.5%

Malabo

–

Eating Out

Dubai

$307 10.6%

Malabo

–

Groceries & Markets

Dubai

$297 10.3%

Malabo

–

Clothing & Footwear

Dubai

$158 5.5%

Malabo

–

Sport & Entertainment

Dubai

$123 4.3%

Malabo

–

Getting Around

Dubai

$95 3.3%

Malabo

–

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $83 in Dubai vs $69 in Malabo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $152 per month, with Malabo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇪 Dubai

🇬🇶 Malabo

🕒 Local time

23:09 11:09 PM

20:09 8:09 PM

3 h behind Dubai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,790,000

297,000 Capital

💱 Currency

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

Central African CFA Franc XAF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.242 EUR

1,000 XAF = 1.71 USD

1,000 XAF = 1.52 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

XAF, USD, EUR to AED – UAE Dirham Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇪 UAE Dirham (د.إ)

UAE Dirham exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 3.67 AED (1 AED = 0.272 USD). 1 EUR = 4.13 AED (1 AED = 0.242 EUR).

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 = 1.52 EUR).

USD to AED in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Dubai Malabo 5,490 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Dubai
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

Dubai vs Malabo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Malabo is about 78% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $4,333 in Dubai 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.

Supermarket bills run roughly 96% higher in Dubai. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $2,889 per month in Dubai versus $635 in Malabo – Malabo is about 78% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $635 in Malabo versus $2,889 in Dubai, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Malabo but tight or insufficient in Dubai. 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.