Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Malabo

For one person, living is cheaper in Malabo: $635 a month against $2,206 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $18,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,206

/mo nomad

Malabo

🇬🇶 Equatorial Guinea

$635

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,206 in Lisbon versus $635 in Malabo.

Lisbon $2,206
Malabo $635

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,276 in Lisbon versus $1,085 in Malabo.

Lisbon $3,276
Malabo $1,085

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $1,534 in Malabo.

Lisbon $4,346
Malabo $1,534

Living in Lisbon is roughly 247% more expensive than in Malabo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 63% above, Malabo is 53% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.86 €15.08

$8.58 FCFA 5,029

96.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.0 €54.6

$69.1 FCFA 40.5K

-11.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.98 €9.82

$8.29 FCFA 4,862

32.45%

Cappuccino

$3.05 €2.73

$4.75 FCFA 2,782

-35.79%

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

$2.28 €2.04

$0.81 FCFA 474

181.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 €1.50

$0.44 FCFA 258

281.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.44 €3.07

$1.73 FCFA 1,014

98.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 €3.49

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 €1.03

$2.70 FCFA 1,580

-57.41%

White Bread (500g)

$1.89 €1.69

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 €1.34

$1.66 FCFA 974

-9.64%

Eggs

$4.12 €3.68

$3.66 FCFA 2,147

12.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.01 €11.63

$6.77 FCFA 3,967

92.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.04 €7.19

$6.11 FCFA 3,584

31.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.89 €16.00

$7.13 FCFA 4,180

150.91%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.03

$2.45 FCFA 1,435

-7.35%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 €1.56

$1.67 FCFA 976

4.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

Tomato (1kg)

$2.69 €2.40

Potato (1kg)

$1.77 €1.58

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 €1.73

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 €0.68

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.66 €5.95

$4.43 FCFA 2,595

50.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.64 €5.04

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 €1.15

$1.45 FCFA 850

-11.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$0.89 FCFA 522

140.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.30 €2.06

$1.73 FCFA 1,017

32.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.02 €39.36

$26.22 FCFA 15.4K

67.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.98 €3.56

$0.88 FCFA 518

352.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 €0.57

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.93 €16.92

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

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

$33.4K €29.8K

$32.6K FCFA 19.1M

2.34%

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

$38.5K €34.4K

$29.9K FCFA 17.5M

28.73%

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

$158 €141

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

$17.54 €15.68

$17.44 FCFA 10.2K

0.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.18 €27.89

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.64 €39.92

$33.78 FCFA 19.8K

32.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.98 €16.97

$14.38 FCFA 8,428

31.99%

Cinema Ticket

$9.58 €8.56

$5.52 FCFA 3,233

73.55%

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

$674 €602

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.7K €16.7K

$344 FCFA 201.8K

5341.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.90 €41.04

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 €91.4

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 €109

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,641 €1,467

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,187 €1,062

$223 FCFA 130.9K

431.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,825 €2,526

$330 FCFA 193.7K

754.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,018 €1,805

$275 FCFA 161.2K

633.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,836 €7,007

$852 FCFA 499.6K

819.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,701 €4,204

$651 FCFA 381.4K

622.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,687 €1,508

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.82

6.8

-43.82%

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

Last update for Lisbon: November 1, 2026

Last update for Malabo: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Malabo

–

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$275 12.5%

Malabo

–

Eating Out

Lisbon

$245 11.1%

Malabo

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$207 9.4%

Malabo

–

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.6%

Malabo

–

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Malabo

–

Getting Around

Lisbon

$60 2.7%

Malabo

–

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $61 in Lisbon vs $69 in Malabo. Groceries flip the comparison at $275 vs $152, with Malabo cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇬🇶 Malabo

🕒 Local time

22:42 10:42 PM

23:42 11:42 PM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

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 3, 2026: 1 USD = 0.894 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Central African CFA Franc exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 586 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

Lisbon Malabo 4,290 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
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

Lisbon vs Malabo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,206 in Lisbon and $635 in Malabo, so Malabo is about 71% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,309 in Lisbon 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 81% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $2,206 per month in Lisbon versus $635 in Malabo – Malabo is about 71% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $635 in Malabo versus $2,206 in Lisbon, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Malabo but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. 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.