Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Malabo and Athens

For one person, living is cheaper in Malabo: $673 a month against $1,806 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $13,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index

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Malabo

🇬🇶 Equatorial Guinea

$673

/mo nomad

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,806

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Malabo and in Athens

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Malabo and in Athens actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $673 in Malabo versus $1,806 in Athens.

Malabo $673
Athens $1,806

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,117 in Malabo versus $2,731 in Athens.

Malabo $1,117
Athens $2,731

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,560 in Malabo versus $3,656 in Athens.

Malabo $1,560
Athens $3,656

Living in Malabo costs roughly 63% less than in Athens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Malabo is 50% below, Athens is 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.70 FCFA 5,088

$16.66 €14.87

-47.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.6 FCFA 40.7K

$66.2 €59.1

5.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.65 FCFA 5,060

$11.06 €9.87

-21.79%

Cappuccino

$4.79 FCFA 2,804

$4.14 €3.69

15.70%

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

$0.84 FCFA 491

$2.80 €2.50

-70.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.41 FCFA 240

$0.57 €0.51

-28.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.69 FCFA 989

$5.64 €5.03

-70.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.46 €4.87

Milk (1 liter)

$2.73 FCFA 1,596

$1.96 €1.75

39.29%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 €1.26

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 FCFA 1,025

$2.83 €2.53

-38.16%

Eggs

$3.70 FCFA 2,165

$5.04 €4.50

-26.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.75 FCFA 3,948

$15.35 €13.70

-56.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.02 FCFA 3,522

$10.34 €9.23

-41.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.08 FCFA 4,142

$18.97 €16.93

-62.68%

Apples (1kg)

$2.37 FCFA 1,385

$2.17 €1.93

9.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.76 FCFA 1,027

$1.91 €1.70

-7.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.38 €1.23

Tomato (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

Potato (1kg)

$1.10 €0.98

Onion (1kg)

$1.13 €1.00

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 €0.99

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 €0.74

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.47 FCFA 2,615

$5.60 €4.99

-20.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.19 €9.09

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.40 FCFA 822

$2.18 €1.95

-35.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.89 FCFA 521

$2.45 €2.19

-63.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.74 FCFA 1,020

$1.38 €1.23

26.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.67 FCFA 15.6K

$30.87 €27.55

-13.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.83 FCFA 485

$4.37 €3.90

-81.01%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 FCFA 528

$1.04 €0.93

-13.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.72 FCFA 5,103

$17.11 €15.27

-49.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.31 €2.07

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

$32.6K FCFA 19.1M

$28.0K €25.0K

16.37%

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

$29.1K FCFA 17.0M

$28.0K €25.0K

3.75%

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

$210 €187

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

$17.56 FCFA 10.3K

$26.70 €23.83

-34.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.07 FCFA 9,986

$30.13 €26.89

-43.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.14 FCFA 20.0K

$54.6 €48.72

-37.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.84 FCFA 8,685

$26.03 €23.23

-42.99%

Cinema Ticket

$5.42 FCFA 3,173

$10.78 €9.62

-49.72%

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

$575 €513

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$344 FCFA 201.4K

$13.1K €11.7K

-97.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.2 €83.1

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.68 €36.30

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.9

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 €115

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$756 €674

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$223 FCFA 130.4K

$652 €582

-65.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$346 FCFA 202.3K

$1,294 €1,154

-73.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$285 FCFA 166.7K

$1,163 €1,038

-75.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$841 FCFA 492.3K

$4,008 €3,577

-79.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$648 FCFA 378.9K

$3,452 €3,081

-81.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,243 €1,110

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.8

4.48

51.79%

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

Last update for Malabo: October 4, 2026

Last update for Athens: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Malabo

–

Athens

$652 36.5%

Groceries & Markets

Malabo

–

Athens

$315 17.6%

Eating Out

Malabo

–

Athens

$269 15%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Malabo

–

Athens

$267 14.9%

Clothing & Footwear

Malabo

–

Athens

$165 9.2%

Sport & Entertainment

Malabo

–

Athens

$76 4.3%

Getting Around

Malabo

–

Athens

$46 2.6%

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $70.0 in Malabo vs $66.0 in Athens. Groceries flip the comparison at $152 vs $315, with Malabo cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇶 Malabo

🇬🇷 Athens

🕒 Local time

06:25 6:25 AM

08:25 8:25 AM

2 h ahead of Malabo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

297,000 Capital

3,090,508 Capital

💱 Currency

Central African CFA Franc XAF Fr

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 XAF = 1.71 USD

1,000 XAF = 1.52 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to XAF – Central African CFA Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🌐 Central African CFA Franc (Fr)

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).

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to XAF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Malabo Athens 4,100 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Malabo
Athens

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

Malabo vs Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Malabo wins on cost – living expenses run 168% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Malabo the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $1,009 in Malabo and $2,709 in Athens 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 $66.0 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

A monthly transit pass in Malabo runs roughly 16% less than in Athens. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $673 in Malabo versus $1,806 in Athens, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Malabo but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Malabo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Malabo delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $673 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Malabo hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Malabo and Athens 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 168% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.