Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Malabo and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Malabo: $673 a month against $1,621 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $11,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Malabo

🇬🇶 Equatorial Guinea

$673

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Malabo and in Budapest

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 Budapest actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $673 per month in Malabo vs $1,621 in Budapest, rent included.

Malabo $673
Budapest $1,621

A couple spends around $1,117 per month in Malabo vs $2,555 in Budapest, rent included.

Malabo $1,117
Budapest $2,555

A family of three spends $1,560 per month in Malabo vs $3,489 in Budapest, rent included.

Malabo $1,560
Budapest $3,489

Malabo is about 59% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Malabo sits 50% below the global median, while Budapest is 21% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.70 FCFA 5,088

$13.99 Ft 4,551

-37.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.6 FCFA 40.7K

$60.3 Ft 19.6K

15.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.65 FCFA 5,060

$9.96 Ft 3,241

-13.15%

Cappuccino

$4.79 FCFA 2,804

$3.38 Ft 1,100

41.72%

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

$0.84 FCFA 491

$2.13 Ft 692

-60.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.41 FCFA 240

$1.87 Ft 608

-78.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.69 FCFA 989

$3.75 Ft 1,221

-54.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.57 Ft 1,162

Milk (1 liter)

$2.73 FCFA 1,596

$1.13 Ft 368

141.59%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 Ft 599

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 FCFA 1,025

$2.39 Ft 777

-26.78%

Eggs

$3.70 FCFA 2,165

$3.83 Ft 1,245

-3.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.75 FCFA 3,948

$11.33 Ft 3,686

-40.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.02 FCFA 3,522

$6.74 Ft 2,192

-10.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.08 FCFA 4,142

$14.69 Ft 4,780

-51.80%

Apples (1kg)

$2.37 FCFA 1,385

$1.84 Ft 597

28.80%

Banana (1kg)

$1.76 FCFA 1,027

$2.01 Ft 653

-12.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.36 Ft 767

Tomato (1kg)

$3.77 Ft 1,226

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 Ft 313

Onion (1kg)

$1.03 Ft 334

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.56 Ft 509

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 Ft 216

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.47 FCFA 2,615

$7.96 Ft 2,591

-43.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.01 Ft 1,954

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.40 FCFA 822

$1.30 Ft 421

7.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.89 FCFA 521

$2.08 Ft 676

-57.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.74 FCFA 1,020

$1.50 Ft 489

16.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.67 FCFA 15.6K

$27.61 Ft 8,982

-3.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.83 FCFA 485

$3.30 Ft 1,074

-74.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 FCFA 528

$1.30 Ft 424

-30.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.72 FCFA 5,103

$19.78 Ft 6,436

-55.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.81 Ft 591

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

$32.6K FCFA 19.1M

$29.3K Ft 9.5M

11.03%

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

$29.1K FCFA 17.0M

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

-14.78%

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

$170 Ft 55.3K

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

$17.56 FCFA 10.3K

$23.98 Ft 7,802

-26.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.07 FCFA 9,986

$23.42 Ft 7,621

-27.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.14 FCFA 20.0K

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

-48.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.84 FCFA 8,685

$19.18 Ft 6,239

-22.63%

Cinema Ticket

$5.42 FCFA 3,173

$9.52 Ft 3,098

-43.07%

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

$537 Ft 174.6K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$344 FCFA 201.4K

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

-97.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 Ft 33.0K

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 Ft 36.7K

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.6K

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 Ft 262.0K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$223 FCFA 130.4K

$629 Ft 204.7K

-64.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$346 FCFA 202.3K

$1,549 Ft 504.1K

-77.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$285 FCFA 166.7K

$1,167 Ft 379.7K

-75.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$841 FCFA 492.3K

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

-85.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$648 FCFA 378.9K

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

-83.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,626 Ft 529.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.8

6.43

5.75%

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

Last update for Malabo: October 4, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Malabo

–

Budapest

$629 38.7%

Groceries & Markets

Malabo

–

Budapest

$258 15.8%

Eating Out

Malabo

–

Budapest

$224 13.8%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Malabo

–

Budapest

$217 13.4%

Clothing & Footwear

Malabo

–

Budapest

$169 10.4%

Sport & Entertainment

Malabo

–

Budapest

$85 5.2%

Getting Around

Malabo

–

Budapest

$43 2.7%

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $70.0 in Malabo versus $60.0 in Budapest. Groceries tell a different story – $152 in Malabo vs $258 in Budapest – so Malabo wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇬🇶 Malabo

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

06:23 6:23 AM

07:23 7:23 AM

1 h ahead of Malabo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

297,000 Capital

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Central African CFA Franc XAF Fr

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 XAF = 1.71 USD

1,000 XAF = 1.52 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR 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).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 325 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 365 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR).

USD to XAF in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Malabo Budapest 4,960 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Malabo
Budapest

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 Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 141%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,009 per month in Malabo and $2,432 in Budapest. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Public transport costs about 4% less in Malabo. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Groceries cost about 70% more in Budapest, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Malabo, where all-in costs run around $673, than in Budapest at $1,621. In Malabo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Malabo – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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