Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Malabo and Cape Town

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.

76

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
Learn more

Cape Town Living Index

Jump to prices

Malabo

🇬🇶 Equatorial Guinea

$673

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,568

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Malabo and in Cape Town

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

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

Malabo $673
Cape Town $1,568

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

Malabo $1,117
Cape Town $2,438

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

Malabo $1,560
Cape Town $3,307

Malabo is about 57% cheaper than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.70 FCFA 5,088

$11.78 R 194

-26.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.6 FCFA 40.7K

$46.55 R 768

49.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.65 FCFA 5,060

$5.96 R 98.4

45.13%

Cappuccino

$4.79 FCFA 2,804

$2.47 R 40.80

93.93%

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

$0.84 FCFA 491

$1.33 R 21.91

-36.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.41 FCFA 240

$1.03 R 16.99

-60.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.69 FCFA 989

$3.01 R 49.72

-43.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 R 60.4

Milk (1 liter)

$2.73 FCFA 1,596

$1.39 R 22.96

96.40%

White Bread (500g)

$1.19 R 19.60

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 FCFA 1,025

$2.11 R 34.84

-17.06%

Eggs

$3.70 FCFA 2,165

$3.01 R 49.58

22.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.75 FCFA 3,948

$8.96 R 148

-24.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.02 FCFA 3,522

$6.65 R 110

-9.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.08 FCFA 4,142

$9.29 R 153

-23.79%

Apples (1kg)

$2.37 FCFA 1,385

$1.83 R 30.13

29.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.76 FCFA 1,027

$1.90 R 31.31

-7.37%

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)

$4.47 FCFA 2,615

$3.71 R 61.2

20.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.06 R 100

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.40 FCFA 822

$1.39 R 22.85

0.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.89 FCFA 521

$2.20 R 36.32

-59.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.74 FCFA 1,020

$1.51 R 24.98

15.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.67 FCFA 15.6K

$61.0 R 1,006

-56.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.83 FCFA 485

$0.63 R 10.33

31.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 FCFA 528

$1.53 R 25.29

-41.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.72 FCFA 5,103

$4.81 R 79.4

81.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 R 26.08

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

$32.6K FCFA 19.1M

$35.5K R 585.7K

-8.27%

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

$29.1K FCFA 17.0M

$31.7K R 523.8K

-8.45%

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)

$17.56 FCFA 10.3K

$28.37 R 468

-38.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.07 FCFA 9,986

$40.69 R 671

-58.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.14 FCFA 20.0K

$48.85 R 806

-30.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.84 FCFA 8,685

$11.13 R 184

33.33%

Cinema Ticket

$5.42 FCFA 3,173

$8.83 R 146

-38.62%

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

$261 R 4,314

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$344 FCFA 201.4K

$6,702 R 110.6K

-94.86%

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)

$223 FCFA 130.4K

$715 R 11.8K

-68.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$346 FCFA 202.3K

$1,801 R 29.7K

-80.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$285 FCFA 166.7K

$1,330 R 22.0K

-78.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$841 FCFA 492.3K

$2,331 R 38.5K

-63.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$648 FCFA 378.9K

$1,513 R 25.0K

-57.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,636 R 27.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.8

10.97

-38.01%

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

Last update for Malabo: October 4, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Malabo

–

Cape Town

$715 45.3%

Groceries & Markets

Malabo

–

Cape Town

$222 14.1%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Malabo

–

Cape Town

$185 11.7%

Eating Out

Malabo

–

Cape Town

$174 11%

Clothing & Footwear

Malabo

–

Cape Town

$141 8.9%

Getting Around

Malabo

–

Cape Town

$75 4.8%

Sport & Entertainment

Malabo

–

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Cost Breakdown

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

Good to know

🇬🇶 Malabo

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

04:57 4:57 AM

05:57 5:57 AM

1 h ahead of Malabo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

297,000 Capital

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

Central African CFA Franc XAF Fr

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 XAF = 1.71 USD

1,000 XAF = 1.52 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.06 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, 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).

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).

USD to XAF in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Malabo
Cape Town

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 Cape Town: 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 $1,009 per month in Malabo and $2,352 in Cape Town. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $70.0 in Malabo and $47.00 in Cape Town. 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.