Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Malabo and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Malabo: $640 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $19,000 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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Malabo

🇬🇶 Equatorial Guinea

$640

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Malabo and in Lisbon

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $640 in Malabo versus $2,223 in Lisbon.

Malabo $640
Lisbon $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,090 in Malabo versus $3,271 in Lisbon.

Malabo $1,090
Lisbon $3,271

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,539 in Malabo versus $4,319 in Lisbon.

Malabo $1,539
Lisbon $4,319

Living in Malabo costs roughly 71% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Malabo is 53% below, Lisbon is 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.66 FCFA 5,048

$16.50 €14.67

-47.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.4 FCFA 39.3K

$61.3 €54.5

10.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.38 FCFA 4,886

$11.27 €10.03

-25.64%

Cappuccino

$4.76 FCFA 2,775

$3.06 €2.72

55.56%

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

$0.87 FCFA 509

$2.26 €2.01

-61.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.45 FCFA 260

$1.73 €1.54

-73.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.72 FCFA 1,004

$3.39 €3.02

-49.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 €3.02

Milk (1 liter)

$2.77 FCFA 1,614

$1.12 €1.00

147.32%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.65

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.67 FCFA 972

$1.53 €1.36

9.15%

Eggs

$3.83 FCFA 2,236

$3.96 €3.53

-3.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.67 FCFA 3,888

$12.76 €11.35

-47.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.10 FCFA 3,557

$7.90 €7.02

-22.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.50 FCFA 4,376

$16.97 €15.09

-55.80%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 FCFA 1,354

$2.27 €2.02

2.20%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 FCFA 1,013

$1.75 €1.55

-0.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

Tomato (1kg)

$2.57 €2.28

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 €1.65

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 €1.28

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 €0.73

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.47 FCFA 2,606

$6.56 €5.83

-31.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.62 €5.00

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 FCFA 823

$1.28 €1.14

10.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 FCFA 482

$2.07 €1.84

-59.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.72 FCFA 1,006

$2.35 €2.09

-26.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.91 FCFA 15.1K

$44.18 €39.30

-41.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.87 FCFA 508

$3.99 €3.55

-78.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 €0.97

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.64 €14.81

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

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

$32.8K FCFA 19.1M

$33.7K €30.0K

-2.59%

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

$29.4K FCFA 17.1M

$39.3K €35.0K

-25.22%

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

$167 €149

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

$17.60 FCFA 10.3K

$18.80 €16.72

-6.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.09 €29.43

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.89 FCFA 19.8K

$46.01 €40.93

-26.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.75 FCFA 8,603

$19.19 €17.07

-23.14%

Cinema Ticket

$5.33 FCFA 3,110

$9.84 €8.75

-45.83%

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

$677 €602

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$346 FCFA 201.9K

$16.9K €15.1K

-97.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €90.1

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.76 €40.70

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100.0 €88.9

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 €109

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 €1,436

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$225 FCFA 131.3K

$1,197 €1,065

-81.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$334 FCFA 194.9K

$2,862 €2,545

-88.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$282 FCFA 164.6K

$1,990 €1,770

-85.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$856 FCFA 499.2K

$7,577 €6,740

-88.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$652 FCFA 380.0K

$4,307 €3,831

-84.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,588 €1,412

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.8

3.85

76.62%

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

Last update for Malabo: October 11, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Malabo

–

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9%

Groceries & Markets

Malabo

–

Lisbon

$269 12.1%

Eating Out

Malabo

–

Lisbon

$242 10.9%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Malabo

–

Lisbon

$219 9.9%

Clothing & Footwear

Malabo

–

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Sport & Entertainment

Malabo

–

Lisbon

$66 3%

Getting Around

Malabo

–

Lisbon

$63 2.8%

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $67.0 in Malabo vs $61.0 in Lisbon. Groceries flip the comparison at $153 vs $269, with Malabo cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇶 Malabo

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

22:28 10:28 PM

Same time as Malabo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

297,000 Capital

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Central African CFA Franc XAF Fr

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 XAF = 1.71 USD

1,000 XAF = 1.53 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 583 XAF (1,000 XAF = 1.71 USD). 1 EUR = 656 XAF (1,000 XAF = 1.53 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to XAF in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Malabo Lisbon 4,290 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Malabo
Lisbon

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 Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Malabo and Lisbon differ by about 247% in total monthly costs ($640 vs $2,223 including rent). Malabo is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $960 in Malabo and $3,335 in Lisbon 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 76% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $640 per month in Malabo versus $2,223 in Lisbon – a 247% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $640 in Malabo versus $2,223 in Lisbon, a $2,000 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.

Safety-wise, Malabo and Lisbon 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 247% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.