Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Malabo and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Malabo: $640 a month against $1,567 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $11,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Malabo

🇬🇶 Equatorial Guinea

$640

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,567

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Malabo and in Mexico City

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

A single person spends $640 per month in Malabo vs $1,567 in Mexico City, rent included.

Malabo $640
Mexico City $1,567

A couple spends around $1,090 per month in Malabo vs $2,450 in Mexico City, rent included.

Malabo $1,090
Mexico City $2,450

A family of three spends $1,539 per month in Malabo vs $3,333 in Mexico City, rent included.

Malabo $1,539
Mexico City $3,333

Malabo is about 59% cheaper than Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Malabo sits 53% below the global median, while Mexico City is 16% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.66 FCFA 5,048

$10.75 MX$199

-19.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.4 FCFA 39.3K

$50.3 MX$929

34.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.38 FCFA 4,886

$11.10 MX$205

-24.50%

Cappuccino

$4.76 FCFA 2,775

$3.68 MX$68.1

29.35%

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

$0.87 FCFA 509

$1.65 MX$30.42

-47.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.45 FCFA 260

$1.30 MX$24.08

-65.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.72 FCFA 1,004

$3.32 MX$61.3

-48.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.54 MX$102

Milk (1 liter)

$2.77 FCFA 1,614

$1.77 MX$32.68

56.50%

White Bread (500g)

$3.05 MX$56.4

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.67 FCFA 972

$2.01 MX$37.20

-16.92%

Eggs

$3.83 FCFA 2,236

$2.77 MX$51.1

38.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.67 FCFA 3,888

$11.91 MX$220

-44.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.10 FCFA 3,557

$9.33 MX$172

-34.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.50 FCFA 4,376

$15.02 MX$278

-50.07%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 FCFA 1,354

$3.08 MX$56.8

-24.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 FCFA 1,013

$1.95 MX$35.97

-10.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.54

Tomato (1kg)

$2.21 MX$40.92

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.41

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$33.67

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 MX$28.07

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 MX$23.65

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.47 FCFA 2,606

$5.27 MX$97.4

-15.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.12 MX$298

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 FCFA 823

$1.95 MX$36.05

-27.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 FCFA 482

$4.25 MX$78.6

-80.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.72 FCFA 1,006

$0.31 MX$5.82

454.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.91 FCFA 15.1K

$19.85 MX$367

30.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.87 FCFA 508

$2.00 MX$36.93

-56.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.86

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.62 MX$104

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$28.07

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

$32.8K FCFA 19.1M

$21.0K MX$388.7K

55.96%

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

$29.4K FCFA 17.1M

$25.2K MX$465.3K

16.70%

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

$62.5 MX$1,155

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

$17.60 FCFA 10.3K

$28.77 MX$532

-38.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.45 MX$637

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.89 FCFA 19.8K

$57.1 MX$1,055

-40.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.75 FCFA 8,603

$24.81 MX$458

-40.55%

Cinema Ticket

$5.33 FCFA 3,110

$6.67 MX$123

-20.09%

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

$431 MX$7,964

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$346 FCFA 201.9K

$11.7K MX$216.9K

-97.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.8 MX$1,308

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.8 MX$958

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 MX$2,011

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 MX$2,076

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,051 MX$19.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$225 FCFA 131.3K

$665 MX$12.3K

-66.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$334 FCFA 194.9K

$2,346 MX$43.3K

-85.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$282 FCFA 164.6K

$1,227 MX$22.7K

-76.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$856 FCFA 499.2K

$3,554 MX$65.7K

-75.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$652 FCFA 380.0K

$1,977 MX$36.5K

-67.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$975 MX$18.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.8

11.3

-39.82%

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

Last update for Malabo: October 11, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Malabo

–

Mexico City

$665 42.4%

Groceries & Markets

Malabo

–

Mexico City

$323 20.6%

Eating Out

Malabo

–

Mexico City

$203 13%

Clothing & Footwear

Malabo

–

Mexico City

$155 9.9%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Malabo

–

Mexico City

$126 8%

Sport & Entertainment

Malabo

–

Mexico City

$70 4.5%

Getting Around

Malabo

–

Mexico City

$26 1.6%

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $67.0 in Malabo versus $50.0 in Mexico City. Groceries tell a different story – $153 in Malabo vs $323 in Mexico City – so Malabo wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇬🇶 Malabo

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

22:29 10:29 PM

15:29 3:29 PM

7 h behind Malabo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

297,000 Capital

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

Central African CFA Franc XAF Fr

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 XAF = 1.71 USD

1,000 XAF = 1.53 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to XAF in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Malabo Mexico City 11,730 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Malabo
Mexico City

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 Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $640 in Malabo, $1,567 in Mexico City – roughly 145% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $960 per month in Malabo and $2,351 in Mexico City. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Public transport costs about 31% less in Malabo. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Groceries cost about 110% more in Mexico City, 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 $640, than in Mexico City at $1,567. In Malabo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Mexico City it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Mexico City has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $640 in Malabo to $1,567 in Mexico City. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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