Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Malabo and Phuket

Name: Phuket
Address: Phuket, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Malabo: $635 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $7,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Malabo

🇬🇶 Equatorial Guinea

$635

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Malabo and in Phuket

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

A single person spends $635 per month in Malabo vs $1,294 in Phuket, rent included.

Malabo $635
Phuket $1,294

A couple spends around $1,085 per month in Malabo vs $2,204 in Phuket, rent included.

Malabo $1,085
Phuket $2,204

A family of three spends $1,534 per month in Malabo vs $3,115 in Phuket, rent included.

Malabo $1,534
Phuket $3,115

Malabo is about 51% cheaper than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Malabo and Phuket are more affordable than the global median – Malabo 53% lower, Phuket 4% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.58 FCFA 5,029

$4.39 ฿148

95.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.1 FCFA 40.5K

$32.31 ฿1,090

113.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.29 FCFA 4,862

$8.70 ฿294

-4.71%

Cappuccino

$4.75 FCFA 2,782

$2.72 ฿91.9

74.63%

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

$0.81 FCFA 474

$0.93 ฿31.39

-12.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.44 FCFA 258

$0.50 ฿16.85

-12.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.73 FCFA 1,014

$2.53 ฿85.4

-31.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

Milk (1 liter)

$2.70 FCFA 1,580

$1.74 ฿58.7

55.17%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.95

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.66 FCFA 974

$1.50 ฿50.7

10.67%

Eggs

$3.66 FCFA 2,147

$2.17 ฿73.3

68.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.77 FCFA 3,967

$19.09 ฿644

-64.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.11 FCFA 3,584

$3.40 ฿115

79.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.13 FCFA 4,180

$10.90 ฿368

-34.59%

Apples (1kg)

$2.45 FCFA 1,435

$2.94 ฿99.2

-16.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.67 FCFA 976

$1.69 ฿57.1

-1.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿74.0

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.7

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿49.21

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿46.15

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.30

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.41

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 FCFA 2,595

$4.43 ฿149

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿616

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 FCFA 850

$1.77 ฿59.8

-18.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.89 FCFA 522

$2.88 ฿97.2

-69.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.73 FCFA 1,017

$1.45 ฿48.84

19.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.22 FCFA 15.4K

$54.9 ฿1,852

-52.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.88 FCFA 518

$1.51 ฿51.0

-41.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.18

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿130

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿50.2

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

$32.6K FCFA 19.1M

$26.9K ฿907.0K

21.31%

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

$29.9K FCFA 17.5M

$26.3K ฿888.9K

13.54%

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

$97.8 ฿3,300

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

$17.44 FCFA 10.2K

$11.29 ฿381

54.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿580

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.78 FCFA 19.8K

$68.3 ฿2,305

-50.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.38 FCFA 8,428

$10.92 ฿368

31.68%

Cinema Ticket

$5.52 FCFA 3,233

$7.43 ฿251

-25.71%

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

$530 ฿17.9K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$344 FCFA 201.8K

$18.8K ฿633.7K

-98.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,081

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿953

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,239

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,929

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$223 FCFA 130.9K

$509 ฿17.2K

-56.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$330 FCFA 193.7K

$1,950 ฿65.8K

-83.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$275 FCFA 161.2K

$1,397 ฿47.1K

-80.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$852 FCFA 499.6K

$4,192 ฿141.4K

-79.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$651 FCFA 381.4K

$3,298 ฿111.3K

-80.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.8

5.57

22.08%

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

Last update for Malabo: November 1, 2026

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Malabo

–

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Groceries & Markets

Malabo

–

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Malabo

–

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Clothing & Footwear

Malabo

–

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Eating Out

Malabo

–

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Sport & Entertainment

Malabo

–

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Getting Around

Malabo

–

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $69 in Malabo versus $32 in Phuket. Groceries tell a different story – $152 in Malabo vs $267 in Phuket – so Malabo wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇬🇶 Malabo

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

23:42 11:42 PM

05:42 5:42 AM

6 h ahead of Malabo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

297,000 Capital

79,308

💱 Currency

Central African CFA Franc XAF Fr

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 XAF = 1.71 USD

1,000 XAF = 1.53 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, 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 November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 586 XAF (1,000 XAF = 1.71 USD). 1 EUR = 656 XAF (1,000 XAF = 1.53 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.73 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to XAF in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Malabo Phuket 9,910 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Malabo
Phuket

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 Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $635 in Malabo, $1,294 in Phuket – Malabo comes out roughly 51% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $953 per month in Malabo and $1,940 in Phuket. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Public transport costs about 52% less in Malabo. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Groceries cost about 76% more in Phuket, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Malabo, where all-in costs run around $635, than in Phuket at $1,294. In Malabo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Phuket has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $635 in Malabo to $1,294 in Phuket. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.