Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Malabo and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Malabo: $635 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

Jump to prices

Malabo

🇬🇶 Equatorial Guinea

$635

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Malabo and in Playa del Carmen

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 Playa del Carmen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $635 per month in Malabo vs $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Malabo $635
Playa del Carmen $1,202

A couple spends around $1,085 per month in Malabo vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Malabo $1,085
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $1,534 per month in Malabo vs $2,962 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Malabo $1,534
Playa del Carmen $2,962

Malabo is about 47% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Malabo and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Malabo 53% lower, Playa del Carmen 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.58 FCFA 5,029

$10.67 MX$199

-19.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.1 FCFA 40.5K

$43.80 MX$815

57.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.29 FCFA 4,862

$11.79 MX$219

-29.69%

Cappuccino

$4.75 FCFA 2,782

$3.79 MX$70.5

25.33%

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

$0.81 FCFA 474

$1.30 MX$24.14

-37.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.44 FCFA 258

$0.83 MX$15.51

-46.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.73 FCFA 1,014

$3.15 MX$58.6

-45.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.8

Milk (1 liter)

$2.70 FCFA 1,580

$1.41 MX$26.22

91.49%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$40.86

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.66 FCFA 974

$1.47 MX$27.40

12.93%

Eggs

$3.66 FCFA 2,147

$2.50 MX$46.46

46.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.77 FCFA 3,967

$7.29 MX$136

-7.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.11 FCFA 3,584

$7.95 MX$148

-23.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.13 FCFA 4,180

$12.86 MX$239

-44.56%

Apples (1kg)

$2.45 FCFA 1,435

$2.90 MX$53.9

-15.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.67 FCFA 976

$1.38 MX$25.74

21.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.35

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.77

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.68

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.42

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.30

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.05

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 FCFA 2,595

$4.27 MX$79.5

3.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$183

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 FCFA 850

$1.59 MX$29.51

-8.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.89 FCFA 522

$2.75 MX$51.1

-67.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.73 FCFA 1,017

$0.51 MX$9.58

239.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.22 FCFA 15.4K

$27.39 MX$510

-4.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.88 FCFA 518

$4.76 MX$88.6

-81.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$60.5

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$100

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.44

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

$32.6K FCFA 19.1M

$21.2K MX$394.8K

53.73%

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

$29.9K FCFA 17.5M

$23.3K MX$432.9K

28.59%

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

$83.5 MX$1,554

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

$17.44 FCFA 10.2K

$23.19 MX$431

-24.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$514

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.78 FCFA 19.8K

$56.4 MX$1,050

-40.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.38 FCFA 8,428

$28.19 MX$525

-48.99%

Cinema Ticket

$5.52 FCFA 3,233

$5.00 MX$93.1

10.40%

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

$207 MX$3,854

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$344 FCFA 201.8K

$5,231 MX$97.3K

-93.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$809

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$792

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,354

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,645

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.5K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$223 FCFA 130.9K

$382 MX$7,116

-41.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$330 FCFA 193.7K

$1,674 MX$31.2K

-80.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$275 FCFA 161.2K

$1,081 MX$20.1K

-74.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$852 FCFA 499.6K

$3,909 MX$72.7K

-78.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$651 FCFA 381.4K

$6,138 MX$114.2K

-89.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.8

11.45

-40.61%

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

Last update for Malabo: November 1, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Malabo

–

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Groceries & Markets

Malabo

–

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Eating Out

Malabo

–

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Malabo

–

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Clothing & Footwear

Malabo

–

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Sport & Entertainment

Malabo

–

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Getting Around

Malabo

–

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $69 in Malabo versus $44 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries tell a different story – $152 in Malabo vs $257 in Playa del Carmen – so Malabo wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇬🇶 Malabo

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

14:20 2:20 PM

08:20 8:20 AM

6 h behind Malabo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

297,000 Capital

149,923

💱 Currency

Central African CFA Franc XAF Fr

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 XAF = 1.71 USD

1,000 XAF = 1.52 EUR

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.8 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 November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 586 XAF (1,000 XAF = 1.71 USD). 1 EUR = 656 XAF (1,000 XAF = 1.52 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.83 MXN (100 MXN = 4.8 EUR).

USD to XAF in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Malabo Playa del Carmen 10,470 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Malabo
Playa del Carmen

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 Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $635 in Malabo, $1,202 in Playa del Carmen – Malabo comes out roughly 47% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $953 per month in Malabo and $1,804 in Playa del Carmen. 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 Playa del Carmen, 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 Playa del Carmen at $1,202. In Malabo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $635 in Malabo to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.