Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Malabo

For one person, living is cheaper in Malabo: $635 a month against $1,674 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $12,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most 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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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,674

/mo nomad

Malabo

🇬🇶 Equatorial Guinea

$635

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Mexico City and in Malabo actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,674 per month in Mexico City vs $635 in Malabo, rent included.

Mexico City $1,674
Malabo $635

A couple spends around $2,606 per month in Mexico City vs $1,085 in Malabo, rent included.

Mexico City $2,606
Malabo $1,085

A family of three spends $3,537 per month in Mexico City vs $1,534 in Malabo, rent included.

Mexico City $3,537
Malabo $1,534

Mexico City costs about 163% more than Malabo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Mexico City sits 24% above the global median, while Malabo is 53% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.59 MX$197

$8.58 FCFA 5,029

23.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.0 MX$967

$69.1 FCFA 40.5K

-24.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.73 MX$200

$8.29 FCFA 4,862

29.43%

Cappuccino

$3.80 MX$70.6

$4.75 FCFA 2,782

-20.00%

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

$1.61 MX$30.01

$0.81 FCFA 474

98.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.21 MX$22.55

$0.44 FCFA 258

175.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 MX$59.1

$1.73 FCFA 1,014

83.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.44 MX$101

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$31.96

$2.70 FCFA 1,580

-36.30%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 MX$55.2

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.93 MX$35.84

$1.66 FCFA 974

16.27%

Eggs

$2.77 MX$51.6

$3.66 FCFA 2,147

-24.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.67 MX$217

$6.77 FCFA 3,967

72.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.48 MX$176

$6.11 FCFA 3,584

55.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.37 MX$286

$7.13 FCFA 4,180

115.57%

Apples (1kg)

$3.10 MX$57.8

$2.45 FCFA 1,435

26.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 MX$36.49

$1.67 FCFA 976

17.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 MX$36.88

Tomato (1kg)

$2.34 MX$43.46

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.66

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$33.95

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 MX$28.74

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 MX$24.42

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.35 MX$99.6

$4.43 FCFA 2,595

20.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.19 MX$301

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 MX$36.46

$1.45 FCFA 850

35.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 MX$81.0

$0.89 FCFA 522

388.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.30 MX$5.67

$1.73 FCFA 1,017

-82.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.49 MX$363

$26.22 FCFA 15.4K

-25.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.92 MX$35.68

$0.88 FCFA 518

118.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 MX$8.80

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 MX$101

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 MX$27.61

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

$21.4K MX$397.7K

$32.6K FCFA 19.1M

-34.46%

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

$23.8K MX$442.1K

$29.9K FCFA 17.5M

-20.59%

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

$62.0 MX$1,154

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

$28.47 MX$530

$17.44 FCFA 10.2K

63.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.11 MX$635

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.4 MX$1,087

$33.78 FCFA 19.8K

72.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.50 MX$456

$14.38 FCFA 8,428

70.38%

Cinema Ticket

$6.59 MX$123

$5.52 FCFA 3,233

19.38%

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

$434 MX$8,081

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.0K MX$261.2K

$344 FCFA 201.8K

3977.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.4 MX$1,272

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.8 MX$1,020

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 MX$2,063

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 MX$2,158

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,179 MX$21.9K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$771 MX$14.3K

$223 FCFA 130.9K

245.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,570 MX$47.8K

$330 FCFA 193.7K

677.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,420 MX$26.4K

$275 FCFA 161.2K

416.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,586 MX$66.7K

$852 FCFA 499.6K

320.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,064 MX$38.4K

$651 FCFA 381.4K

217.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,003 MX$18.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

6.8

66.91%

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

Last update for Mexico City: November 1, 2026

Last update for Malabo: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$771 46.1%

Malabo

–

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$324 19.3%

Malabo

–

Eating Out

Mexico City

$201 12%

Malabo

–

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$158 9.4%

Malabo

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$125 7.4%

Malabo

–

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.3%

Malabo

–

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.5%

Malabo

–

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $52 in Mexico City versus $69 in Malabo. Groceries tell a different story – $324 in Mexico City vs $152 in Malabo – so Malabo wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇬🇶 Malabo

🕒 Local time

16:42 4:42 PM

23:42 11:42 PM

7 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

297,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Central African CFA Franc XAF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1,000 XAF = 1.71 USD

1,000 XAF = 1.53 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

XAF, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.81 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

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).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Mexico City
Malabo

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

Mexico City vs Malabo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,674 in Mexico City, $635 in Malabo – Malabo comes out roughly 62% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,510 per month in Mexico City and $953 in Malabo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Public transport costs about 26% less in Mexico City. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Groceries cost about 113% more in Mexico City, 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 Mexico City at $1,674. 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 $635 in Malabo to $1,674 in Mexico City. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.