Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Malabo

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.

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Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Malabo

🇬🇶 Equatorial Guinea

$635

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen 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 Playa del Carmen and in Malabo actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

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

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Malabo $635

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

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

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

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

Playa del Carmen costs about 89% more than Malabo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$199

$8.58 FCFA 5,029

24.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$815

$69.1 FCFA 40.5K

-36.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$219

$8.29 FCFA 4,862

42.22%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$70.5

$4.75 FCFA 2,782

-20.21%

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

$1.30 MX$24.14

$0.81 FCFA 474

60.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.51

$0.44 FCFA 258

88.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$58.6

$1.73 FCFA 1,014

82.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.8

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$2.70 FCFA 1,580

-47.78%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$40.86

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.40

$1.66 FCFA 974

-11.45%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.46

$3.66 FCFA 2,147

-31.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$136

$6.77 FCFA 3,967

7.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$148

$6.11 FCFA 3,584

30.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$239

$7.13 FCFA 4,180

80.36%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.9

$2.45 FCFA 1,435

18.37%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.74

$1.67 FCFA 976

-17.37%

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)

$4.27 MX$79.5

$4.43 FCFA 2,595

-3.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$183

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.51

$1.45 FCFA 850

9.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.1

$0.89 FCFA 522

208.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.58

$1.73 FCFA 1,017

-70.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$510

$26.22 FCFA 15.4K

4.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$88.6

$0.88 FCFA 518

440.91%

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)

$21.2K MX$394.8K

$32.6K FCFA 19.1M

-34.95%

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

$23.3K MX$432.9K

$29.9K FCFA 17.5M

-22.23%

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)

$23.19 MX$431

$17.44 FCFA 10.2K

32.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$514

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,050

$33.78 FCFA 19.8K

67.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$525

$14.38 FCFA 8,428

96.04%

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$93.1

$5.52 FCFA 3,233

-9.42%

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

$207 MX$3,854

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$97.3K

$344 FCFA 201.8K

1419.71%

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)

$382 MX$7,116

$223 FCFA 130.9K

71.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.2K

$330 FCFA 193.7K

406.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.1K

$275 FCFA 161.2K

292.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$72.7K

$852 FCFA 499.6K

358.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$114.2K

$651 FCFA 381.4K

843.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

6.8

68.38%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Last update for Malabo: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Malabo

–

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Malabo

–

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Malabo

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Malabo

–

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Malabo

–

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Malabo

–

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Malabo

–

Cost Breakdown

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

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇬🇶 Malabo

🕒 Local time

17:56 5:56 PM

23:56 11:56 PM

6 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

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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Between locations

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

From you

Playa del Carmen
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

Playa del Carmen vs Malabo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,804 per month in Playa del Carmen and $953 in Malabo. 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.