Cost of living comparison

compared to

Malabo vs. Kigali Cost of Living Summary

Malabo is 52.7% more expensive than Kigali.

Restaurants
pay 29.5% more in Malabo
Groceries
pay 2.4 times more in Malabo
Transportation
pay 10.2% less in Malabo
Housing
pay 41.2% less in Malabo
Childcare
pay 95.5% less in Malabo
Entertainment and Sports
pay 90.5% more in Malabo
Clothing
pay 3.6 times more in Malabo

The cost of clothing, groceries, entertainment and sports, and restaurants in Malabo are more expensive than in Kigali. Expenses including childcare, housing, and transportation are lower in Malabo. Notably, clothing, groceries, and entertainment and sports are significantly more expensive in Malabo.

Malabo vs. Kigali Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Malabo instead of Kigali, you would:

pay 29.5% more for restaurants

 
Kigali
Malabo
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $3.45
RWF5,009
??
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$6.89
RWF10,019
$8.90
FCFA4,976
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $0.86
RWF1,247
$0.89
FCFA498

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pay 2.4 times more for groceries

 
Kigali
Malabo
Bread
1 loaf
$1.05
RWF1,520
??
Local cheese (8 oz) $2.26
RWF3,279
$3.36
FCFA1,878
Milk (1 gallon) $2.64
RWF3,840
$10.78
FCFA6,027

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pay 10.2% less for transportation

 
Kigali
Malabo
Gasoline (1 gallon) $4.42
RWF6,426
??
Monthly public transit pass $29.30
RWF42,579
$26.33
FCFA14,715
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $26,543.61
RWF38,571,978
$32,972.23
FCFA18,427,508

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pay 41.2% less for housing

 
Kigali
Malabo
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$19.48
RWF28,303
$17.81
FCFA9,951
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $575.44
RWF836,209
$267.09
FCFA149,270
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $322.51
RWF468,658
$124.64
FCFA69,659

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pay 95.5% less for childcare

 
Kigali
Malabo
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $166.62
RWF242,118
??
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $7,842.43
RWF11,396,266
$356.12
FCFA199,027

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pay 90.5% more for entertainment and sports

 
Kigali
Malabo
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $1.03
RWF1,503
??
Cappuccino in mid-range area $2.31
RWF3,361
$5.34
FCFA2,985
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$1.72
RWF2,505
$4.51
FCFA2,520

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pay 3.6 times more for clothing

 
Kigali
Malabo
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$19.19
RWF27,885
$26.71
FCFA14,927
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$19.30
RWF28,052
$133.54
FCFA74,635
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$22.98
RWF33,396
??

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The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you. We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: December 2025
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