Malabo - Post Report Question and Answers
How would you describe the availability and cost of groceries and household supplies relative to your home country?
The same: expensive We had the option to bring 2500 lbs of consumables, which we did. Would not bring so much next time, because: 1. some cleaning products broke in transit; 2. with the pandemic and being on GAD, we didn't use as much as planned; 3. there is no recycling here to manage the extra waste we are producing; 4. unless you have a certain diet and must have particular items, the imported products are perfect; and 5. there is regular pouch delivery of Amazon and other orders. However, the easy access to goods and services would change if there is political upheaval in the country... - Apr 2021
Groceries at Malabo are expensive poor quality ingredient and small availability in term of variety. - Apr 2021
There are plenty of imports from Spain and France. However, shipping can be interrupted by weather, delays at the docks, or internal (political) conflicts. The cost is on par with Hawaii (another place that relies on imports). Importation makes the prices higher. - Jul 2020
Most products are imported and are more expensive than in the U.S. but most everything we need can be purchased locally. The juice is not good here in our opinion and the milk is UHT. This is a consumables post so ship your brand specific favorites including liquids since they cannot be received in the pouch. We ship dry products we prefer via Amazon Prime. - Aug 2017
Availability of groceries has been increasing due to the larger numbers of expats. There are three main grocery stores that offer staples, including eggs, milk, and cheese. All meat comes frozen. There is not a diverse option of fruits and vegetables, and there is also a lack of consistency about what is available at a shop on any given day. However, if you go to enough stores, you can usually find something close to what you are looking for. There is a high COLA here for a reason. Almost everything is imported and comes at a high cost. Especially items like cheese, meat, and surprisingly, pineapple! - Sep 2014
The three “major” grocery stores have mostly everything you need, but hardly anything you want. Sending consumables makes living here much more comfortable. - Jun 2012
