Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Malaga Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Malaga

😐 Solo nomad: Barcelona is 21.1% more expensive than Malaga without rent, and 29.4% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Barcelona is 22.9% more expensive than Malaga without rent, and 23% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Barcelona
Malaga
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.41 €15.03
$13.84 €11.95
25.79%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$68.7 €59.3
$62.9 €54.3
9.25%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$13.71 €11.84
$9.09 €7.85
50.83%
Cappuccino
$2.78 €2.4
$2.37 €2.04
17.30%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.8 €2.42
$2.37 €2.04
18.14%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.98 €1.71
$1.89 €1.63
4.76%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.43 €3.83
$3.38 €2.92
31.07%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.53 €3.91
$4.41 €3.81
2.72%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Barcelona
Malaga
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.24 €1.07
$1.18 €1.01
5.08%
White Bread (500g)
$2.03 €1.75
$1.33 €1.15
52.63%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.98 €1.71
$1.74 €1.5
13.79%
Eggs
$3.46 €2.99
$2.81 €2.42
23.13%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$18.32 €15.82
$15.38 €13.28
19.12%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.82 €8.47
$7.73 €6.67
27.04%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$19.24 €16.61
$14.32 €12.37
34.36%
Apples (1kg)
$2.61 €2.25
$2.51 €2.16
3.98%
Banana (1kg)
$2.34 €2.02
$1.95 €1.69
20.00%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.11 €1.82
$1.64 €1.41
28.66%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.77 €2.39
$2.37 €2.05
16.88%
Potato (1kg)
$2.04 €1.76
$1.86 €1.61
9.68%
Onion (1kg)
$1.77 €1.53
$1.98 €1.71
-10.61%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.5 €1.3
$1.17 €1.01
28.21%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.85 €0.73
$0.75 €0.65
13.33%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$7 €6.04
$6.3 €5.44
11.11%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.13 €6.16
$5.79 €5
23.14%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.43 €1.24
$1.22 €1.05
17.21%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.29 €1.98
$2.43 €2.1
-5.76%
🚌 Getting Around
Barcelona
Malaga
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.02 €2.6
$1.66 €1.43
81.93%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$28.97 €25.01
$29.94 €25.85
-3.24%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.59 €3.96
$4.68 €4.04
-1.92%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.02 €1.74
$1.02 €0.88
98.04%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$29.56 €25.53
$29.11 €25.13
1.55%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.81 €1.56
$1.84 €1.59
-1.63%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$38.4K €33.1K
$38.7K €33.4K
-0.78%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$32.4K €28K
$30.4K €26.2K
6.56%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Barcelona
Malaga
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$190 €164
$138 €119
37.03%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.18 €19.15
$17.97 €15.52
23.43%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$36.37 €31.4
$29.71 €25.65
22.42%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Barcelona
Malaga
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$57.4 €49.55
$48.39 €41.78
18.60%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$20.95 €18.09
$16.21 €14
29.24%
Cinema Ticket
$10.8 €9.33
$10.22 €8.82
5.68%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Barcelona
Malaga
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$732 €632
$453 €391
61.73%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$15.1K €13.1K
$10.1K €8,711
49.89%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Barcelona
Malaga
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$86.8 €74.9
$80.8 €69.8
7.34%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$36.78 €31.76
$39.55 €34.15
-7.00%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$102 €88.2
$88 €76
16.17%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$117 €101
$118 €102
-0.66%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Barcelona
Malaga
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,581 €1,365
$1,216 €1,050
29.95%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,230 €1,062
$879 €759
39.87%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,707 €2,337
$2,020 €1,744
34.04%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,028 €1,751
$1,528 €1,319
32.69%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$6,602 €5,700
$6,271 €5,414
5.27%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$5,045 €4,356
$5,346 €4,616
-5.62%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Barcelona
Malaga
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,198 €1,898
$1,719 €1,484
27.92%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.39
3.46
-2.02%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 28, 2025

Last update for Malaga: October 29, 2025

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