Cost of Living Comparison Between Cartagena and Malaga Cost of Living Comparison Between Cartagena and Malaga

πŸ™‚ Solo nomad: Cartagena is 21.2% cheaper than Malaga without rent, and 21.3% cheaper with rent.
πŸ™‚ Family of 3: Cartagena is 8.9% cheaper than Malaga without rent, and 27.8% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Cartagena
Malaga
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$13.84 €11.95
$13.84 €11.95
-
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$56.9 €49.13
$62.9 €54.3
-9.54%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.26 €7.14
$9.09 €7.85
-9.13%
Cappuccino
$2.54 €2.19
$2.37 €2.04
7.17%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.43 €2.1
$2.37 €2.04
2.53%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.98 €1.71
$1.89 €1.63
4.76%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.43 €2.96
$3.38 €2.92
1.48%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.39 €2.93
$4.41 €3.81
-23.13%
πŸ›’ Groceries & Markets
Cartagena
Malaga
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.14 €0.99
$1.18 €1.01
-3.39%
White Bread (500g)
$1.04 €0.9
$1.33 €1.15
-21.80%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.69 €1.46
$1.74 €1.5
-2.87%
Eggs
$2.9 €2.51
$2.81 €2.42
3.20%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.56 €9.98
$15.38 €13.28
-24.84%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.6 €7.42
$7.73 €6.67
11.25%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.13 €12.2
$14.32 €12.37
-1.33%
Apples (1kg)
$2.27 €1.96
$2.51 €2.16
-9.56%
Banana (1kg)
$1.77 €1.53
$1.95 €1.69
-9.23%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.38 €1.19
$1.64 €1.41
-15.85%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.7 €1.47
$2.37 €2.05
-28.27%
Potato (1kg)
$1.29 €1.11
$1.86 €1.61
-30.65%
Onion (1kg)
$1.06 €0.92
$1.98 €1.71
-46.46%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 €0.92
$1.17 €1.01
-8.55%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.52 €0.45
$0.75 €0.65
-30.67%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.82 €5.03
$6.3 €5.44
-7.62%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.95 €5.14
$5.79 €5
2.76%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.11 €0.96
$1.22 €1.05
-9.02%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.3 €1.12
$2.43 €2.1
-46.50%
🚌 Getting Around
Cartagena
Malaga
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.42 €1.22
$1.66 €1.43
-14.46%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$11.44 €9.88
$29.94 €25.85
-61.79%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.56 €3.08
$4.68 €4.04
-23.93%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.21 €1.05
$1.02 €0.88
18.63%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$24.51 €21.16
$29.11 €25.13
-15.80%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.82 €1.57
$1.84 €1.59
-1.09%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.3K €26.1K
$38.7K €33.4K
-21.79%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$31.9K €27.5K
$30.4K €26.2K
4.82%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cartagena
Malaga
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$144 €125
$138 €119
4.24%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.22 €11.42
$17.97 €15.52
-26.43%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.79 €26.58
$29.71 €25.65
3.64%
πŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Cartagena
Malaga
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$38.74 €33.45
$48.39 €41.78
-19.94%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$15.24 €13.16
$16.21 €14
-5.98%
Cinema Ticket
$7.99 €6.9
$10.22 €8.82
-21.82%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Cartagena
Malaga
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$418 €361
$453 €391
-7.68%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$2,751 €2,375
$10.1K €8,711
-72.74%
πŸ‘•πŸ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Cartagena
Malaga
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$45.57 €39.35
$80.8 €69.8
-43.63%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$31.42 €27.12
$39.55 €34.15
-20.56%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$44.73 €38.62
$88 €76
-49.15%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$75.7 €65.3
$118 €102
-35.76%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Cartagena
Malaga
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$785 €677
$1,216 €1,050
-35.50%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$623 €538
$879 €759
-29.11%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$924 €798
$2,020 €1,744
-54.25%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$775 €670
$1,528 €1,319
-49.26%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,844 €1,592
$6,271 €5,414
-70.59%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,500 €1,295
$5,346 €4,616
-71.94%
πŸ’΅ Salaries & Financials
Cartagena
Malaga
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,845 €1,593
$1,719 €1,484
7.36%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.44
3.46
-0.58%

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

Last update for Cartagena: October 29, 2025

Last update for Malaga: October 29, 2025

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