Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cartagena, Spain and Malaga

For one person, living is cheaper in Cartagena: $1,425 a month against $2,055 in Malaga, rent and utilities included – about $7,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

68

Cost of Living Index in Cartagena
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Cartagena Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Malaga
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Malaga Living Index

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Cartagena

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,425

/mo nomad

Malaga

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,055

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cartagena and in Malaga

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Cartagena and in Malaga actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,425 in Cartagena versus $2,055 in Malaga.

Cartagena $1,425
Malaga $2,055

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,101 in Cartagena versus $2,939 in Malaga.

Cartagena $2,101
Malaga $2,939

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,778 in Cartagena versus $3,823 in Malaga.

Cartagena $2,778
Malaga $3,823

Living in Cartagena costs roughly 31% less than in Malaga, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Cartagena 5% above, Malaga 51% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.84 €12.40

$16.82 €15.07

-17.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.2 €50.3

$68.1 €61.0

-17.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.95 €7.12

$12.06 €10.80

-34.08%

Cappuccino

$2.47 €2.21

$2.64 €2.36

-6.44%

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

$2.56 €2.30

$2.69 €2.41

-4.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.82 €1.63

$2.09 €1.87

-12.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 €3.06

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.86 €3.46

$4.42 €3.96

-12.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.22 €1.09

White Bread (500g)

$1.19 €1.06

$1.42 €1.27

-16.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.63 €2.35

$1.81 €1.62

45.30%

Eggs

$3.96 €3.54

$3.42 €3.06

15.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.82 €11.48

$15.35 €13.75

-16.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.71 €6.01

$7.84 €7.02

-14.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.75 €16.79

$15.02 €13.45

24.83%

Apples (1kg)

$2.37 €2.12

$2.49 €2.23

-4.82%

Banana (1kg)

$2.45 €2.19

$1.96 €1.75

25.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.58 €1.42

$1.76 €1.58

-10.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.20 €2.87

$2.42 €2.17

32.23%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 €1.14

$1.55 €1.39

-17.42%

Onion (1kg)

$1.26 €1.13

$2.05 €1.84

-38.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 €1.37

$1.21 €1.08

26.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.69 €0.62

$0.71 €0.63

-2.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.71 €5.11

$6.64 €5.94

-14.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.30 €5.64

$6.52 €5.84

-3.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 €1.08

$1.14 €1.02

6.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.17 €1.05

$2.26 €2.02

-48.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.48 €1.32

$1.55 €1.39

-4.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.08 €9.93

$26.32 €23.57

-57.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.65 €5.06

$1.90 €1.71

197.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.23 €2.00

$1.22 €1.09

82.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.72 €24.83

$21.91 €19.62

26.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.77 €1.59

$1.77 €1.58

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$34.6K €30.9K

$33.5K €30.0K

3.19%

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

$29.9K €26.7K

$31.6K €28.3K

-5.42%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$211 €189

$162 €145

29.95%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$19.43 €17.40

$10.59 €9.48

83.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.27 €26.21

$24.04 €21.53

21.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.23 €36.92

$39.73 €35.58

3.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.81 €11.47

$17.81 €15.95

-28.07%

Cinema Ticket

$7.72 €6.91

$9.73 €8.71

-20.66%

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

$406 €364

$864 €773

-53.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,651 €2,374

$9,940 €8,902

-73.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.46 €41.61

$89.5 €80.2

-48.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.88 €31.24

$38.99 €34.92

-10.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$60.6 €54.2

$84.3 €75.5

-28.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 €90.5

$107 €95.7

-5.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$596 €534

$1,439 €1,289

-58.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$490 €439

$1,101 €986

-55.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$872 €781

$2,373 €2,125

-63.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$720 €644

$1,602 €1,435

-55.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,737 €1,556

$5,065 €4,536

-65.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,427 €1,278

$3,151 €2,822

-54.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,704 €1,526

$1,902 €1,703

-10.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.06

3.3

23.03%

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

Last update for Cartagena: October 25, 2026

Last update for Malaga: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cartagena

$490 34.4%

Malaga

$1.1K 53.6% 125% $611

Groceries & Markets

Cartagena

$269 18.9%

Malaga

$266 13% 1.1% $2.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cartagena

$260 18.2%

Malaga

$197 9.6% 24.1% $63

Eating Out

Cartagena

$207 14.5%

Malaga

$247 12% 19.8% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Cartagena

$109 7.7%

Malaga

$144 7% 31.6% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Cartagena

$57 4%

Malaga

$59 2.9% 4.4% $2.5

Getting Around

Cartagena

$34 2.4%

Malaga

$41 2% 20% $6.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $596 in Cartagena and $1,439 in Malaga. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Malaga pays 12% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $56 in Cartagena vs $68 in Malaga. Groceries flip the comparison at $269 vs $266, with Malaga cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Cartagena

🇪🇸 Malaga

🕒 Local time

02:07 2:07 AM

Same time as Cartagena

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

218,050

586,384

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Cartagena Malaga 320 km

From you

Cartagena
Malaga

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

Cartagena vs Malaga: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cartagena wins on cost – living expenses run 31% lower than in Malaga. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Cartagena the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 10% lower in Cartagena. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $596 in Cartagena versus $1,439 in Malaga. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $406 in Cartagena versus $864 in Malaga. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Cartagena – a meal for two runs $56 versus $68 in Malaga. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Cartagena is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Cartagena and Malaga are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Cartagena wins on affordability, Malaga on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.