Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Castelldefels and Malaga

For one person, living is cheaper in Castelldefels: $1,905 a month against $2,030 in Malaga, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Malaga outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

92

Cost of Living Index in Castelldefels
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Castelldefels Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Malaga
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Malaga Living Index

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Castelldefels

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,905

/mo nomad

Malaga

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,030

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Castelldefels 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 Castelldefels and in Malaga actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,905 in Castelldefels versus $2,030 in Malaga.

Castelldefels $1,905
Malaga $2,030

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,772 in Castelldefels versus $2,972 in Malaga.

Castelldefels $2,772
Malaga $2,972

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,639 in Castelldefels versus $3,915 in Malaga.

Castelldefels $3,639
Malaga $3,915

Living in Castelldefels costs roughly 6% less than in Malaga, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Castelldefels 41% above, Malaga 50% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.61 €15.67

$16.91 €15.04

4.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.1 €59.6

$67.7 €60.2

-0.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.37 €11.01

$12.38 €11.01

-0.08%

Cappuccino

$2.78 €2.47

$2.58 €2.30

7.75%

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

$2.57 €2.28

$2.76 €2.46

-6.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 €1.67

$2.02 €1.79

-7.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.30 €2.93

$3.37 €2.99

-2.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 €4.10

$4.51 €4.01

2.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 €1.06

$1.23 €1.10

-3.25%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.43 €1.27

-4.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 €1.51

$1.76 €1.57

-3.41%

Eggs

$3.42 €3.04

$3.43 €3.05

-0.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.90 €9.69

$15.07 €13.41

-27.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.13 €7.23

$8.03 €7.14

1.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.81 €14.07

$15.10 €13.43

4.70%

Apples (1kg)

$2.57 €2.28

$2.50 €2.22

2.80%

Banana (1kg)

$1.84 €1.64

$1.93 €1.72

-4.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.91 €1.70

$1.68 €1.49

13.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.68 €2.39

$2.45 €2.18

9.39%

Potato (1kg)

$1.65 €1.47

$1.56 €1.38

5.77%

Onion (1kg)

$1.77 €1.57

$2.12 €1.88

-16.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 €1.02

$1.25 €1.11

-8.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 €0.66

$0.71 €0.64

5.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.56 €5.84

$6.75 €6.00

-2.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.44 €4.84

$6.87 €6.11

-20.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.32 €1.18

$1.13 €1.01

16.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.64 €1.46

$2.32 €2.07

-29.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.77 €1.57

$1.60 €1.42

10.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.32 €28.75

$27.11 €24.11

19.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 €2.68

$1.85 €1.64

62.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.20 €1.07

20.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.35 €21.66

$22.47 €19.99

8.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.81 €1.61

$1.82 €1.62

-0.55%

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

$35.0K €31.2K

$35.2K €31.3K

-0.42%

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

$29.7K €26.4K

$28.7K €25.5K

3.61%

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

$185 €164

$163 €145

13.04%

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

$16.61 €14.78

$10.77 €9.58

54.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.29 €31.39

$24.58 €21.87

43.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.71 €40.66

$43.11 €38.35

6.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.66 €13.93

$17.92 €15.94

-12.61%

Cinema Ticket

$11.21 €9.97

$9.78 €8.70

14.62%

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

$621 €553

$853 €759

-27.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K €10.6K

$10.1K €8,970

17.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.9 €79.1

$88.0 €78.3

1.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.25

$39.54 €35.18

-2.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.6 €84.1

$84.7 €75.3

11.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €106

$107 €95.5

10.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,019 €907

$1,457 €1,296

-30.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$887 €789

$1,068 €950

-16.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,840 €1,637

$2,464 €2,191

-25.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,331 €1,184

$1,681 €1,496

-20.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,268 €2,907

$4,992 €4,440

-34.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,223 €1,978

$2,914 €2,592

-23.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,500 €4,003

$1,852 €1,648

142.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

3.29

-0.30%

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

Last update for Castelldefels: October 12, 2026

Last update for Malaga: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Castelldefels

$887 46.6%

Malaga

$1.1K 52.6% 20.3% $180

Eating Out

Castelldefels

$255 13.4%

Malaga

$248 12.2% 2.5% $6.4

Groceries & Markets

Castelldefels

$255 13.4%

Malaga

$268 13.2% 5% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Castelldefels

$237 12.4%

Malaga

$199 9.8% 16% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Castelldefels

$153 8.1%

Malaga

$144 7.1% 6.3% $9.6

Sport & Entertainment

Castelldefels

$68 3.6%

Malaga

$63 3.1% 8% $5.5

Getting Around

Castelldefels

$50 2.6%

Malaga

$41 2% 16.7% $8.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,019 in Castelldefels and $1,457 in Malaga. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Castelldefels pays 143% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $67.0 in Castelldefels vs $68.0 in Malaga for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $255 vs $268 per month, with Castelldefels cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Castelldefels

🇪🇸 Malaga

🕒 Local time

11:29 11:29 AM

Same time as Castelldefels

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

68,427

586,384

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Castelldefels Malaga 750 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Castelldefels
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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

Castelldefels vs Malaga: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Castelldefels is cheaper overall, especially in groceries. The 7% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 143% higher in Castelldefels, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,019 in Castelldefels versus $1,457 in Malaga. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,905 per month in Castelldefels versus $2,030 in Malaga – a 7% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Castelldefels runs roughly 19% less than in Malaga. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,905 in Castelldefels versus $2,030 in Malaga, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Castelldefels but tight or insufficient in Malaga. The gap between the two cities makes Castelldefels the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Castelldefels is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Malaga, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Castelldefels and Malaga are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Castelldefels gentler on the wallet – expenses run 7% less than in Malaga. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.