Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Castello de la Plana and Malaga

For one person, living is cheaper in Castello de la Plana: $1,497 a month against $2,079 in Malaga, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

71

Cost of Living Index in Castello de la Plana
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Castello de la Plana Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Malaga
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Malaga Living Index

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Castello de la Plana

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,497

/mo nomad

Malaga

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,079

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,497 per month in Castello de la Plana vs $2,079 in Malaga, rent included.

Castello de la Plana $1,497
Malaga $2,079

A couple spends around $2,162 per month in Castello de la Plana vs $2,972 in Malaga, rent included.

Castello de la Plana $2,162
Malaga $2,972

A family of three spends $2,828 per month in Castello de la Plana vs $3,866 in Malaga, rent included.

Castello de la Plana $2,828
Malaga $3,866

Castello de la Plana is about 28% cheaper than Malaga, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Castello de la Plana and Malaga sit above the global median – Castello de la Plana by 11%, Malaga by 54%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.62 €13.01

$16.99 €15.13

-13.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.8 €50.6

$67.2 €59.9

-15.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.05 €7.17

$12.27 €10.93

-34.39%

Cappuccino

$2.21 €1.96

$2.59 €2.31

-14.67%

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

$2.24 €1.99

$2.71 €2.41

-17.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.25

$2.08 €1.86

-32.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 €3.05

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.33 €2.96

$4.41 €3.93

-24.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 €1.01

$1.18 €1.05

-3.39%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 €1.39

$1.48 €1.32

5.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.62 €1.44

$1.74 €1.55

-6.90%

Eggs

$3.03 €2.70

$3.38 €3.01

-10.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.27 €12.70

$15.16 €13.50

-5.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 €7.08

$7.75 €6.90

2.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.12 €13.46

$14.66 €13.05

3.14%

Apples (1kg)

$2.51 €2.24

$2.55 €2.27

-1.57%

Banana (1kg)

$2.00 €1.78

$1.93 €1.72

3.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 €1.40

$1.75 €1.56

-10.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.52 €2.24

$2.45 €2.18

2.86%

Potato (1kg)

$1.81 €1.62

$1.54 €1.37

17.53%

Onion (1kg)

$1.85 €1.65

$2.12 €1.89

-12.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.20 €1.07

$1.21 €1.07

-0.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 €0.51

$0.72 €0.64

-19.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.37 €5.67

$6.59 €5.87

-3.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.56 €4.95

$6.90 €6.14

-19.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 €0.91

$1.15 €1.02

-10.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 €1.80

$2.34 €2.08

-13.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.38 €1.23

$1.59 €1.42

-13.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.23 €16.23

$26.94 €23.99

-32.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.40 €2.14

$2.11 €1.88

13.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 €1.38

$1.23 €1.10

25.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.82 €24.78

$27.49 €24.47

1.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 €1.55

$1.78 €1.59

-2.25%

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

$31.9K €28.4K

$34.1K €30.3K

-6.52%

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

$30.8K €27.4K

$31.3K €27.9K

-1.84%

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

$118 €105

$162 €144

-27.52%

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

$13.50 €12.02

$11.21 €9.98

20.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.92 €22.19

$24.56 €21.87

1.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.01 €39.19

$41.21 €36.70

6.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.19 €16.20

Cinema Ticket

$8.27 €7.37

$9.49 €8.45

-12.86%

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

$558 €497

$886 €789

-37.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,882 €8,799

$11.1K €9,891

-11.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.6 €55.7

$88.8 €79.1

-29.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$21.36 €19.02

$38.67 €34.43

-44.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.9 €83.7

$84.9 €75.6

10.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 €93.7

$109 €97.1

-3.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$723 €644

$1,488 €1,325

-51.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$655 €583

$1,121 €998

-41.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,027 €914

$2,389 €2,127

-57.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$866 €771

$1,642 €1,462

-47.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,819 €1,619

$5,055 €4,501

-64.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,395 €1,242

$3,221 €2,868

-56.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,776 €1,582

$1,943 €1,730

-8.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.99

3.3

-9.39%

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

Last update for Castello de la Plana: October 31, 2026

Last update for Malaga: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Castello de la Plana

$655 43.8%

Malaga

$1.1K 53.9% 71.1% $466

Groceries & Markets

Castello de la Plana

$258 17.3%

Malaga

$265 12.8% 2.8% $7.3

Eating Out

Castello de la Plana

$206 13.8%

Malaga

$249 12% 20.9% $43

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Castello de la Plana

$156 10.4%

Malaga

$198 9.5% 26.9% $42

Clothing & Footwear

Castello de la Plana

$127 8.5%

Malaga

$145 7% 13.6% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Castello de la Plana

$61 4.1%

Malaga

$60 2.9% 0.6% $0.4

Getting Around

Castello de la Plana

$34 2.3%

Malaga

$42 2% 22.8% $7.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $723 in Castello de la Plana versus $1,488 in Malaga. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 9% higher in Malaga, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $57 in Castello de la Plana versus $67 in Malaga. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $265 – making Castello de la Plana the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Castello de la Plana

🇪🇸 Malaga

🕒 Local time

13:54 1:54 PM

Same time as Castello de la Plana

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

176,238

586,384

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Castello de la Plana Malaga 530 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Castello de la Plana
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

Castello de la Plana vs Malaga: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,497 in Castello de la Plana, $2,079 in Malaga – Castello de la Plana comes out roughly 28% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,245 per month in Castello de la Plana and $3,119 in Malaga. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Castello de la Plana, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $723 there versus $1,488 in Malaga.

Public transport costs about 32% less in Castello de la Plana. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $558 per month in Castello de la Plana and $886 in Malaga. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Castello de la Plana, where all-in costs run around $1,497, than in Malaga at $2,079. In Castello de la Plana it covers expenses comfortably, while in Malaga it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Castello de la Plana – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Castello de la Plana. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Malaga makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.