Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between El Ejido and Malaga

For one person, living is cheaper in El Ejido: $1,634 a month against $2,067 in Malaga, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Malaga outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

80

Cost of Living Index in El Ejido
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El Ejido Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Malaga
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Malaga Living Index

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El Ejido

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,634

/mo nomad

Malaga

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,067

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,634 in El Ejido versus $2,067 in Malaga.

El Ejido $1,634
Malaga $2,067

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,449 in El Ejido versus $2,969 in Malaga.

El Ejido $2,449
Malaga $2,969

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,264 in El Ejido versus $3,870 in Malaga.

El Ejido $3,264
Malaga $3,870

Living in El Ejido costs roughly 21% less than in Malaga, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: El Ejido 21% above, Malaga 53% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.73 €14.88

$16.94 €15.06

-1.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.6 €60.2

$67.2 €59.8

0.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.10 €9.87

$12.40 €11.03

-10.48%

Cappuccino

$2.17 €1.93

$2.64 €2.35

-17.80%

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

$2.31 €2.06

$2.76 €2.46

-16.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.34 €1.19

$2.01 €1.79

-33.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.29 €2.92

$3.32 €2.95

-0.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.27 €2.91

$4.53 €4.03

-27.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 €1.01

$1.18 €1.05

-4.24%

White Bread (500g)

$1.57 €1.39

$1.50 €1.33

4.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 €1.45

$1.82 €1.62

-10.44%

Eggs

$3.40 €3.02

$3.42 €3.05

-0.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.79 €14.93

$15.20 €13.52

10.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.56 €8.51

$7.96 €7.08

20.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.46 €15.53

$15.25 €13.57

14.49%

Apples (1kg)

$2.58 €2.30

$2.51 €2.23

2.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 €1.73

Oranges (1kg)

$1.95 €1.74

$1.70 €1.52

14.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.69 €2.39

$2.45 €2.18

9.80%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 €1.71

$1.56 €1.39

23.72%

Onion (1kg)

$1.92 €1.71

$2.14 €1.91

-10.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.24 €1.11

$1.21 €1.08

2.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 €0.63

$0.67 €0.60

5.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.66 €5.92

$6.82 €6.07

-2.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.77 €5.13

$6.91 €6.14

-16.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 €1.08

$1.19 €1.06

1.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.12 €1.88

$2.36 €2.10

-10.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.71 €1.52

$1.60 €1.43

6.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$36.17 €32.17

$26.41 €23.50

36.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.06 €2.73

$1.87 €1.66

63.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.23 €1.10

6.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.86 €15.00

$21.95 €19.52

-23.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.80 €1.60

3.33%

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

$31.3K €27.9K

$34.1K €30.3K

-8.13%

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

$31.3K €27.8K

$31.2K €27.7K

0.42%

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

$142 €126

$161 €143

-11.78%

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

$18.78 €16.71

$10.50 €9.34

78.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.88 €26.58

$24.58 €21.87

21.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.99 €37.35

$42.27 €37.60

-0.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.57 €14.74

$17.79 €15.82

-6.86%

Cinema Ticket

$9.00 €8.01

$9.47 €8.43

-4.96%

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

$689 €613

$843 €750

-18.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,454 €8,410

$9,859 €8,769

-4.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.4 €76.0

$90.6 €80.6

-5.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.45 €31.53

$39.67 €35.28

-10.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.2 €82.9

$83.9 €74.7

11.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 €94.0

$105 €93.6

0.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$902 €802

$1,458 €1,297

-38.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$668 €594

$1,107 €985

-39.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,326 €1,179

$2,556 €2,274

-48.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$994 €884

$1,643 €1,461

-39.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,015 €2,682

$5,083 €4,521

-40.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,239 €1,992

$2,889 €2,570

-22.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,914 €1,702

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 El Ejido: October 18, 2026

Last update for Malaga: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

El Ejido

$668 40.9%

Malaga

$1.1K 53.6% 65.8% $439

Groceries & Markets

El Ejido

$288 17.7%

Malaga

$269 13% 6.9% $20

Eating Out

El Ejido

$231 14.1%

Malaga

$249 12.1% 8% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

El Ejido

$191 11.7%

Malaga

$196 9.5% 2.8% $5.4

Clothing & Footwear

El Ejido

$144 8.8%

Malaga

$144 7% 0.1% $0.2

Sport & Entertainment

El Ejido

$60 3.7%

Malaga

$61 3% 2% $1.2

Getting Around

El Ejido

$53 3.2%

Malaga

$41 2% 22.4% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $902 in El Ejido and $1,458 in Malaga. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $68.0 in El Ejido vs $67.0 in Malaga for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $288 vs $269 per month, with Malaga cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 El Ejido

🇪🇸 Malaga

🕒 Local time

13:33 1:33 PM

Same time as El Ejido

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

89,975

586,384

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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El Ejido Malaga 140 km

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El Ejido
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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

El Ejido vs Malaga: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

El Ejido is cheaper overall, especially in eating out and leisure. The 26% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $2,451 in El Ejido and $3,100 in Malaga to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $902 in El Ejido versus $1,458 in Malaga. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in El Ejido – a meal for two runs $68.0 versus $67.0 in Malaga. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,634 per month in El Ejido versus $2,067 in Malaga – a 26% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,634 in El Ejido versus $2,067 in Malaga, a $2,500 budget is realistic in El Ejido but tight or insufficient in Malaga. The gap between the two cities makes El Ejido the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, El Ejido 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, El Ejido 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 El Ejido gentler on the wallet – expenses run 26% less than in Malaga. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.