Cost of Living Comparison Between Malaga and Alicante Cost of Living Comparison Between Malaga and Alicante

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,802 in Malaga versus $1,681 in Alicante.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,698 in Malaga versus $2,437 in Alicante.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,593 in Malaga versus $3,193 in Alicante.

Living in Malaga is roughly 7% more expensive than Alicante, driven mainly by Eating Out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Malaga 34% above, Alicante 25% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.88 €11.95

$17.45 €15.02

-20.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.8 €55.8

$58.0 €49.95

11.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.06 €7.80

$10.26 €8.83

-11.70%

Cappuccino

$2.26 €1.95

$2.17 €1.87

4.15%

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

$2.37 €2.04

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.63

$1.50 €1.29

26.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.57 €3.07

$2.92 €2.51

22.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.44 €3.82

$3.56 €3.07

24.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.20 €1.04

$1.27 €1.10

-5.51%

White Bread (500g)

$1.39 €1.20

$1.74 €1.50

-20.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 €1.48

$1.56 €1.34

10.26%

Eggs

$2.68 €2.31

$2.96 €2.55

-9.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.29 €13.17

$11.59 €9.98

31.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.41 €6.38

$9.42 €8.11

-21.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.87 €11.94

$14.83 €12.77

-6.47%

Apples (1kg)

$2.56 €2.21

$2.40 €2.07

6.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 €1.63

$1.89 €1.63

0.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 €1.35

$1.45 €1.25

8.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.41 €2.08

$2.28 €1.96

5.70%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 €1.59

$1.68 €1.45

10.12%

Onion (1kg)

$1.98 €1.70

$1.66 €1.43

19.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 €0.99

$1.08 €0.93

6.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.62

$0.71 €0.61

1.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.28 €5.41

$6.11 €5.27

2.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.13 €5.28

$5.09 €4.38

20.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 €1.05

$1.13 €0.98

7.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 €2.12

$1.82 €1.57

35.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.60 €1.38

$1.72 €1.48

-6.98%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.70 €25.57

$25.29 €21.77

17.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.50 €3.87

$1.64 €1.41

174.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 €0.88

$1.26 €1.09

-18.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.82 €24.82

$17.64 €15.19

63.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.84 €1.58

$1.81 €1.56

1.66%

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

$39.1K €33.6K

$38.1K €32.8K

2.62%

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

$30.7K €26.4K

$30.1K €26.0K

1.75%

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

$134 €115

$130 €112

2.99%

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

$17.64 €15.19

$20.42 €17.59

-13.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.28 €25.21

$31.82 €27.40

-7.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.13 €40.58

$54.1 €46.62

-12.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.76 €14.44

$17.10 €14.72

-1.99%

Cinema Ticket

$10.48 €9.02

$9.29 €8.00

12.81%

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

$461 €397

$724 €623

-36.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,996 €8,607

$10.6K €9,148

-5.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.4 €69.2

$71.1 €61.2

13.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.19 €34.61

$30.64 €26.38

31.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.9 €77.4

$95.2 €82.0

-5.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 €101

$110 €94.5

6.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,185 €1,020

$967 €833

22.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$873 €752

$783 €674

11.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,087 €1,797

$1,474 €1,270

41.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,536 €1,323

$1,046 €901

46.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,222 €4,497

$4,322 €3,721

20.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,014 €2,596

$2,251 €1,938

33.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,954 €1,683

$1,990 €1,714

-1.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.46

3.58

-3.35%

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

Last update for Malaga: May 31, 2026

Last update for Alicante: May 31, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,185 in Malaga and $967 in Alicante. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Alicante pays 2% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $65.0 in Malaga vs $58.0 in Alicante for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $257 vs $256 per month, with Alicante cheaper across the board.

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

Malaga vs Alicante: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Alicante wins on cost – living expenses run 7% lower than in Malaga. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Alicante the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, Alicante earns 2% less. 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: $1,185 in Malaga versus $967 in Alicante. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $461 in Malaga versus $724 in Alicante. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 0% higher in Malaga. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,681 in Alicante versus $1,802 in Malaga, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Alicante but tight or insufficient in Malaga. The gap between the two cities makes Alicante the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Alicante delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,681 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Alicante hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Malaga and Alicante 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 Alicante 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.