Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Malaga and Alicante

For one person, living is cheaper in Alicante: $1,832 a month against $2,055 in Malaga, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Malaga outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

99

Cost of Living Index in Malaga
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Malaga Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Alicante
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Alicante Living Index

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Malaga

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,055

/mo nomad

Alicante

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,832

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Malaga and in Alicante

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,055 in Malaga versus $1,832 in Alicante.

Malaga $2,055
Alicante $1,832

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,939 in Malaga versus $2,803 in Alicante.

Malaga $2,939
Alicante $2,803

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,823 in Malaga versus $3,773 in Alicante.

Malaga $3,823
Alicante $3,773

Living in Malaga is roughly 12% more expensive than in Alicante, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Malaga 51% above, Alicante 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.82 €15.07

$16.62 €14.88

1.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.1 €61.0

$66.6 €59.7

2.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.06 €10.80

$11.26 €10.08

7.10%

Cappuccino

$2.64 €2.36

$2.27 €2.03

16.30%

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

$2.69 €2.41

$2.23 €2.00

20.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 €1.87

$1.35 €1.21

54.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 €3.06

$3.40 €3.05

0.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.42 €3.96

$3.44 €3.08

28.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.22 €1.09

$1.11 €0.99

9.91%

White Bread (500g)

$1.42 €1.27

$1.58 €1.42

-10.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.81 €1.62

$1.62 €1.45

11.73%

Eggs

$3.42 €3.06

$3.31 €2.96

3.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.35 €13.75

$17.03 €15.25

-9.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.84 €7.02

$9.50 €8.51

-17.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.02 €13.45

$18.01 €16.13

-16.60%

Apples (1kg)

$2.49 €2.23

$2.57 €2.30

-3.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 €1.75

$1.98 €1.77

-1.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.76 €1.58

$1.88 €1.68

-6.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.42 €2.17

$2.81 €2.51

-13.88%

Potato (1kg)

$1.55 €1.39

$1.98 €1.77

-21.72%

Onion (1kg)

$2.05 €1.84

$1.92 €1.72

6.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.21 €1.08

$1.18 €1.06

2.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 €0.63

$0.69 €0.62

2.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.64 €5.94

$6.48 €5.80

2.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.52 €5.84

$5.43 €4.86

20.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 €1.02

$1.20 €1.08

-5.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 €2.02

$2.11 €1.89

7.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.55 €1.39

$1.59 €1.42

-2.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.32 €23.57

$26.28 €23.53

0.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.90 €1.71

$2.99 €2.67

-36.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.22 €1.09

$1.35 €1.21

-9.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.91 €19.62

$16.78 €15.03

30.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.77 €1.58

$1.76 €1.58

0.57%

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

$33.5K €30.0K

$30.7K €27.5K

8.91%

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

$31.6K €28.3K

$31.4K €28.1K

0.46%

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

$162 €145

$140 €125

16.41%

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

$10.59 €9.48

$18.65 €16.70

-43.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.04 €21.53

$29.25 €26.20

-17.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.73 €35.58

$41.61 €37.27

-4.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.81 €15.95

$17.16 €15.37

3.79%

Cinema Ticket

$9.73 €8.71

$8.03 €7.19

21.17%

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

$864 €773

$797 €714

8.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,940 €8,902

$9,186 €8,227

8.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.5 €80.2

$85.8 €76.9

4.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.99 €34.92

$35.23 €31.55

10.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.3 €75.5

$94.7 €84.8

-10.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 €95.7

$104 €93.0

2.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,439 €1,289

$1,064 €953

35.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,101 €986

$879 €787

25.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,373 €2,125

$1,815 €1,625

30.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,602 €1,435

$1,531 €1,371

4.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,065 €4,536

$4,204 €3,765

20.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,151 €2,822

$2,229 €1,996

41.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,902 €1,703

$1,903 €1,704

-0.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.3

2.99

10.37%

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

Last update for Malaga: October 25, 2026

Last update for Alicante: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Malaga

$1.1K 53.6%

Alicante

$879 48% 20.1% $222

Groceries & Markets

Malaga

$266 13%

Alicante

$289 15.8% 8.7% $23

Eating Out

Malaga

$247 12%

Alicante

$232 12.7% 6.2% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Malaga

$197 9.6%

Alicante

$187 10.2% 4.9% $9.6

Clothing & Footwear

Malaga

$144 7%

Alicante

$144 7.9% 0% $0.1

Sport & Entertainment

Malaga

$59 2.9%

Alicante

$58 3.2% 2.6% $1.5

Getting Around

Malaga

$41 2%

Alicante

$42 2.3% 4.6% $1.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,439 in Malaga and $1,064 in Alicante. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $68 in Malaga vs $67 in Alicante. Groceries flip the comparison at $266 vs $289, with Malaga cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Malaga

🇪🇸 Alicante

🕒 Local time

00:53 12:53 AM

Same time as Malaga

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

586,384

349,282

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Malaga Alicante 390 km

From you

Malaga
Alicante

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

Malaga vs Alicante: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Alicante wins on cost – living expenses run 11% 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.

You’d need roughly $3,083 in Malaga and $2,748 in Alicante 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: $1,439 in Malaga versus $1,064 in Alicante. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $2,055 per month in Malaga versus $1,832 in Alicante – Alicante is about 11% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Shoppers in Malaga pay roughly 8% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Both work as nomad bases, but Alicante delivers better value at $1,832 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 both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.