Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Malaga and Barakaldo

For one person, living is cheaper in Barakaldo: $1,620 a month against $2,079 in Malaga, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 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
78

Cost of Living Index in Barakaldo
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Barakaldo Living Index

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Malaga

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,079

/mo nomad

Barakaldo

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,620

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Malaga and in Barakaldo

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 Barakaldo actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,079 in Malaga versus $1,620 in Barakaldo.

Malaga $2,079
Barakaldo $1,620

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,972 in Malaga versus $2,450 in Barakaldo.

Malaga $2,972
Barakaldo $2,450

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,866 in Malaga versus $3,281 in Barakaldo.

Malaga $3,866
Barakaldo $3,281

Living in Malaga is roughly 28% more expensive than in Barakaldo.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Malaga 54% above, Barakaldo 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.99 €15.13

$16.90 €15.05

0.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.2 €59.9

$66.4 €59.1

1.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.27 €10.93

$12.23 €10.89

0.33%

Cappuccino

$2.59 €2.31

$2.62 €2.33

-1.15%

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

$2.71 €2.41

$3.17 €2.82

-14.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 €1.86

$1.97 €1.75

5.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 €3.05

$3.40 €3.02

0.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 €3.93

$3.32 €2.96

32.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 €1.05

$1.27 €1.13

-7.09%

White Bread (500g)

$1.48 €1.32

$1.64 €1.46

-9.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 €1.55

$1.37 €1.22

27.01%

Eggs

$3.38 €3.01

$3.19 €2.84

5.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.16 €13.50

$12.19 €10.85

24.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.75 €6.90

$8.00 €7.12

-3.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.66 €13.05

$14.65 €13.05

0.07%

Apples (1kg)

$2.55 €2.27

$2.84 €2.53

-10.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.93 €1.72

$1.52 €1.35

26.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.75 €1.56

$2.66 €2.36

-34.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.45 €2.18

$2.65 €2.36

-7.55%

Potato (1kg)

$1.54 €1.37

$1.57 €1.40

-1.91%

Onion (1kg)

$2.12 €1.89

$2.20 €1.95

-3.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.21 €1.07

$1.26 €1.12

-3.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.64

$0.82 €0.73

-12.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.59 €5.87

$6.66 €5.93

-1.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.90 €6.14

$7.64 €6.80

-9.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 €1.02

$1.34 €1.19

-14.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.34 €2.08

$2.05 €1.83

14.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.59 €1.42

$1.54 €1.38

3.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.94 €23.99

$31.21 €27.79

-13.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.11 €1.88

$5.53 €4.92

-61.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.23 €1.10

$1.04 €0.93

18.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.49 €24.47

$25.28 €22.51

8.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.78 €1.59

$1.86 €1.66

-4.30%

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

$34.1K €30.3K

$33.6K €29.9K

1.34%

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

$31.3K €27.9K

$29.2K €26.0K

7.50%

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

$162 €144

$142 €126

14.33%

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

$11.21 €9.98

$18.25 €16.25

-38.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.56 €21.87

$23.24 €20.69

5.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.21 €36.70

$44.10 €39.27

-6.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.19 €16.20

$17.39 €15.48

4.60%

Cinema Ticket

$9.49 €8.45

$9.98 €8.89

-4.91%

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

$886 €789

$472 €420

87.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K €9,891

$10.4K €9,280

6.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.8 €79.1

$93.9 €83.6

-5.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.67 €34.43

$32.87 €29.27

17.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.9 €75.6

$73.8 €65.7

15.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$109 €97.1

$118 €105

-7.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,488 €1,325

$918 €817

62.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,121 €998

$669 €595

67.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,389 €2,127

$1,351 €1,203

76.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,642 €1,462

$1,058 €942

55.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,055 €4,501

$3,655 €3,255

38.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,221 €2,868

$1,998 €1,779

61.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,943 €1,730

$1,728 €1,539

12.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.3

2.98

10.74%

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

Last update for Malaga: November 2, 2026

Last update for Barakaldo: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Malaga

$1.1K 53.9%

Barakaldo

$669 41.3% 40.3% $452

Groceries & Markets

Malaga

$265 12.8%

Barakaldo

$265 16.4% 0.1% $0.4

Eating Out

Malaga

$249 12%

Barakaldo

$247 15.3% 0.6% $1.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Malaga

$198 9.5%

Barakaldo

$183 11.3% 7.4% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Malaga

$145 7%

Barakaldo

$143 8.8% 1% $1.5

Sport & Entertainment

Malaga

$60 2.9%

Barakaldo

$64 4% 6.4% $3.9

Getting Around

Malaga

$42 2%

Barakaldo

$48 3% 15.7% $6.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,488 in Malaga and $918 in Barakaldo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Malaga pays 12% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $67 in Malaga vs $66 in Barakaldo. Groceries flip the comparison at $265 vs $265, with Malaga cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Malaga

🇪🇸 Barakaldo

🕒 Local time

11:05 11:05 AM

Same time as Malaga

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

586,384

101,229

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Malaga Barakaldo 740 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Malaga
Barakaldo

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 Barakaldo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,079 in Malaga and $1,620 in Barakaldo, so Barakaldo is about 22% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 12% higher in Malaga, 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: $1,488 in Malaga versus $918 in Barakaldo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $886 in Malaga versus $472 in Barakaldo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

All in, you’ll spend $2,079 per month in Malaga versus $1,620 in Barakaldo – Barakaldo is about 22% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Barakaldo gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Malaga and Barakaldo are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Barakaldo wins on affordability, Malaga on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.