Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Malaga and Benidorm

Name: Benidorm
Address: Benidorm, ES

For one person, living is cheaper in Benidorm: $1,707 a month against $2,055 in Malaga, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

99

Cost of Living Index in Malaga
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Malaga Living Index
82

Cost of Living Index in Benidorm
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Benidorm Living Index

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Malaga

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,055

/mo nomad

Benidorm

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,707

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Malaga and in Benidorm

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

A single person spends $2,055 per month in Malaga vs $1,707 in Benidorm, rent included.

Malaga $2,055
Benidorm $1,707

A couple spends around $2,939 per month in Malaga vs $2,498 in Benidorm, rent included.

Malaga $2,939
Benidorm $2,498

A family of three spends $3,823 per month in Malaga vs $3,290 in Benidorm, rent included.

Malaga $3,823
Benidorm $3,290

Malaga costs about 20% more than Benidorm, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Malaga and Benidorm sit above the global median – Malaga by 51%, Benidorm by 25%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.82 €15.08

$17.28 €15.49

-2.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.1 €61.1

$52.9 €47.44

28.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.06 €10.81

$12.28 €11.00

-1.79%

Cappuccino

$2.64 €2.36

$2.32 €2.08

13.79%

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

$2.69 €2.41

$2.29 €2.05

17.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 €1.87

$1.18 €1.06

77.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 €3.06

$3.41 €3.06

0.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.42 €3.96

$3.67 €3.29

20.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.22 €1.09

$1.14 €1.02

7.02%

White Bread (500g)

$1.42 €1.27

$1.30 €1.16

9.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.81 €1.62

$1.41 €1.26

28.37%

Eggs

$3.42 €3.06

$3.50 €3.14

-2.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.35 €13.75

$10.98 €9.84

39.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.84 €7.02

$8.10 €7.26

-3.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.02 €13.46

$15.68 €14.05

-4.21%

Apples (1kg)

$2.49 €2.23

$2.10 €1.88

18.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 €1.75

$1.83 €1.64

7.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.76 €1.58

$1.92 €1.72

-8.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.42 €2.17

$2.66 €2.38

-9.02%

Potato (1kg)

$1.55 €1.39

$1.72 €1.54

-9.88%

Onion (1kg)

$2.05 €1.84

$1.77 €1.59

15.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.21 €1.08

$1.10 €0.99

10.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 €0.63

$0.44 €0.39

61.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.64 €5.95

$5.96 €5.34

11.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.52 €5.84

$5.73 €5.13

13.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 €1.02

$0.87 €0.78

31.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 €2.02

$0.94 €0.84

140.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.55 €1.39

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.32 €23.59

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.90 €1.71

$4.50 €4.03

-57.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.22 €1.09

$1.35 €1.21

-9.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.91 €19.63

$24.26 €21.74

-9.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.77 €1.58

$1.72 €1.54

2.91%

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

$33.5K €30.0K

$34.2K €30.6K

-2.03%

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

$31.6K €28.3K

$29.3K €26.3K

7.72%

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

$162 €146

$157 €141

3.37%

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

$10.59 €9.49

$16.38 €14.67

-35.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.04 €21.54

$22.55 €20.21

6.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.73 €35.60

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.81 €15.96

Cinema Ticket

$9.73 €8.72

$10.78 €9.66

-9.74%

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

$864 €774

$575 €515

50.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,940 €8,907

$9,688 €8,682

2.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.5 €80.2

$91.2 €81.7

-1.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.99 €34.94

$42.40 €37.99

-8.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.3 €75.6

$96.1 €86.2

-12.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 €95.8

$119 €106

-9.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,439 €1,290

$1,002 €898

43.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,101 €986

$838 €751

31.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,373 €2,126

$1,766 €1,582

34.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,602 €1,435

$1,324 €1,186

20.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,065 €4,539

$5,197 €4,657

-2.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,151 €2,823

$2,542 €2,278

23.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,902 €1,704

$1,785 €1,599

6.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.3

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

Last update for Malaga: October 25, 2026

Last update for Benidorm: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Malaga

$1.1K 53.6%

Benidorm

$838 49.1% 23.9% $263

Groceries & Markets

Malaga

$266 13%

Benidorm

$243 14.2% 8.8% $23

Eating Out

Malaga

$247 12%

Benidorm

$241 14.1% 2.5% $6.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Malaga

$197 9.6%

Benidorm

$196 11.5% 0.5% $1

Clothing & Footwear

Malaga

$144 7%

Benidorm

$157 9.2% 8.9% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Malaga

$59 2.9%

Benidorm

$22 * 1.3% 63.6% $38

Getting Around

Malaga

$41 2%

Benidorm

$11 * 0.7% 72.3% $29

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,439 in Malaga versus $1,002 in Benidorm. 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 7% 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 $68 in Malaga versus $53 in Benidorm. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $266 vs $243 – making Benidorm the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Malaga

🇪🇸 Benidorm

🕒 Local time

07:27 7:27 AM

Same time as Malaga

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

586,384

72,342

💱 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 Benidorm 430 km

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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 Benidorm: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Malaga is pricier by about 20%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,083 per month in Malaga and $2,561 in Benidorm. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Benidorm, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,002 there versus $1,439 in Malaga.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,055 in Malaga and $1,707 in Benidorm. That makes Benidorm about 17% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $864 per month in Malaga and $575 in Benidorm. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$2,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $2,055 in Malaga and $1,707 in Benidorm, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Benidorm – 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 Benidorm. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Malaga makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.