Cost of Living Comparison Between Malaga and Cartagena Cost of Living Comparison Between Malaga and Cartagena

😐 Solo nomad: Malaga is 15.9% more expensive than Cartagena without rent, and 25.1% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Malaga is 10.1% more expensive than Cartagena without rent, and 40.6% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Malaga
Cartagena
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$14.11 €12.16
$13.72 €11.82
2.84%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$64.5 €55.6
$58.2 €50.1
10.87%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.17 €7.91
$8.04 €6.93
14.05%
Cappuccino
$2.38 €2.05
$2.66 €2.30
-10.53%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.35 €2.03
$2.42 €2.09
-2.89%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.88 €1.62
$2.04 €1.76
-7.84%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.38 €2.91
$3.42 €2.95
-1.17%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.29 €3.69
$3.39 €2.92
26.55%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Malaga
Cartagena
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.20 €1.04
$1.14 €0.99
5.26%
White Bread (500g)
$1.39 €1.20
$1.01 €0.87
37.62%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.65 €1.42
$1.67 €1.44
-1.20%
Eggs
$2.79 €2.40
$2.82 €2.43
-1.06%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$14.90 €12.84
$11.51 €9.92
29.45%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.64 €6.59
$8.41 €7.25
-9.16%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.22 €12.26
$13.86 €11.95
2.60%
Apples (1kg)
$2.62 €2.25
$2.26 €1.95
15.93%
Banana (1kg)
$1.91 €1.65
$1.78 €1.53
7.30%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.63 €1.41
$1.40 €1.21
16.43%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.44 €2.10
$1.76 €1.51
38.64%
Potato (1kg)
$1.80 €1.55
$1.26 €1.09
42.86%
Onion (1kg)
$1.89 €1.63
$1.10 €0.94
71.82%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.19 €1.03
$1.09 €0.94
9.17%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.77 €0.66
$0.52 €0.45
48.08%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.48 €5.58
$5.93 €5.11
9.27%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.98 €5.16
$5.66 €4.88
5.65%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.18 €1.02
$1.14 €0.98
3.51%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.46 €2.12
$1.30 €1.12
89.23%
🚌 Getting Around
Malaga
Cartagena
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.64 €1.42
$1.35 €1.16
21.48%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$29.53 €25.46
$11.61 €10.01
154.35%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.72 €4.07
$3.55 €3.06
32.96%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.07 €0.92
$1.24 €1.07
-13.71%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$28.81 €24.83
$24.59 €21.20
17.16%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.75 €1.51
$1.82 €1.57
-3.85%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$39.3K €33.9K
$31.0K €26.8K
26.64%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$30.3K €26.1K
$30.9K €26.7K
-2.10%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Malaga
Cartagena
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$135 €116
$142 €123
-5.10%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$17.83 €15.37
$13.35 €11.51
33.56%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$29.99 €25.85
$30.45 €26.25
-1.51%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Malaga
Cartagena
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$47.56 €41.00
$38.46 €33.16
23.66%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$16.22 €13.98
$14.91 €12.85
8.79%
Cinema Ticket
$10.27 €8.86
$8.24 €7.10
24.64%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Malaga
Cartagena
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$456 €393
$432 €372
5.56%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$10.3K €8,838
$2,727 €2,351
275.96%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Malaga
Cartagena
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$80.7 €69.6
$44.39 €38.27
81.75%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.00 €33.62
$31.73 €27.35
22.91%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$88.1 €76.0
$44.91 €38.71
96.19%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$116 €100
$76.3 €65.8
52.19%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Malaga
Cartagena
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,206 €1,039
$785 €677
53.58%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$888 €766
$614 €529
44.66%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,076 €1,790
$899 €775
131.09%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,553 €1,339
$778 €671
99.58%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,183 €4,468
$1,836 €1,582
182.37%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,014 €2,598
$1,477 €1,273
104.05%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Malaga
Cartagena
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,841 €1,587
$1,864 €1,607
-1.21%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.46
3.44
0.58%

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

Last update for Malaga: March 2, 2026

Last update for Cartagena: March 2, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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