Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Malaga and Cartagena, Spain

For one person, living is cheaper in Cartagena: $1,425 a month against $2,055 in Malaga, rent and utilities included – about $7,600 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
68

Cost of Living Index in Cartagena
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Cartagena Living Index

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Malaga

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,055

/mo nomad

Cartagena

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,425

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Malaga and in Cartagena

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,055 in Malaga versus $1,425 in Cartagena.

Malaga $2,055
Cartagena $1,425

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,939 in Malaga versus $2,101 in Cartagena.

Malaga $2,939
Cartagena $2,101

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,823 in Malaga versus $2,778 in Cartagena.

Malaga $3,823
Cartagena $2,778

Living in Malaga is roughly 44% more expensive than in Cartagena, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Malaga 51% above, Cartagena 5% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.82 €15.07

$13.84 €12.40

21.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.1 €61.0

$56.2 €50.3

21.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.06 €10.80

$7.95 €7.12

51.70%

Cappuccino

$2.64 €2.36

$2.47 €2.21

6.88%

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

$2.69 €2.41

$2.56 €2.30

5.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 €1.87

$1.82 €1.63

14.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 €3.06

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.42 €3.96

$3.86 €3.46

14.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.22 €1.09

White Bread (500g)

$1.42 €1.27

$1.19 €1.06

19.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.81 €1.62

$2.63 €2.35

-31.18%

Eggs

$3.42 €3.06

$3.96 €3.54

-13.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.35 €13.75

$12.82 €11.48

19.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.84 €7.02

$6.71 €6.01

16.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.02 €13.45

$18.75 €16.79

-19.89%

Apples (1kg)

$2.49 €2.23

$2.37 €2.12

5.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 €1.75

$2.45 €2.19

-20.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.76 €1.58

$1.58 €1.42

11.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.42 €2.17

$3.20 €2.87

-24.38%

Potato (1kg)

$1.55 €1.39

$1.28 €1.14

21.09%

Onion (1kg)

$2.05 €1.84

$1.26 €1.13

62.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.21 €1.08

$1.53 €1.37

-20.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 €0.63

$0.69 €0.62

2.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.64 €5.94

$5.71 €5.11

16.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.52 €5.84

$6.30 €5.64

3.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 €1.02

$1.21 €1.08

-5.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 €2.02

$1.17 €1.05

93.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.55 €1.39

$1.48 €1.32

4.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.32 €23.57

$11.08 €9.93

137.55%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.90 €1.71

$5.65 €5.06

-66.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.22 €1.09

$2.23 €2.00

-45.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.91 €19.62

$27.72 €24.83

-20.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.77 €1.58

$1.77 €1.59

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

$33.5K €30.0K

$34.6K €30.9K

-3.09%

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

$31.6K €28.3K

$29.9K €26.7K

5.73%

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

$162 €145

$211 €189

-23.05%

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

$10.59 €9.48

$19.43 €17.40

-45.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.04 €21.53

$29.27 €26.21

-17.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.73 €35.58

$41.23 €36.92

-3.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.81 €15.95

$12.81 €11.47

39.03%

Cinema Ticket

$9.73 €8.71

$7.72 €6.91

26.04%

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

$864 €773

$406 €364

112.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,940 €8,902

$2,651 €2,374

274.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.5 €80.2

$46.46 €41.61

92.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.99 €34.92

$34.88 €31.24

11.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.3 €75.5

$60.6 €54.2

39.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 €95.7

$101 €90.5

5.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,439 €1,289

$596 €534

141.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,101 €986

$490 €439

124.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,373 €2,125

$872 €781

172.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,602 €1,435

$720 €644

122.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,065 €4,536

$1,737 €1,556

191.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,151 €2,822

$1,427 €1,278

120.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,902 €1,703

$1,704 €1,526

11.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.3

4.06

-18.72%

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

Last update for Malaga: October 25, 2026

Last update for Cartagena: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Malaga

$1.1K 53.6%

Cartagena

$490 34.4% 55.5% $611

Groceries & Markets

Malaga

$266 13%

Cartagena

$269 18.9% 1.1% $2.9

Eating Out

Malaga

$247 12%

Cartagena

$207 14.5% 16.5% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Malaga

$197 9.6%

Cartagena

$260 18.2% 31.8% $63

Clothing & Footwear

Malaga

$144 7%

Cartagena

$109 7.7% 24% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Malaga

$59 2.9%

Cartagena

$57 4% 4.3% $2.5

Getting Around

Malaga

$41 2%

Cartagena

$34 2.4% 16.6% $6.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,439 in Malaga and $596 in Cartagena. 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: $68 in Malaga vs $56 in Cartagena. Groceries flip the comparison at $266 vs $269, with Malaga cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Malaga

🇪🇸 Cartagena

🕒 Local time

18:28 6:28 PM

Same time as Malaga

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

586,384

218,050

💱 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 Cartagena 320 km

From you

Malaga
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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 Cartagena: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cartagena wins on cost – living expenses run 31% lower than in Malaga. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Cartagena the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

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: $1,439 in Malaga versus $596 in Cartagena. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $864 in Malaga versus $406 in Cartagena. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Cartagena – a meal for two runs $56 versus $68 in Malaga. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Cartagena is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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 Cartagena are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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