Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Malaga and Castelldefels

For one person, living is cheaper in Castelldefels: $1,905 a month against $2,030 in Malaga, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 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
92

Cost of Living Index in Castelldefels
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Castelldefels Living Index

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Malaga

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,030

/mo nomad

Castelldefels

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,905

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Malaga and in Castelldefels

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,030 in Malaga versus $1,905 in Castelldefels.

Malaga $2,030
Castelldefels $1,905

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,972 in Malaga versus $2,772 in Castelldefels.

Malaga $2,972
Castelldefels $2,772

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,915 in Malaga versus $3,639 in Castelldefels.

Malaga $3,915
Castelldefels $3,639

Living in Malaga is roughly 7% more expensive than in Castelldefels, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Malaga 50% above, Castelldefels 41% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.91 €15.04

$17.61 €15.67

-3.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.7 €60.2

$67.1 €59.6

0.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.38 €11.01

$12.37 €11.01

0.08%

Cappuccino

$2.58 €2.30

$2.78 €2.47

-7.19%

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

$2.76 €2.46

$2.57 €2.28

7.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 €1.79

$1.87 €1.67

8.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.37 €2.99

$3.30 €2.93

2.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.51 €4.01

$4.61 €4.10

-2.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.23 €1.10

$1.19 €1.06

3.36%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 €1.27

$1.37 €1.22

4.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.76 €1.57

$1.70 €1.51

3.53%

Eggs

$3.43 €3.05

$3.42 €3.04

0.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.07 €13.41

$10.90 €9.69

38.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.03 €7.14

$8.13 €7.23

-1.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.10 €13.43

$15.81 €14.07

-4.49%

Apples (1kg)

$2.50 €2.22

$2.57 €2.28

-2.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.93 €1.72

$1.84 €1.64

4.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.68 €1.49

$1.91 €1.70

-12.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.45 €2.18

$2.68 €2.39

-8.58%

Potato (1kg)

$1.56 €1.38

$1.65 €1.47

-5.45%

Onion (1kg)

$2.12 €1.88

$1.77 €1.57

19.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 €1.11

$1.15 €1.02

8.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 €0.64

$0.75 €0.66

-5.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.75 €6.00

$6.56 €5.84

2.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.87 €6.11

$5.44 €4.84

26.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 €1.01

$1.32 €1.18

-14.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.32 €2.07

$1.64 €1.46

41.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.60 €1.42

$1.77 €1.57

-9.60%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.11 €24.11

$32.32 €28.75

-16.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.85 €1.64

$3.01 €2.68

-38.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.20 €1.07

$1.44 €1.28

-16.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.47 €19.99

$24.35 €21.66

-7.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.81 €1.61

0.55%

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

$35.2K €31.3K

$35.0K €31.2K

0.42%

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

$28.7K €25.5K

$29.7K €26.4K

-3.49%

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

$163 €145

$185 €164

-11.54%

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

$10.77 €9.58

$16.61 €14.78

-35.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.58 €21.87

$35.29 €31.39

-30.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.11 €38.35

$45.71 €40.66

-5.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.92 €15.94

$15.66 €13.93

14.43%

Cinema Ticket

$9.78 €8.70

$11.21 €9.97

-12.76%

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

$853 €759

$621 €553

37.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.1K €8,970

$11.9K €10.6K

-15.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.0 €78.3

$88.9 €79.1

-1.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.54 €35.18

$38.51 €34.25

2.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.7 €75.3

$94.6 €84.1

-10.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 €95.5

$119 €106

-9.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,457 €1,296

$1,019 €907

42.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,068 €950

$887 €789

20.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,464 €2,191

$1,840 €1,637

33.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,681 €1,496

$1,331 €1,184

26.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,992 €4,440

$3,268 €2,907

52.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,914 €2,592

$2,223 €1,978

31.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,852 €1,648

$4,500 €4,003

-58.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.29

3.28

0.30%

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

Last update for Malaga: October 11, 2026

Last update for Castelldefels: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Malaga

$1.1K 52.6%

Castelldefels

$887 46.6% 16.9% $180

Groceries & Markets

Malaga

$268 13.2%

Castelldefels

$255 13.4% 4.8% $13

Eating Out

Malaga

$248 12.2%

Castelldefels

$255 13.4% 2.6% $6.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Malaga

$199 9.8%

Castelldefels

$237 12.4% 19% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Malaga

$144 7.1%

Castelldefels

$153 8.1% 6.7% $9.6

Sport & Entertainment

Malaga

$63 3.1%

Castelldefels

$68 3.6% 8.7% $5.5

Getting Around

Malaga

$41 2%

Castelldefels

$50 2.6% 20% $8.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,457 in Malaga and $1,019 in Castelldefels. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Castelldefels pays 143% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $68.0 in Malaga vs $67.0 in Castelldefels for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $268 vs $255 per month, with Castelldefels cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Malaga

🇪🇸 Castelldefels

🕒 Local time

12:05 12:05 PM

Same time as Malaga

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

586,384

68,427

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Malaga Castelldefels 750 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Malaga
Castelldefels

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 Castelldefels: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Castelldefels is cheaper overall, especially in groceries. The 7% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 143% lower in Castelldefels. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,457 in Malaga versus $1,019 in Castelldefels. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,030 per month in Malaga versus $1,905 in Castelldefels – a 7% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Castelldefels runs roughly 19% less than in Malaga. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,905 in Castelldefels versus $2,030 in Malaga, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Castelldefels but tight or insufficient in Malaga. The gap between the two cities makes Castelldefels the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Castelldefels is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Malaga, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Malaga and Castelldefels are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Castelldefels gentler on the wallet – expenses run 7% less than in Malaga. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.