Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Malaga and Castello de la Plana

Name: Castello de la Plana
Address: Castello de la Plana, ES

For one person, living is cheaper in Castello de la Plana: $1,497 a month against $2,079 in Malaga, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 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
71

Cost of Living Index in Castello de la Plana
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Castello de la Plana Living Index

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Malaga

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,079

/mo nomad

Castello de la Plana

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,497

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Malaga and in Castello de la Plana

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 Castello de la Plana actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,079 per month in Malaga vs $1,497 in Castello de la Plana, rent included.

Malaga $2,079
Castello de la Plana $1,497

A couple spends around $2,972 per month in Malaga vs $2,162 in Castello de la Plana, rent included.

Malaga $2,972
Castello de la Plana $2,162

A family of three spends $3,866 per month in Malaga vs $2,828 in Castello de la Plana, rent included.

Malaga $3,866
Castello de la Plana $2,828

Malaga costs about 39% more than Castello de la Plana, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Malaga and Castello de la Plana sit above the global median – Malaga by 54%, Castello de la Plana by 11%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.99 €15.20

$14.62 €13.08

16.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.2 €60.2

$56.8 €50.8

18.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.27 €10.98

$8.05 €7.20

52.42%

Cappuccino

$2.59 €2.32

$2.21 €1.97

17.19%

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

$2.71 €2.43

$2.24 €2.00

20.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 €1.87

$1.41 €1.26

47.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 €3.06

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 €3.95

$3.33 €2.98

32.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 €1.06

$1.14 €1.02

3.51%

White Bread (500g)

$1.48 €1.32

$1.56 €1.40

-5.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 €1.55

$1.62 €1.45

7.41%

Eggs

$3.38 €3.02

$3.03 €2.71

11.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.16 €13.57

$14.27 €12.76

6.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.75 €6.93

$7.95 €7.11

-2.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.66 €13.12

$15.12 €13.53

-3.04%

Apples (1kg)

$2.55 €2.28

$2.51 €2.25

1.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.93 €1.73

$2.00 €1.79

-3.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.75 €1.56

$1.57 €1.41

11.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.45 €2.19

$2.52 €2.25

-2.78%

Potato (1kg)

$1.54 €1.38

$1.81 €1.62

-14.92%

Onion (1kg)

$2.12 €1.90

$1.85 €1.66

14.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.21 €1.08

$1.20 €1.07

0.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.64

$0.58 €0.52

24.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.59 €5.90

$6.37 €5.70

3.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.90 €6.17

$5.56 €4.98

24.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 €1.03

$1.03 €0.92

11.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.34 €2.09

$2.02 €1.81

15.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.59 €1.43

$1.38 €1.23

15.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.94 €24.10

$18.23 €16.31

47.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.11 €1.89

$2.40 €2.15

-12.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.23 €1.10

$1.54 €1.38

-20.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.49 €24.59

$27.82 €24.90

-1.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.78 €1.59

$1.74 €1.55

2.30%

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

$34.1K €30.5K

$31.9K €28.5K

6.97%

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

$31.3K €28.0K

$30.8K €27.5K

1.87%

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

$162 €145

$118 €105

37.98%

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

$11.21 €10.03

$13.50 €12.08

-16.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.56 €21.98

$24.92 €22.30

-1.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.21 €36.88

$44.01 €39.38

-6.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.19 €16.28

Cinema Ticket

$9.49 €8.50

$8.27 €7.40

14.75%

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

$886 €793

$558 €499

58.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K €9,940

$9,882 €8,843

12.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.8 €79.5

$62.6 €56.0

41.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.67 €34.60

$21.36 €19.11

81.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.9 €76.0

$93.9 €84.1

-9.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$109 €97.6

$105 €94.1

3.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,488 €1,331

$723 €647

105.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,121 €1,003

$655 €586

71.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,389 €2,137

$1,027 €919

132.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,642 €1,469

$866 €774

89.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,055 €4,523

$1,819 €1,627

177.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,221 €2,882

$1,395 €1,248

130.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,943 €1,739

$1,776 €1,590

9.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.3

2.99

10.37%

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

Last update for Malaga: November 2, 2026

Last update for Castello de la Plana: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Malaga

$1.1K 53.9%

Castello de la Plana

$655 43.8% 41.6% $466

Groceries & Markets

Malaga

$265 12.8%

Castello de la Plana

$258 17.3% 2.7% $7.3

Eating Out

Malaga

$249 12%

Castello de la Plana

$206 13.8% 17.3% $43

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Malaga

$198 9.5%

Castello de la Plana

$156 10.4% 21.2% $42

Clothing & Footwear

Malaga

$145 7%

Castello de la Plana

$127 8.5% 11.9% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Malaga

$60 2.9%

Castello de la Plana

$61 4.1% 0.6% $0.4

Getting Around

Malaga

$42 2%

Castello de la Plana

$34 2.3% 18.6% $7.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,488 in Malaga versus $723 in Castello de la Plana. 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 9% 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 $67 in Malaga versus $57 in Castello de la Plana. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $265 vs $258 – making Castello de la Plana the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Malaga

🇪🇸 Castello de la Plana

🕒 Local time

15:01 3:01 PM

Same time as Malaga

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

586,384

176,238

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Malaga Castello de la Plana 530 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Malaga
Castello de la Plana

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 Castello de la Plana: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,079 in Malaga, $1,497 in Castello de la Plana – Castello de la Plana comes out roughly 28% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,119 per month in Malaga and $2,245 in Castello de la Plana. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Castello de la Plana, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $723 there versus $1,488 in Malaga.

Public transport costs about 32% less in Castello de la Plana. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $886 per month in Malaga and $558 in Castello de la Plana. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Castello de la Plana, where all-in costs run around $1,497, than in Malaga at $2,079. In Castello de la Plana it covers expenses comfortably, while in Malaga it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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