Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Malaga and Fuenlabrada

For one person, living is cheaper in Fuenlabrada: $1,705 a month against $2,055 in Malaga, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 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
82

Cost of Living Index in Fuenlabrada
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Fuenlabrada Living Index

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Malaga

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,055

/mo nomad

Fuenlabrada

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,705

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Malaga and in Fuenlabrada

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,055 in Malaga versus $1,705 in Fuenlabrada.

Malaga $2,055
Fuenlabrada $1,705

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,939 in Malaga versus $2,543 in Fuenlabrada.

Malaga $2,939
Fuenlabrada $2,543

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,823 in Malaga versus $3,381 in Fuenlabrada.

Malaga $3,823
Fuenlabrada $3,381

Living in Malaga is roughly 21% more expensive than in Fuenlabrada, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Malaga 51% above, Fuenlabrada 25% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.82 €15.07

$17.01 €15.24

-1.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.1 €61.0

$68.2 €61.1

-0.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.06 €10.80

$11.35 €10.17

6.26%

Cappuccino

$2.64 €2.36

$2.03 €1.82

30.05%

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

$2.69 €2.41

$3.34 €2.99

-19.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 €1.87

$1.90 €1.70

10.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 €3.06

$3.41 €3.05

0.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.42 €3.96

$4.63 €4.15

-4.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.22 €1.09

$1.20 €1.07

1.67%

White Bread (500g)

$1.42 €1.27

$1.00 €0.90

42.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.81 €1.62

$2.01 €1.80

-9.95%

Eggs

$3.42 €3.06

$3.95 €3.54

-13.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.35 €13.75

$17.93 €16.06

-14.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.84 €7.02

$9.19 €8.23

-14.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.02 €13.45

$21.26 €19.04

-29.35%

Apples (1kg)

$2.49 €2.23

$2.86 €2.56

-12.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 €1.75

$2.38 €2.13

-17.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.76 €1.58

$2.52 €2.26

-30.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.42 €2.17

$2.87 €2.57

-15.68%

Potato (1kg)

$1.55 €1.39

$2.15 €1.93

-27.91%

Onion (1kg)

$2.05 €1.84

$2.15 €1.92

-4.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.21 €1.08

$1.53 €1.37

-20.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 €0.63

$0.60 €0.54

18.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.64 €5.94

$6.01 €5.38

10.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.52 €5.84

$7.77 €6.96

-16.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 €1.02

$1.13 €1.01

0.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 €2.02

$2.22 €1.99

1.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.55 €1.39

$1.43 €1.28

8.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.32 €23.57

$32.96 €29.52

-20.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.90 €1.71

$3.72 €3.33

-48.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.22 €1.09

$1.47 €1.31

-17.01%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.91 €19.62

$22.74 €20.36

-3.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.77 €1.58

$1.83 €1.64

-3.28%

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

$33.5K €30.0K

$33.8K €30.2K

-0.82%

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

$31.6K €28.3K

$29.5K €26.4K

7.07%

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

$162 €145

$190 €171

-14.71%

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

$10.59 €9.48

$17.91 €16.04

-40.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.04 €21.53

$33.42 €29.93

-28.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.73 €35.58

$44.36 €39.73

-10.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.81 €15.95

$15.51 €13.89

14.83%

Cinema Ticket

$9.73 €8.71

$9.51 €8.52

2.31%

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

$864 €773

$177 €158

388.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,940 €8,902

$6,069 €5,436

63.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.5 €80.2

$72.5 €65.0

23.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.99 €34.92

$36.43 €32.63

7.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.3 €75.5

$76.9 €68.9

9.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 €95.7

$94.8 €84.9

12.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,439 €1,289

$886 €794

62.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,101 €986

$670 €600

64.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,373 €2,125

$1,325 €1,186

79.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,602 €1,435

$1,018 €912

57.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,065 €4,536

$3,314 €2,968

52.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,151 €2,822

$2,188 €1,960

43.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,902 €1,703

$1,692 €1,515

12.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.3

3.14

5.10%

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

Last update for Malaga: October 25, 2026

Last update for Fuenlabrada: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Malaga

$1.1K 53.6%

Fuenlabrada

$670 39.3% 39.1% $431

Groceries & Markets

Malaga

$266 13%

Fuenlabrada

$312 18.3% 17.2% $46

Eating Out

Malaga

$247 12%

Fuenlabrada

$242 14.2% 2.3% $5.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Malaga

$197 9.6%

Fuenlabrada

$242 14.2% 22.7% $45

Clothing & Footwear

Malaga

$144 7%

Fuenlabrada

$126 7.4% 12.2% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Malaga

$59 2.9%

Fuenlabrada

$63 3.7% 7.1% $4.2

Getting Around

Malaga

$41 2%

Fuenlabrada

$50 2.9% 22.7% $9.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,439 in Malaga and $886 in Fuenlabrada. 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 $68 in Fuenlabrada for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $312 per month, with Malaga cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Malaga

🇪🇸 Fuenlabrada

🕒 Local time

11:56 11:56 AM

Same time as Malaga

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

586,384

188,736

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Malaga Fuenlabrada 400 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 Fuenlabrada: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Fuenlabrada is about 17% cheaper overall, especially in clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

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 $886 in Fuenlabrada. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Malaga pay roughly 15% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you’ll spend $2,055 per month in Malaga versus $1,705 in Fuenlabrada – Fuenlabrada is about 17% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $2,500 a month, though Fuenlabrada gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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

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