Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Malaga and Maspalomas

For one person, living is cheaper in Maspalomas: $1,910 a month against $2,055 in Malaga, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 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
92

Cost of Living Index in Maspalomas
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Maspalomas Living Index

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Malaga

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,055

/mo nomad

Maspalomas

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,910

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Malaga and in Maspalomas

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,055 in Malaga versus $1,910 in Maspalomas.

Malaga $2,055
Maspalomas $1,910

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,939 in Malaga versus $2,575 in Maspalomas.

Malaga $2,939
Maspalomas $2,575

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,823 in Malaga versus $3,240 in Maspalomas.

Malaga $3,823
Maspalomas $3,240

Living in Malaga is roughly 8% more expensive than in Maspalomas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Malaga 51% above, Maspalomas 40% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.82 €15.08

$13.54 €12.13

24.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.1 €61.1

$73.1 €65.5

-6.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.06 €10.81

$10.51 €9.42

14.75%

Cappuccino

$2.64 €2.36

$2.49 €2.23

6.02%

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

$2.69 €2.41

$2.09 €1.87

28.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 €1.87

$1.63 €1.46

28.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 €3.06

$3.14 €2.82

8.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.42 €3.96

$3.70 €3.32

19.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.22 €1.09

$1.10 €0.99

10.91%

White Bread (500g)

$1.42 €1.27

$1.72 €1.54

-17.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.81 €1.62

$1.64 €1.47

10.37%

Eggs

$3.42 €3.06

$3.62 €3.24

-5.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.35 €13.75

$12.28 €11.00

25.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.84 €7.02

$9.07 €8.12

-13.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.02 €13.46

$17.72 €15.88

-15.24%

Apples (1kg)

$2.49 €2.23

$2.61 €2.34

-4.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 €1.75

$1.97 €1.77

-0.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.76 €1.58

$2.29 €2.05

-23.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.42 €2.17

$1.70 €1.52

42.35%

Potato (1kg)

$1.55 €1.39

$2.31 €2.07

-32.90%

Onion (1kg)

$2.05 €1.84

$2.37 €2.12

-13.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.21 €1.08

$1.15 €1.03

5.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 €0.63

$0.84 €0.75

-15.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.64 €5.95

$4.36 €3.91

52.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.52 €5.84

$6.74 €6.04

-3.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 €1.02

$1.75 €1.57

-34.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 €2.02

$2.68 €2.41

-15.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.55 €1.39

$3.29 €2.95

-52.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.32 €23.59

$55.6 €49.86

-52.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.90 €1.71

$3.41 €3.06

-44.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.22 €1.09

$2.23 €1.99

-45.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.91 €19.63

$28.05 €25.14

-21.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.77 €1.58

$1.69 €1.51

4.73%

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

$33.5K €30.0K

$30.4K €27.3K

10.05%

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

$31.6K €28.3K

$31.9K €28.6K

-1.15%

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

$162 €146

$115 €103

41.51%

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

$10.59 €9.49

$16.46 €14.75

-35.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.04 €21.54

$27.67 €24.79

-13.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.73 €35.60

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.81 €15.96

Cinema Ticket

$9.73 €8.72

$8.71 €7.81

11.71%

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

$864 €774

$473 €424

82.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,940 €8,907

$6,604 €5,917

50.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.5 €80.2

$84.8 €76.0

5.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.99 €34.94

$22.06 €19.77

76.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.3 €75.6

$91.3 €81.8

-7.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 €95.8

$79.0 €70.8

35.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,439 €1,290

$1,397 €1,252

3.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,101 €986

$1,037 €929

6.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,373 €2,126

$1,366 €1,224

73.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,602 €1,435

$1,129 €1,012

41.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,065 €4,539

$6,071 €5,440

-16.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,151 €2,823

$5,063 €4,537

-37.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,902 €1,704

$1,429 €1,281

33.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.3

3.15

4.76%

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

Last update for Malaga: October 25, 2026

Last update for Maspalomas: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Malaga

$1.1K 53.6%

Maspalomas

$1K 54.3% 5.8% $64

Groceries & Markets

Malaga

$266 13%

Maspalomas

$281 14.7% 5.5% $15

Eating Out

Malaga

$247 12%

Maspalomas

$208 10.9% 16.1% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Malaga

$197 9.6%

Maspalomas

$159 8.3% 19.4% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Malaga

$144 7%

Maspalomas

$125 6.5% 13.3% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Malaga

$59 2.9%

Maspalomas

$17 * 0.9% 70.5% $42

Getting Around

Malaga

$41 2%

Maspalomas

$83 4.4% 106% $43

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,439 in Malaga and $1,397 in Maspalomas. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Malaga pays 33% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $68 in Malaga vs $73 in Maspalomas for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $281 per month, with Malaga cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Malaga

🇪🇸 Maspalomas

🕒 Local time

02:21 2:21 AM

01:21 1:21 AM

1 h behind Malaga

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

586,384

33,000

💱 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 Maspalomas 1,450 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Malaga
Maspalomas

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 Maspalomas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,055 in Malaga and $1,910 in Maspalomas, so Maspalomas is about 7% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 33% 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 $1,397 in Maspalomas. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $2,055 per month in Malaga versus $1,910 in Maspalomas – Maspalomas is about 7% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Malaga runs roughly 53% less than in Maspalomas. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

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

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