Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Malaga and Mataro

For one person, living is cheaper in Mataro: $1,844 a month against $2,055 in Malaga, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Malaga outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

99

Cost of Living Index in Malaga
Learn more

Malaga Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Mataro
Learn more

Mataro Living Index

Jump to prices

Malaga

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,055

/mo nomad

Mataro

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,844

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Malaga and in Mataro

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,055 in Malaga versus $1,844 in Mataro.

Malaga $2,055
Mataro $1,844

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,939 in Malaga versus $2,696 in Mataro.

Malaga $2,939
Mataro $2,696

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,823 in Malaga versus $3,548 in Mataro.

Malaga $3,823
Mataro $3,548

Living in Malaga is roughly 11% more expensive than in Mataro.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Malaga 51% above, Mataro 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.82 €15.08

$16.70 €14.96

0.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.1 €61.1

$56.6 €50.7

20.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.06 €10.81

$13.34 €11.96

-9.60%

Cappuccino

$2.64 €2.36

$2.04 €1.83

29.41%

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

$2.69 €2.41

$2.33 €2.09

15.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 €1.87

$1.89 €1.69

10.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 €3.06

$4.01 €3.59

-14.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.42 €3.96

$3.40 €3.04

30.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.22 €1.09

$1.23 €1.11

-0.81%

White Bread (500g)

$1.42 €1.27

$2.08 €1.86

-31.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.81 €1.62

$1.48 €1.33

22.30%

Eggs

$3.42 €3.06

$3.99 €3.58

-14.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.35 €13.75

$17.04 €15.27

-9.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.84 €7.02

$9.27 €8.31

-15.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.02 €13.46

$19.59 €17.56

-23.33%

Apples (1kg)

$2.49 €2.23

$2.64 €2.36

-5.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 €1.75

$1.96 €1.76

Oranges (1kg)

$1.76 €1.58

$2.69 €2.41

-34.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.42 €2.17

$2.86 €2.56

-15.38%

Potato (1kg)

$1.55 €1.39

$2.07 €1.86

-25.12%

Onion (1kg)

$2.05 €1.84

$2.28 €2.04

-10.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.21 €1.08

$1.52 €1.36

-20.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 €0.63

$0.88 €0.79

-19.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.64 €5.95

$6.35 €5.69

4.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.52 €5.84

$5.64 €5.05

15.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 €1.02

$1.10 €0.99

3.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 €2.02

$2.29 €2.05

-1.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.55 €1.39

$2.54 €2.28

-38.98%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.32 €23.59

$34.37 €30.80

-23.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.90 €1.71

$2.30 €2.06

-17.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.22 €1.09

$1.07 €0.96

14.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.91 €19.63

$29.06 €26.04

-24.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.77 €1.58

$1.74 €1.56

1.72%

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

$33.5K €30.0K

$32.3K €28.9K

3.66%

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

$31.6K €28.3K

$32.0K €28.7K

-1.45%

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

$162 €146

$184 €165

-11.80%

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

$10.59 €9.49

$12.18 €10.92

-13.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.04 €21.54

$29.34 €26.29

-18.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.73 €35.60

$60.8 €54.5

-34.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.81 €15.96

$13.76 €12.33

29.43%

Cinema Ticket

$9.73 €8.72

$10.81 €9.68

-9.99%

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

$864 €774

$500 €448

72.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,940 €8,907

$7,830 €7,017

26.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.5 €80.2

$87.1 €78.0

2.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.99 €34.94

$39.89 €35.75

-2.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.3 €75.6

$96.9 €86.8

-12.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 €95.8

$114 €102

-6.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,439 €1,290

$940 €842

53.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,101 €986

$780 €699

41.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,373 €2,126

$1,333 €1,195

77.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,602 €1,435

$1,172 €1,050

36.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,065 €4,539

$3,286 €2,944

54.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,151 €2,823

$2,846 €2,551

10.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,902 €1,704

$1,861 €1,668

2.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.3

3.28

0.61%

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

Last update for Malaga: October 25, 2026

Last update for Mataro: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Malaga

$1.1K 53.6%

Mataro

$780 42.3% 29.2% $321

Groceries & Markets

Malaga

$266 13%

Mataro

$310 16.8% 16.4% $44

Eating Out

Malaga

$247 12%

Mataro

$242 13.1% 2.3% $5.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Malaga

$197 9.6%

Mataro

$226 12.2% 14.5% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Malaga

$144 7%

Mataro

$152 8.2% 5.6% $8

Sport & Entertainment

Malaga

$59 2.9%

Mataro

$82 4.5% 39.3% $23

Getting Around

Malaga

$41 2%

Mataro

$52 2.8% 28.8% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,439 in Malaga and $940 in Mataro. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $68 in Malaga vs $57 in Mataro. Groceries flip the comparison at $266 vs $310, with Malaga cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Malaga

🇪🇸 Mataro

🕒 Local time

03:22 3:22 AM

Same time as Malaga

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

586,384

129,870

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Malaga Mataro 800 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Malaga
Mataro

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 Mataro: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,055 in Malaga and $1,844 in Mataro, so Mataro is about 10% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,083 in Malaga and $2,766 in Mataro to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,439 in Malaga versus $940 in Mataro. 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 $1,844 in Mataro – Mataro is about 10% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Malaga runs roughly 23% less than in Mataro. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Mataro 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 Mataro are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.