Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Malaga and Sabadell

For one person, living is cheaper in Sabadell: $1,828 a month against $2,067 in Malaga, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 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
88

Cost of Living Index in Sabadell
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Sabadell Living Index

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Malaga

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,067

/mo nomad

Sabadell

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,828

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Malaga and in Sabadell

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,067 in Malaga versus $1,828 in Sabadell.

Malaga $2,067
Sabadell $1,828

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,969 in Malaga versus $2,513 in Sabadell.

Malaga $2,969
Sabadell $2,513

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,870 in Malaga versus $3,197 in Sabadell.

Malaga $3,870
Sabadell $3,197

Living in Malaga is roughly 13% more expensive than in Sabadell, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Malaga 53% above, Sabadell 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.94 €15.06

$14.34 €12.76

18.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.2 €59.8

$55.3 €49.16

21.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.40 €11.03

$9.97 €8.87

24.37%

Cappuccino

$2.64 €2.35

$2.40 €2.14

10.00%

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

$2.76 €2.46

$2.41 €2.14

14.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.01 €1.79

$1.89 €1.68

6.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.32 €2.95

$3.35 €2.98

-0.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.03

$3.37 €3.00

34.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 €1.05

$1.15 €1.03

2.61%

White Bread (500g)

$1.50 €1.33

$2.09 €1.86

-28.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.40 €1.24

30.00%

Eggs

$3.42 €3.05

$3.09 €2.75

10.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.20 €13.52

$14.79 €13.16

2.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.96 €7.08

$8.59 €7.64

-7.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.25 €13.57

$19.86 €17.66

-23.21%

Apples (1kg)

$2.51 €2.23

$2.50 €2.23

0.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 €1.73

$2.06 €1.83

-5.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.70 €1.52

$2.58 €2.30

-34.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.45 €2.18

$2.48 €2.20

-1.21%

Potato (1kg)

$1.56 €1.39

$1.83 €1.63

-14.75%

Onion (1kg)

$2.14 €1.91

$2.06 €1.83

3.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.21 €1.08

$1.52 €1.35

-20.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 €0.60

$0.95 €0.84

-29.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.82 €6.07

$6.80 €6.05

0.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.91 €6.14

$5.53 €4.92

24.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 €1.06

$1.14 €1.01

4.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 €2.10

$2.40 €2.13

-1.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.60 €1.43

$2.40 €2.13

-33.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.41 €23.50

$23.16 €20.61

14.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.87 €1.66

$3.15 €2.80

-40.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.23 €1.10

$1.34 €1.20

-8.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.95 €19.52

$23.93 €21.29

-8.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.60

$1.77 €1.57

1.69%

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

$34.1K €30.3K

$33.3K €29.6K

2.49%

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

$31.2K €27.7K

$29.0K €25.8K

7.45%

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

$161 €143

$127 €113

26.70%

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

$10.50 €9.34

$13.65 €12.14

-23.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.58 €21.87

$33.43 €29.74

-26.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.27 €37.60

$30.56 €27.19

38.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.79 €15.82

$8.49 €7.55

109.54%

Cinema Ticket

$9.47 €8.43

$10.07 €8.96

-5.96%

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

$843 €750

$505 €449

67.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,859 €8,769

$10.0K €8,898

-1.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.6 €80.6

$78.7 €70.0

15.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.67 €35.28

$34.25 €30.47

15.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.9 €74.7

$107 €95.2

-21.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 €93.6

$90.1 €80.1

16.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,458 €1,297

$1,012 €900

44.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,107 €985

$914 €813

21.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,556 €2,274

$1,443 €1,283

77.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,643 €1,461

$1,091 €971

50.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,083 €4,521

$3,477 €3,093

46.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,889 €2,570

$2,574 €2,290

12.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,914 €1,702

$2,163 €1,924

-11.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.3

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

Last update for Malaga: October 18, 2026

Last update for Sabadell: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Malaga

$1.1K 53.6%

Sabadell

$914 50% 17.5% $194

Groceries & Markets

Malaga

$269 13%

Sabadell

$293 16.1% 9.3% $25

Eating Out

Malaga

$249 12.1%

Sabadell

$214 11.7% 14% $35

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Malaga

$196 9.5%

Sabadell

$174 9.5% 11.2% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Malaga

$144 7%

Sabadell

$140 7.6% 2.9% $4.2

Sport & Entertainment

Malaga

$61 3%

Sabadell

$51 2.8% 17.2% $11

Getting Around

Malaga

$41 2%

Sabadell

$43 2.3% 4.3% $1.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,458 in Malaga and $1,012 in Sabadell. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sabadell pays 13% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $67.0 in Malaga vs $55.0 in Sabadell. Groceries flip the comparison at $269 vs $293, with Malaga cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Malaga

🇪🇸 Sabadell

🕒 Local time

12:16 12:16 PM

Same time as Malaga

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

586,384

218,300

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Malaga Sabadell 780 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Malaga
Sabadell

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 Sabadell: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Malaga and Sabadell differ by about 13% in total monthly costs ($2,067 vs $1,828 including rent). Sabadell is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 13% lower in Sabadell. 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: $1,458 in Malaga versus $1,012 in Sabadell. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,067 per month in Malaga versus $1,828 in Sabadell – a 13% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Sabadell runs roughly 14% less than in Malaga. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,828 in Sabadell versus $2,067 in Malaga, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Sabadell but tight or insufficient in Malaga. The gap between the two cities makes Sabadell the clear choice for anyone on this 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 Sabadell 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 Sabadell gentler on the wallet – expenses run 13% less than in Malaga. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.