Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Malaga and San Sebastian

For one person, living costs are similar in Malaga and in San Sebastian: $2,055 and $2,066 a month, rent and utilities included.

99

Cost of Living Index in Malaga
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Malaga Living Index
100

Cost of Living Index in San Sebastian
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San Sebastian Living Index

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Malaga

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,055

/mo nomad

San Sebastian

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,066

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Malaga and in San Sebastian

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,055 in Malaga versus $2,066 in San Sebastian.

Malaga $2,055
San Sebastian $2,066

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,939 in Malaga versus $3,076 in San Sebastian.

Malaga $2,939
San Sebastian $3,076

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,823 in Malaga versus $4,086 in San Sebastian.

Malaga $3,823
San Sebastian $4,086

Monthly costs are close between Malaga and San Sebastian; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Malaga 51% above, San Sebastian 52% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.82 €15.07

$18.85 €16.88

-10.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.1 €61.0

$61.9 €55.5

10.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.06 €10.80

$10.78 €9.65

11.87%

Cappuccino

$2.64 €2.36

$2.31 €2.07

14.29%

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

$2.69 €2.41

$2.84 €2.54

-5.28%

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

$3.28 €2.94

4.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.42 €3.96

$3.70 €3.31

19.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.22 €1.09

$1.18 €1.06

3.39%

White Bread (500g)

$1.42 €1.27

$1.12 €1.01

26.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.81 €1.62

$1.84 €1.65

-1.63%

Eggs

$3.42 €3.06

$3.62 €3.24

-5.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.35 €13.75

$22.61 €20.25

-32.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.84 €7.02

$7.91 €7.08

-0.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.02 €13.45

$20.65 €18.49

-27.26%

Apples (1kg)

$2.49 €2.23

$2.50 €2.24

-0.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 €1.75

$2.76 €2.47

-28.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.76 €1.58

$3.30 €2.96

-46.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.42 €2.17

$2.92 €2.62

-17.12%

Potato (1kg)

$1.55 €1.39

$2.60 €2.33

-40.38%

Onion (1kg)

$2.05 €1.84

$2.03 €1.81

0.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.21 €1.08

$1.19 €1.07

1.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 €0.63

$1.03 €0.92

-31.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.64 €5.94

$6.79 €6.08

-2.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.52 €5.84

$7.36 €6.59

-11.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 €1.02

$1.72 €1.54

-33.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 €2.02

$1.77 €1.58

27.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.55 €1.39

$2.16 €1.93

-28.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.32 €23.57

$33.69 €30.17

-21.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.90 €1.71

$6.82 €6.11

-72.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.22 €1.09

$0.89 €0.79

37.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.91 €19.62

$22.07 €19.77

-0.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.77 €1.58

$1.70 €1.52

4.12%

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

$33.5K €30.0K

$35.2K €31.5K

-4.88%

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

$31.6K €28.3K

$31.0K €27.8K

1.75%

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

$162 €145

$136 €122

19.49%

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

$10.59 €9.48

$25.48 €22.82

-58.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.04 €21.53

$35.61 €31.89

-32.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.73 €35.58

$42.24 €37.83

-5.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.81 €15.95

$19.49 €17.45

-8.62%

Cinema Ticket

$9.73 €8.71

$8.51 €7.62

14.34%

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

$864 €773

$454 €406

90.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,940 €8,902

$14.0K €12.5K

-28.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.5 €80.2

$101 €90.1

-10.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.99 €34.92

$32.72 €29.31

19.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.3 €75.5

$74.2 €66.4

13.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 €95.7

$132 €119

-19.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,439 €1,289

$1,470 €1,316

-2.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,101 €986

$1,024 €917

7.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,373 €2,125

$2,371 €2,123

0.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,602 €1,435

$1,671 €1,497

-4.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,065 €4,536

$9,813 €8,789

-48.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,151 €2,822

$5,360 €4,800

-41.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,902 €1,703

$3,011 €2,696

-36.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.3

2.92

13.01%

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

Last update for Malaga: October 25, 2026

Last update for San Sebastian: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Malaga

$1.1K 53.6%

San Sebastian

$1K 49.6% 7% $77

Groceries & Markets

Malaga

$266 13%

San Sebastian

$327 15.8% 22.8% $61

Eating Out

Malaga

$247 12%

San Sebastian

$253 12.2% 2% $5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Malaga

$197 9.6%

San Sebastian

$197 9.5% 0% $0

Clothing & Footwear

Malaga

$144 7%

San Sebastian

$153 7.4% 6.3% $9

Sport & Entertainment

Malaga

$59 2.9%

San Sebastian

$59 2.9% 0.1% $0.1

Getting Around

Malaga

$41 2%

San Sebastian

$54 2.6% 32.2% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,439 in Malaga and $1,470 in San Sebastian. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

San Sebastian pays 58% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $68 in Malaga vs $62 in San Sebastian. Groceries flip the comparison at $266 vs $327, with Malaga cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Malaga

🇪🇸 San Sebastian

🕒 Local time

02:02 2:02 AM

Same time as Malaga

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

586,384

188,743

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Malaga San Sebastian 760 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Malaga
San Sebastian

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 San Sebastian: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

On paper, salaries run 37% lower in Malaga. 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: $1,439 in Malaga versus $1,470 in San Sebastian. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Malaga runs roughly 22% less than in San Sebastian. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Supermarket bills run roughly 23% higher in San Sebastian. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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

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