Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Malaga and Santiago de Compostela

For one person, living is cheaper in Santiago de Compostela: $1,443 a month against $2,055 in Malaga, rent and utilities included – about $7,300 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
69

Cost of Living Index in Santiago de Compostela
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Santiago de Compostela Living Index

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Malaga

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,055

/mo nomad

Santiago de Compostela

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,443

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Malaga and in Santiago de Compostela

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 Santiago de Compostela actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,055 in Malaga versus $1,443 in Santiago de Compostela.

Malaga $2,055
Santiago de Compostela $1,443

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,939 in Malaga versus $2,226 in Santiago de Compostela.

Malaga $2,939
Santiago de Compostela $2,226

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,823 in Malaga versus $3,008 in Santiago de Compostela.

Malaga $3,823
Santiago de Compostela $3,008

Living in Malaga is roughly 42% more expensive than in Santiago de Compostela, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Malaga 51% above, Santiago de Compostela 6% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.82 €15.11

$13.64 €12.25

23.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.1 €61.2

$67.6 €60.7

0.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.06 €10.83

$9.43 €8.47

27.89%

Cappuccino

$2.64 €2.37

$1.94 €1.74

36.08%

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

$2.69 €2.42

$2.78 €2.49

-3.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 €1.88

$2.13 €1.92

-1.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 €3.07

$2.96 €2.66

15.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.42 €3.97

$3.95 €3.55

11.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.22 €1.10

$1.21 €1.09

0.83%

White Bread (500g)

$1.42 €1.28

$1.16 €1.04

22.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.81 €1.63

$1.34 €1.20

35.07%

Eggs

$3.42 €3.07

$2.80 €2.52

22.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.35 €13.79

$9.15 €8.22

67.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.84 €7.04

$6.75 €6.06

16.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.02 €13.49

$16.50 €14.82

-8.97%

Apples (1kg)

$2.49 €2.24

$2.09 €1.88

19.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 €1.76

$2.13 €1.91

-7.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.76 €1.58

$1.49 €1.34

18.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.42 €2.17

$2.84 €2.55

-14.79%

Potato (1kg)

$1.55 €1.39

$1.98 €1.78

-21.72%

Onion (1kg)

$2.05 €1.84

$1.47 €1.32

39.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.21 €1.08

$1.14 €1.02

6.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 €0.64

$0.83 €0.74

-14.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.64 €5.96

$5.75 €5.17

15.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.52 €5.86

$4.91 €4.41

32.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 €1.02

$1.43 €1.29

-20.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 €2.03

$2.37 €2.13

-4.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.55 €1.39

$1.26 €1.13

23.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.32 €23.64

$32.86 €29.52

-19.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.90 €1.71

$4.90 €4.40

-61.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.22 €1.10

$1.36 €1.22

-10.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.91 €19.68

$18.97 €17.04

15.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.77 €1.59

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

$33.5K €30.1K

$34.9K €31.3K

-3.92%

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

$31.6K €28.4K

$29.7K €26.7K

6.32%

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

$162 €146

$152 €137

6.54%

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

$10.59 €9.51

$21.57 €19.37

-50.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.04 €21.60

$32.85 €29.51

-26.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.73 €35.69

$50.7 €45.55

-21.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.81 €16.00

$2.27 €2.04

684.58%

Cinema Ticket

$9.73 €8.74

$10.20 €9.17

-4.61%

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

$864 €776

$335 €301

157.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,940 €8,929

$8,280 €7,438

20.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.5 €80.4

$90.1 €80.9

-0.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.99 €35.02

$64.1 €57.6

-39.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.3 €75.8

$103 €92.1

-17.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 €96.0

$93.8 €84.3

13.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,439 €1,293

$739 €664

94.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,101 €989

$515 €463

113.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,373 €2,132

$1,070 €961

121.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,602 €1,439

$868 €780

84.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,065 €4,550

$3,100 €2,785

63.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,151 €2,830

$2,153 €1,934

46.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,902 €1,708

$1,886 €1,694

0.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.3

2.96

11.49%

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

Last update for Malaga: October 25, 2026

Last update for Santiago de Compostela: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Malaga

$1.1K 53.6%

Santiago de Compostela

$515 35.7% 53.2% $586

Groceries & Markets

Malaga

$266 13%

Santiago de Compostela

$239 16.6% 10.1% $27

Eating Out

Malaga

$247 12%

Santiago de Compostela

$203 14.1% 18% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Malaga

$197 9.6%

Santiago de Compostela

$207 14.3% 5% $9.8

Clothing & Footwear

Malaga

$144 7%

Santiago de Compostela

$158 10.9% 9.6% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Malaga

$59 2.9%

Santiago de Compostela

$71 4.9% 20.2% $12

Getting Around

Malaga

$41 2%

Santiago de Compostela

$50 3.4% 22.4% $9.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,439 in Malaga and $739 in Santiago de Compostela. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $68 in Malaga vs $68 in Santiago de Compostela. Groceries flip the comparison at $266 vs $239, with Santiago de Compostela cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Malaga

🇪🇸 Santiago de Compostela

🕒 Local time

19:06 7:06 PM

Same time as Malaga

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

586,384

98,687

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Malaga Santiago de Compostela 770 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Malaga
Santiago de Compostela

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 Santiago de Compostela: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Malaga and Santiago de Compostela differ by about 42% in total monthly costs ($2,055 vs $1,443 including rent). Santiago de Compostela is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,083 in Malaga and $2,164 in Santiago de Compostela 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 $739 in Santiago de Compostela. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 11% higher in Malaga. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $2,055 per month in Malaga versus $1,443 in Santiago de Compostela – a 42% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,443 in Santiago de Compostela versus $2,055 in Malaga, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Santiago de Compostela but tight or insufficient in Malaga. The gap between the two cities makes Santiago de Compostela 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 Santiago de Compostela are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.