Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Malaga and Terrassa

For one person, living is cheaper in Terrassa: $1,490 a month against $2,055 in Malaga, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Malaga outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

99

Cost of Living Index in Malaga
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Malaga Living Index
72

Cost of Living Index in Terrassa
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Terrassa Living Index

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Malaga

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,055

/mo nomad

Terrassa

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,490

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Malaga and in Terrassa

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,055 in Malaga versus $1,490 in Terrassa.

Malaga $2,055
Terrassa $1,490

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,939 in Malaga versus $2,305 in Terrassa.

Malaga $2,939
Terrassa $2,305

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,823 in Malaga versus $3,120 in Terrassa.

Malaga $3,823
Terrassa $3,120

Living in Malaga is roughly 38% more expensive than in Terrassa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Malaga 51% above, Terrassa 10% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.82 €15.07

$14.30 €12.81

17.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.1 €61.0

$54.9 €49.19

24.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.06 €10.80

$12.15 €10.88

-0.74%

Cappuccino

$2.64 €2.36

$2.63 €2.36

0.38%

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

$2.69 €2.41

$2.31 €2.07

16.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 €1.87

$1.78 €1.59

17.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 €3.06

$3.43 €3.07

-0.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.42 €3.96

$4.56 €4.09

-3.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.22 €1.09

$1.09 €0.98

11.93%

White Bread (500g)

$1.42 €1.27

$1.50 €1.35

-5.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.81 €1.62

$1.82 €1.63

-0.55%

Eggs

$3.42 €3.06

$3.77 €3.37

-9.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.35 €13.75

$14.51 €13.00

5.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.84 €7.02

$8.96 €8.03

-12.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.02 €13.45

$19.90 €17.82

-24.52%

Apples (1kg)

$2.49 €2.23

$2.55 €2.28

-2.35%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 €1.75

$1.95 €1.75

0.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.76 €1.58

$1.60 €1.43

10.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.42 €2.17

$2.72 €2.44

-11.03%

Potato (1kg)

$1.55 €1.39

$1.82 €1.63

-14.84%

Onion (1kg)

$2.05 €1.84

$1.94 €1.74

5.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.21 €1.08

$1.45 €1.30

-16.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 €0.63

$0.77 €0.69

-7.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.64 €5.94

$6.84 €6.13

-2.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.52 €5.84

$6.78 €6.07

-3.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 €1.02

$1.45 €1.30

-21.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 €2.02

$2.44 €2.18

-7.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.55 €1.39

$1.65 €1.48

-6.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.32 €23.57

$22.11 €19.80

19.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.90 €1.71

$3.14 €2.82

-39.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.22 €1.09

$1.44 €1.29

-15.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.91 €19.62

$14.74 €13.20

48.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.77 €1.58

$1.76 €1.57

0.57%

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

$33.5K €30.0K

$32.1K €28.7K

4.46%

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

$31.6K €28.3K

$31.5K €28.2K

0.27%

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

$162 €145

$117 €105

39.10%

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

$10.59 €9.48

$13.78 €12.34

-23.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.04 €21.53

$33.86 €30.33

-29.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.73 €35.58

$33.63 €30.11

18.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.81 €15.95

Cinema Ticket

$9.73 €8.71

$10.39 €9.31

-6.35%

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

$864 €773

$439 €393

96.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,940 €8,902

$9,886 €8,853

0.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.5 €80.2

$63.0 €56.5

42.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.99 €34.92

$21.32 €19.09

82.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.3 €75.5

$105 €93.7

-19.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 €95.7

$121 €108

-11.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,439 €1,289

$822 €736

75.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,101 €986

$577 €517

90.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,373 €2,125

$1,114 €998

112.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,602 €1,435

$1,023 €917

56.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,065 €4,536

$2,795 €2,503

81.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,151 €2,822

$2,136 €1,913

47.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,902 €1,703

$2,234 €2,001

-14.86%

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 25, 2026

Last update for Terrassa: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Malaga

$1.1K 53.6%

Terrassa

$577 38.7% 47.6% $524

Groceries & Markets

Malaga

$266 13%

Terrassa

$291 19.5% 9.2% $25

Eating Out

Malaga

$247 12%

Terrassa

$225 15.1% 9.1% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Malaga

$197 9.6%

Terrassa

$164 11% 16.6% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Malaga

$144 7%

Terrassa

$139 9.4% 3.1% $4.5

Sport & Entertainment

Malaga

$59 2.9%

Terrassa

$54 3.7% 8.1% $4.8

Getting Around

Malaga

$41 2%

Terrassa

$39 2.6% 3.7% $1.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,439 in Malaga and $822 in Terrassa. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Terrassa pays 17% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $68 in Malaga vs $55 in Terrassa. Groceries flip the comparison at $266 vs $291, with Malaga cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Malaga

🇪🇸 Terrassa

🕒 Local time

21:18 9:18 PM

Same time as Malaga

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

586,384

225,277

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Malaga Terrassa 770 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Malaga
Terrassa

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 Terrassa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,055 in Malaga and $1,490 in Terrassa, so Terrassa is about 27% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 15% 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 $822 in Terrassa. 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 $1,490 in Terrassa – Terrassa is about 27% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Terrassa runs roughly 16% less than in Malaga. 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 Terrassa are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.