Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sabadell and Malaga

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.

88

Cost of Living Index in Sabadell
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Sabadell Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Malaga
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Malaga Living Index

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Sabadell

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,828

/mo nomad

Malaga

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,067

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sabadell and in Malaga

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Sabadell and in Malaga actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

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

Sabadell $1,828
Malaga $2,067

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

Sabadell $2,513
Malaga $2,969

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

Sabadell $3,197
Malaga $3,870

Living in Sabadell costs roughly 12% less than in Malaga, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.34 €12.76

$16.94 €15.06

-15.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.3 €49.16

$67.2 €59.8

-17.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.97 €8.87

$12.40 €11.03

-19.60%

Cappuccino

$2.40 €2.14

$2.64 €2.35

-9.09%

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

$2.41 €2.14

$2.76 €2.46

-12.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.68

$2.01 €1.79

-5.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.35 €2.98

$3.32 €2.95

0.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 €3.00

$4.53 €4.03

-25.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 €1.03

$1.18 €1.05

-2.54%

White Bread (500g)

$2.09 €1.86

$1.50 €1.33

39.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.40 €1.24

$1.82 €1.62

-23.08%

Eggs

$3.09 €2.75

$3.42 €3.05

-9.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.79 €13.16

$15.20 €13.52

-2.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.59 €7.64

$7.96 €7.08

7.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.86 €17.66

$15.25 €13.57

30.23%

Apples (1kg)

$2.50 €2.23

$2.51 €2.23

-0.40%

Banana (1kg)

$2.06 €1.83

$1.95 €1.73

5.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.58 €2.30

$1.70 €1.52

51.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.48 €2.20

$2.45 €2.18

1.22%

Potato (1kg)

$1.83 €1.63

$1.56 €1.39

17.31%

Onion (1kg)

$2.06 €1.83

$2.14 €1.91

-3.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 €1.35

$1.21 €1.08

25.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 €0.84

$0.67 €0.60

41.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.80 €6.05

$6.82 €6.07

-0.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.53 €4.92

$6.91 €6.14

-19.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 €1.01

$1.19 €1.06

-4.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 €2.13

$2.36 €2.10

1.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.40 €2.13

$1.60 €1.43

50.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$23.16 €20.61

$26.41 €23.50

-12.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.15 €2.80

$1.87 €1.66

68.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.34 €1.20

$1.23 €1.10

8.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.93 €21.29

$21.95 €19.52

9.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.77 €1.57

$1.80 €1.60

-1.67%

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

$33.3K €29.6K

$34.1K €30.3K

-2.43%

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

$29.0K €25.8K

$31.2K €27.7K

-6.93%

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

$127 €113

$161 €143

-21.07%

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

$13.65 €12.14

$10.50 €9.34

30.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.43 €29.74

$24.58 €21.87

36.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.56 €27.19

$42.27 €37.60

-27.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.49 €7.55

$17.79 €15.82

-52.28%

Cinema Ticket

$10.07 €8.96

$9.47 €8.43

6.34%

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

$505 €449

$843 €750

-40.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.0K €8,898

$9,859 €8,769

1.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.7 €70.0

$90.6 €80.6

-13.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.25 €30.47

$39.67 €35.28

-13.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 €95.2

$83.9 €74.7

27.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.1 €80.1

$105 €93.6

-14.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 €900

$1,458 €1,297

-30.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$914 €813

$1,107 €985

-17.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,443 €1,283

$2,556 €2,274

-43.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,091 €971

$1,643 €1,461

-33.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,477 €3,093

$5,083 €4,521

-31.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,574 €2,290

$2,889 €2,570

-10.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,163 €1,924

$1,914 €1,702

13.03%

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 Sabadell: October 17, 2026

Last update for Malaga: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sabadell

$914 50%

Malaga

$1.1K 53.6% 21.2% $194

Groceries & Markets

Sabadell

$293 16.1%

Malaga

$269 13% 8.5% $25

Eating Out

Sabadell

$214 11.7%

Malaga

$249 12.1% 16.3% $35

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sabadell

$174 9.5%

Malaga

$196 9.5% 12.6% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Sabadell

$140 7.6%

Malaga

$144 7% 3% $4.2

Sport & Entertainment

Sabadell

$51 2.8%

Malaga

$61 3% 20.7% $11

Getting Around

Sabadell

$43 2.3%

Malaga

$41 2% 4.2% $1.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,012 in Sabadell and $1,458 in Malaga. 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: $55.0 in Sabadell vs $67.0 in Malaga. Groceries flip the comparison at $293 vs $269, with Malaga cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Sabadell

🇪🇸 Malaga

🕒 Local time

06:49 6:49 AM

Same time as Sabadell

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

218,300

586,384

💱 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

Sabadell Malaga 780 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Sabadell
Malaga

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

Sabadell vs Malaga: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

Average pay runs 13% higher in Sabadell, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,012 in Sabadell versus $1,458 in Malaga. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,828 per month in Sabadell versus $2,067 in Malaga – 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, Sabadell and Malaga 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.