Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Sebastian and Malaga

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

100

Cost of Living Index in San Sebastian
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San Sebastian Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Malaga
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Malaga Living Index

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San Sebastian

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,066

/mo nomad

Malaga

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,055

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in San Sebastian 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 San Sebastian and in Malaga actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

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

San Sebastian $2,066
Malaga $2,055

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

San Sebastian $3,076
Malaga $2,939

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

San Sebastian $4,086
Malaga $3,823

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.85 €16.88

$16.82 €15.07

12.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.9 €55.5

$68.1 €61.0

-9.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.78 €9.65

$12.06 €10.80

-10.61%

Cappuccino

$2.31 €2.07

$2.64 €2.36

-12.50%

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

$2.84 €2.54

$2.69 €2.41

5.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 €1.46

$2.09 €1.87

-22.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 €2.94

$3.42 €3.06

-4.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 €3.31

$4.42 €3.96

-16.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 €1.06

$1.22 €1.09

-3.28%

White Bread (500g)

$1.12 €1.01

$1.42 €1.27

-21.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.84 €1.65

$1.81 €1.62

1.66%

Eggs

$3.62 €3.24

$3.42 €3.06

5.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$22.61 €20.25

$15.35 €13.75

47.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.91 €7.08

$7.84 €7.02

0.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.65 €18.49

$15.02 €13.45

37.48%

Apples (1kg)

$2.50 €2.24

$2.49 €2.23

0.40%

Banana (1kg)

$2.76 €2.47

$1.96 €1.75

40.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.30 €2.96

$1.76 €1.58

87.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.92 €2.62

$2.42 €2.17

20.66%

Potato (1kg)

$2.60 €2.33

$1.55 €1.39

67.74%

Onion (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$2.05 €1.84

-0.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 €1.07

$1.21 €1.08

-1.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 €0.92

$0.71 €0.63

45.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.79 €6.08

$6.64 €5.94

2.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.36 €6.59

$6.52 €5.84

12.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 €1.54

$1.14 €1.02

50.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 €1.58

$2.26 €2.02

-21.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.16 €1.93

$1.55 €1.39

39.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$33.69 €30.17

$26.32 €23.57

28.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.82 €6.11

$1.90 €1.71

258.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.89 €0.79

$1.22 €1.09

-27.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.07 €19.77

$21.91 €19.62

0.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.70 €1.52

$1.77 €1.58

-3.95%

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

$35.2K €31.5K

$33.5K €30.0K

5.13%

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

$31.0K €27.8K

$31.6K €28.3K

-1.72%

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

$136 €122

$162 €145

-16.31%

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

$25.48 €22.82

$10.59 €9.48

140.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.61 €31.89

$24.04 €21.53

48.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.24 €37.83

$39.73 €35.58

6.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.49 €17.45

$17.81 €15.95

9.43%

Cinema Ticket

$8.51 €7.62

$9.73 €8.71

-12.54%

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

$454 €406

$864 €773

-47.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.0K €12.5K

$9,940 €8,902

40.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €90.1

$89.5 €80.2

12.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.72 €29.31

$38.99 €34.92

-16.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 €66.4

$84.3 €75.5

-12.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 €119

$107 €95.7

23.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,470 €1,316

$1,439 €1,289

2.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,024 €917

$1,101 €986

-7.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,371 €2,123

$2,373 €2,125

-0.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,671 €1,497

$1,602 €1,435

4.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,813 €8,789

$5,065 €4,536

93.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,360 €4,800

$3,151 €2,822

70.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,011 €2,696

$1,902 €1,703

58.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.92

3.3

-11.52%

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

Last update for San Sebastian: October 26, 2026

Last update for Malaga: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Sebastian

$1K 49.6%

Malaga

$1.1K 53.6% 7.5% $77

Groceries & Markets

San Sebastian

$327 15.8%

Malaga

$266 13% 18.5% $61

Eating Out

San Sebastian

$253 12.2%

Malaga

$247 12% 2% $5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Sebastian

$197 9.5%

Malaga

$197 9.6% 0% $0

Clothing & Footwear

San Sebastian

$153 7.4%

Malaga

$144 7% 5.9% $9

Sport & Entertainment

San Sebastian

$59 2.9%

Malaga

$59 2.9% 0.1% $0.1

Getting Around

San Sebastian

$54 2.6%

Malaga

$41 2% 24.4% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,470 in San Sebastian and $1,439 in Malaga. 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: $62 in San Sebastian vs $68 in Malaga. Groceries flip the comparison at $327 vs $266, with Malaga cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 San Sebastian

🇪🇸 Malaga

🕒 Local time

01:07 1:07 AM

Same time as San Sebastian

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

188,743

586,384

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

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

From you

San Sebastian
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

San Sebastian vs Malaga: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Average pay runs 58% higher in San Sebastian, 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: $1,470 in San Sebastian versus $1,439 in Malaga. 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, San Sebastian and Malaga 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.