Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Cruz de Tenerife and Fuengirola

For one person, living is cheaper in Fuengirola: $1,702 a month against $2,048 in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

99

Cost of Living Index in Santa Cruz de Tenerife
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Santa Cruz de Tenerife Living Index
81

Cost of Living Index in Fuengirola
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Fuengirola Living Index

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Santa Cruz de Tenerife

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,048

/mo nomad

Fuengirola

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,702

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Santa Cruz de Tenerife and in Fuengirola

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

A single person spends $2,048 per month in Santa Cruz de Tenerife vs $1,702 in Fuengirola, rent included.

Santa Cruz de Tenerife $2,048
Fuengirola $1,702

A couple spends around $2,946 per month in Santa Cruz de Tenerife vs $2,554 in Fuengirola, rent included.

Santa Cruz de Tenerife $2,946
Fuengirola $2,554

A family of three spends $3,845 per month in Santa Cruz de Tenerife vs $3,407 in Fuengirola, rent included.

Santa Cruz de Tenerife $3,845
Fuengirola $3,407

Santa Cruz de Tenerife costs about 20% more than Fuengirola, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Santa Cruz de Tenerife and Fuengirola sit above the global median – Santa Cruz de Tenerife by 50%, Fuengirola by 25%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.33 €18.26

$15.83 €14.22

28.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.8 €54.6

$68.1 €61.2

-10.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.00 €9.88

$10.01 €8.99

9.89%

Cappuccino

$1.99 €1.79

$2.68 €2.41

-25.75%

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

$1.87 €1.68

$2.43 €2.19

-23.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.24 €1.11

$1.99 €1.79

-37.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.81 €2.53

$3.38 €3.04

-16.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.28 €2.95

$4.35 €3.91

-24.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 €1.24

$1.22 €1.10

13.11%

White Bread (500g)

$2.46 €2.21

$1.50 €1.34

64.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.59 €1.43

$1.49 €1.34

6.71%

Eggs

$4.13 €3.71

$2.89 €2.60

42.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.32 €17.35

$15.64 €14.05

23.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.01 €8.99

$7.86 €7.06

27.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.56 €15.77

$11.97 €10.75

46.70%

Apples (1kg)

$2.79 €2.50

$2.32 €2.08

20.26%

Banana (1kg)

$2.32 €2.08

$1.96 €1.76

18.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 €1.95

$1.68 €1.51

29.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.57 €2.31

$2.45 €2.20

4.90%

Potato (1kg)

$2.12 €1.90

$1.60 €1.44

32.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 €1.74

$1.58 €1.42

22.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.68 €1.51

$1.21 €1.09

38.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 €0.89

$0.68 €0.61

45.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.60 €5.03

$5.67 €5.10

-1.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.92 €7.11

$6.91 €6.21

14.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 €1.45

$1.03 €0.93

56.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 €1.58

$1.55 €1.39

12.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.37 €1.23

$2.20 €1.97

-37.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.15 €39.66

$11.24 €10.10

292.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.20 €3.78

$1.85 €1.66

127.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.65 €1.48

$1.23 €1.11

34.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.09 €15.35

$22.06 €19.82

-22.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.63 €1.46

$1.75 €1.57

-6.86%

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

$35.7K €32.1K

$33.7K €30.3K

5.94%

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

$31.0K €27.9K

$30.3K €27.2K

2.45%

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

$126 €113

$162 €146

-22.28%

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

$22.43 €20.15

$10.57 €9.50

112.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.25 €31.66

$24.68 €22.17

42.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.22

$45.57 €40.93

12.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.64 €10.45

$33.31 €29.93

-65.06%

Cinema Ticket

$9.74 €8.75

$9.43 €8.47

3.29%

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

$408 €367

$383 €344

6.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,972 €4,466

$10.0K €9,006

-50.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.3 €82.0

$62.2 €55.9

46.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.34 €37.14

$35.46 €31.86

16.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.5 €80.4

$71.2 €64.0

25.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 €102

$81.1 €72.9

40.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,166 €1,047

$1,062 €954

9.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,000 €898

$815 €732

22.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,833 €1,646

$1,760 €1,581

4.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,422 €1,277

$1,321 €1,187

7.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,984 €3,579

$3,565 €3,202

11.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,266 €2,036

$2,700 €2,426

-16.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,852 €1,664

$1,753 €1,575

5.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.56

3.3

7.88%

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

Last update for Santa Cruz de Tenerife: October 26, 2026

Last update for Fuengirola: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santa Cruz de Tenerife

$1,000 48.8%

Fuengirola

$815 47.9% 18.5% $185

Groceries & Markets

Santa Cruz de Tenerife

$328 16%

Fuengirola

$252 14.8% 23% $75

Eating Out

Santa Cruz de Tenerife

$253 12.3%

Fuengirola

$232 13.6% 8.1% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santa Cruz de Tenerife

$184 9%

Fuengirola

$197 11.6% 7.5% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Santa Cruz de Tenerife

$151 7.4%

Fuengirola

$112 6.6% 25.6% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Santa Cruz de Tenerife

$71 3.5%

Fuengirola

$64 3.8% 9.2% $6.5

Getting Around

Santa Cruz de Tenerife

$62 3%

Fuengirola

$28 1.7% 54.8% $34

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,166 in Santa Cruz de Tenerife versus $1,062 in Fuengirola. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 6% higher in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61 in Santa Cruz de Tenerife versus $68 in Fuengirola. Groceries tell a different story – $328 in Santa Cruz de Tenerife vs $252 in Fuengirola – so Fuengirola wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Santa Cruz de Tenerife

🇪🇸 Fuengirola

🕒 Local time

16:10 4:10 PM

17:10 5:10 PM

1 h ahead of Santa Cruz de Tenerife

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

209,395

85,598

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

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Between locations

Santa Cruz de Tenerife Fuengirola 1,410 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Santa Cruz de Tenerife
Fuengirola

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

Santa Cruz de Tenerife vs Fuengirola: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,048 in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, $1,702 in Fuengirola – roughly 20% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,072 per month in Santa Cruz de Tenerife and $2,552 in Fuengirola. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $1,166 in Santa Cruz de Tenerife and $1,062 in Fuengirola. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Kindergarten costs $408 per month in Santa Cruz de Tenerife and $383 in Fuengirola. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 30% more in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $2,048 in Santa Cruz de Tenerife and $1,702 in Fuengirola, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Fuengirola – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Fuengirola. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Santa Cruz de Tenerife makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.