Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Cruz de Tenerife and Malaga

For one person, living costs are similar in Santa Cruz de Tenerife and in Malaga: $2,048 and $2,055 a month, rent and utilities included.

99

Cost of Living Index in Santa Cruz de Tenerife
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Santa Cruz de Tenerife Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Malaga
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Malaga Living Index

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Santa Cruz de Tenerife

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,048

/mo nomad

Malaga

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,055

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Santa Cruz de Tenerife 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 Santa Cruz de Tenerife and in Malaga actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,048 in Santa Cruz de Tenerife versus $2,055 in Malaga.

Santa Cruz de Tenerife $2,048
Malaga $2,055

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,946 in Santa Cruz de Tenerife versus $2,939 in Malaga.

Santa Cruz de Tenerife $2,946
Malaga $2,939

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,845 in Santa Cruz de Tenerife versus $3,823 in Malaga.

Santa Cruz de Tenerife $3,845
Malaga $3,823

Monthly costs are close between Santa Cruz de Tenerife and Malaga; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Santa Cruz de Tenerife 50% above, Malaga 51% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.33 €18.20

$16.82 €15.07

20.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.8 €54.4

$68.1 €61.0

-10.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.00 €9.85

$12.06 €10.80

-8.79%

Cappuccino

$1.99 €1.79

$2.64 €2.36

-24.62%

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

$1.87 €1.67

$2.69 €2.41

-30.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.24 €1.11

$2.09 €1.87

-40.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.81 €2.52

$3.42 €3.06

-17.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.28 €2.94

$4.42 €3.96

-25.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 €1.24

$1.22 €1.09

13.11%

White Bread (500g)

$2.46 €2.20

$1.42 €1.27

73.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.59 €1.42

$1.81 €1.62

-12.15%

Eggs

$4.13 €3.70

$3.42 €3.06

20.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.32 €17.30

$15.35 €13.75

25.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.01 €8.97

$7.84 €7.02

27.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.56 €15.73

$15.02 €13.45

16.91%

Apples (1kg)

$2.79 €2.50

$2.49 €2.23

12.05%

Banana (1kg)

$2.32 €2.08

$1.96 €1.75

18.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 €1.95

$1.76 €1.58

23.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.57 €2.31

$2.42 €2.17

6.20%

Potato (1kg)

$2.12 €1.90

$1.55 €1.39

36.77%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 €1.73

$2.05 €1.84

-5.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.68 €1.51

$1.21 €1.08

38.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 €0.88

$0.71 €0.63

39.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.60 €5.02

$6.64 €5.94

-15.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.92 €7.09

$6.52 €5.84

21.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 €1.44

$1.14 €1.02

41.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 €1.57

$2.26 €2.02

-22.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.55 €1.39

-11.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.15 €39.54

$26.32 €23.57

67.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.20 €3.76

$1.90 €1.71

121.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.65 €1.48

$1.22 €1.09

35.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.09 €15.31

$21.91 €19.62

-22.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.63 €1.46

$1.77 €1.58

-7.91%

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

$35.7K €32.0K

$33.5K €30.0K

6.63%

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

$31.0K €27.8K

$31.6K €28.3K

-1.75%

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

$126 €113

$162 €145

-22.42%

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

$22.43 €20.09

$10.59 €9.48

111.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.25 €31.57

$24.04 €21.53

46.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.08

$39.73 €35.58

29.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.64 €10.42

$17.81 €15.95

-34.64%

Cinema Ticket

$9.74 €8.72

$9.73 €8.71

0.10%

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

$408 €365

$864 €773

-52.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,972 €4,452

$9,940 €8,902

-49.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.3 €81.7

$89.5 €80.2

1.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.34 €37.03

$38.99 €34.92

6.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.5 €80.1

$84.3 €75.5

6.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 €102

$107 €95.7

6.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,166 €1,044

$1,439 €1,289

-19.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,000 €896

$1,101 €986

-9.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,833 €1,641

$2,373 €2,125

-22.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,422 €1,274

$1,602 €1,435

-11.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,984 €3,568

$5,065 €4,536

-21.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,266 €2,029

$3,151 €2,822

-28.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,852 €1,659

$1,902 €1,703

-2.62%

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 Malaga: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santa Cruz de Tenerife

$1,000 48.8%

Malaga

$1.1K 53.6% 10.1% $101

Groceries & Markets

Santa Cruz de Tenerife

$328 16%

Malaga

$266 13% 18.7% $61

Eating Out

Santa Cruz de Tenerife

$253 12.3%

Malaga

$247 12% 2% $5.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santa Cruz de Tenerife

$184 9%

Malaga

$197 9.6% 7.3% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Santa Cruz de Tenerife

$151 7.4%

Malaga

$144 7% 4.8% $7.3

Sport & Entertainment

Santa Cruz de Tenerife

$71 3.5%

Malaga

$59 2.9% 16.6% $12

Getting Around

Santa Cruz de Tenerife

$62 3%

Malaga

$41 2% 34.7% $22

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,166 in Santa Cruz de Tenerife and $1,439 in Malaga. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Malaga pays 3% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $61 in Santa Cruz de Tenerife vs $68 in Malaga. Groceries flip the comparison at $328 vs $266, with Malaga cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Santa Cruz de Tenerife

🇪🇸 Malaga

🕒 Local time

03:55 3:55 AM

04:55 4:55 AM

1 h ahead of Santa Cruz de Tenerife

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

209,395

586,384

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Santa Cruz de Tenerife Malaga 1,440 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Santa Cruz de Tenerife
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

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

On paper, salaries run 3% lower in Santa Cruz de Tenerife. 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: $1,166 in Santa Cruz de Tenerife 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 40% less than in Santa Cruz de Tenerife. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Shoppers in Malaga pay roughly 19% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Either city works on $2,500 a month, though Santa Cruz de Tenerife 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, Santa Cruz de Tenerife and Malaga are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Santa Cruz de Tenerife wins on affordability, Malaga on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.