Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santiago de Compostela and Malaga

For one person, living is cheaper in Santiago de Compostela: $1,443 a month against $2,055 in Malaga, rent and utilities included – about $7,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

69

Cost of Living Index in Santiago de Compostela
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Santiago de Compostela Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Malaga
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Malaga Living Index

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Santiago de Compostela

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,443

/mo nomad

Malaga

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,055

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,443 in Santiago de Compostela versus $2,055 in Malaga.

Santiago de Compostela $1,443
Malaga $2,055

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,226 in Santiago de Compostela versus $2,939 in Malaga.

Santiago de Compostela $2,226
Malaga $2,939

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,008 in Santiago de Compostela versus $3,823 in Malaga.

Santiago de Compostela $3,008
Malaga $3,823

Living in Santiago de Compostela costs roughly 30% less than in Malaga, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Santiago de Compostela 6% above, Malaga 51% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.64 €12.25

$16.82 €15.11

-18.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.6 €60.7

$68.1 €61.2

-0.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.43 €8.47

$12.06 €10.83

-21.81%

Cappuccino

$1.94 €1.74

$2.64 €2.37

-26.52%

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

$2.78 €2.49

$2.69 €2.42

3.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.92

$2.09 €1.88

1.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.96 €2.66

$3.42 €3.07

-13.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.95 €3.55

$4.42 €3.97

-10.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 €1.09

$1.22 €1.10

-0.82%

White Bread (500g)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.42 €1.28

-18.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.34 €1.20

$1.81 €1.63

-25.97%

Eggs

$2.80 €2.52

$3.42 €3.07

-18.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.15 €8.22

$15.35 €13.79

-40.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.75 €6.06

$7.84 €7.04

-13.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.50 €14.82

$15.02 €13.49

9.85%

Apples (1kg)

$2.09 €1.88

$2.49 €2.24

-16.06%

Banana (1kg)

$2.13 €1.91

$1.96 €1.76

8.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.49 €1.34

$1.76 €1.58

-15.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.84 €2.55

$2.42 €2.17

17.36%

Potato (1kg)

$1.98 €1.78

$1.55 €1.39

27.74%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 €1.32

$2.05 €1.84

-28.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 €1.02

$1.21 €1.08

-5.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 €0.74

$0.71 €0.64

16.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.75 €5.17

$6.64 €5.96

-13.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.91 €4.41

$6.52 €5.86

-24.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.43 €1.29

$1.14 €1.02

25.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 €2.13

$2.26 €2.03

4.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.26 €1.13

$1.55 €1.39

-18.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.86 €29.52

$26.32 €23.64

24.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 €4.40

$1.90 €1.71

157.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.22 €1.10

11.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.97 €17.04

$21.91 €19.68

-13.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.77 €1.59

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

$34.9K €31.3K

$33.5K €30.1K

4.08%

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

$29.7K €26.7K

$31.6K €28.4K

-5.94%

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

$152 €137

$162 €146

-6.14%

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

$21.57 €19.37

$10.59 €9.51

103.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.85 €29.51

$24.04 €21.60

36.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.7 €45.55

$39.73 €35.69

27.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$2.27 €2.04

$17.81 €16.00

-87.25%

Cinema Ticket

$10.20 €9.17

$9.73 €8.74

4.83%

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

$335 €301

$864 €776

-61.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,280 €7,438

$9,940 €8,929

-16.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.1 €80.9

$89.5 €80.4

0.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$64.1 €57.6

$38.99 €35.02

64.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €92.1

$84.3 €75.8

21.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.8 €84.3

$107 €96.0

-12.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$739 €664

$1,439 €1,293

-48.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$515 €463

$1,101 €989

-53.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,070 €961

$2,373 €2,132

-54.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$868 €780

$1,602 €1,439

-45.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,100 €2,785

$5,065 €4,550

-38.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,153 €1,934

$3,151 €2,830

-31.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,886 €1,694

$1,902 €1,708

-0.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.96

3.3

-10.30%

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

Last update for Santiago de Compostela: October 25, 2026

Last update for Malaga: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santiago de Compostela

$515 35.7%

Malaga

$1.1K 53.6% 114% $586

Groceries & Markets

Santiago de Compostela

$239 16.6%

Malaga

$266 13% 11.2% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santiago de Compostela

$207 14.3%

Malaga

$197 9.6% 4.7% $9.8

Eating Out

Santiago de Compostela

$203 14.1%

Malaga

$247 12% 22% $45

Clothing & Footwear

Santiago de Compostela

$158 10.9%

Malaga

$144 7% 8.8% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Santiago de Compostela

$71 4.9%

Malaga

$59 2.9% 16.8% $12

Getting Around

Santiago de Compostela

$50 3.4%

Malaga

$41 2% 18.3% $9.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $739 in Santiago de Compostela and $1,439 in Malaga. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $68 in Santiago de Compostela vs $68 in Malaga for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $239 vs $266 per month, with Santiago de Compostela cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Santiago de Compostela

🇪🇸 Malaga

🕒 Local time

17:01 5:01 PM

Same time as Santiago de Compostela

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

98,687

586,384

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Santiago de Compostela Malaga 770 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Santiago de Compostela
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

Santiago de Compostela vs Malaga: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Santiago de Compostela and Malaga differ by about 42% in total monthly costs ($1,443 vs $2,055 including rent). Santiago de Compostela is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $2,164 in Santiago de Compostela and $3,083 in Malaga to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $739 in Santiago de Compostela versus $1,439 in Malaga. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 11% higher in Malaga. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,443 per month in Santiago de Compostela versus $2,055 in Malaga – a 42% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,443 in Santiago de Compostela versus $2,055 in Malaga, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Santiago de Compostela but tight or insufficient in Malaga. The gap between the two cities makes Santiago de Compostela 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, Santiago de Compostela 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.