Cost of Living Comparison Between Malaga and Barcelona 

Indices DifferenceInfo
Cost of Living in Barcelona is 18.8% higher than in Malaga (excluding rent)
Cost of Living Including Rent in Barcelona is 23.0% higher than in Malaga
Rent Prices in Barcelona are 32.6% higher than in Malaga
Restaurant Prices in Barcelona are 21.6% higher than in Malaga
Groceries Prices in Barcelona are 21.9% higher than in Malaga
Local Purchasing Power in Barcelona is 2.6% higher than in Malaga
Currency: Sticky Currency      Switch to metric measurement units
Restaurants
Malaga Edit Barcelona Edit Difference
Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant 12.00 € 15.00 €      +25.0 %
Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course 55.00 € 60.00 €      +9.1 %
McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal) 8.00 € 12.00 €      +50.0 %
Domestic Beer (1 pint draught) 3.00 € 4.00 €      +33.3 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) 3.75 € 4.00 €      +6.7 %
Cappuccino (regular) 2.00 € 2.41 €      +20.5 %
Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle) 2.08 € 2.38 €      +14.3 %
Water (12 oz small bottle) 1.61 € 1.71 €      +6.0 %
Markets
Malaga Edit Barcelona Edit
Milk (regular), (1 gallon) 3.89 € 4.10 €      +5.3 %
Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb) 1.06 € 1.61 €      +51.4 %
Rice (white), (1 lb) 0.67 € 0.77 €      +15.0 %
Eggs (regular) (12) 2.38 € 2.95 €      +23.7 %
Local Cheese (1 lb) 5.94 € 7.40 €      +24.6 %
Chicken Fillets (1 lb) 2.98 € 3.67 €      +23.1 %
Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) 5.51 € 7.38 €      +34.0 %
Apples (1 lb) 1.00 € 1.05 €      +5.3 %
Banana (1 lb) 0.76 € 0.93 €      +23.0 %
Oranges (1 lb) 0.63 € 0.84 €      +32.9 %
Tomato (1 lb) 0.94 € 1.09 €      +16.0 %
Potato (1 lb) 0.72 € 0.79 €      +9.7 %
Onion (1 lb) 0.76 € 0.71 €      -6.4 %
Lettuce (1 head) 1.02 € 1.26 €      +24.4 %
Water (1.5 liter bottle) 0.64 € 0.76 €      +19.8 %
Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range) 4.75 € 6.00 €      +26.3 %
Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle) 1.04 € 1.18 €      +13.8 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) 2.08 € 2.03 €      -2.5 %
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro) 5.57 € 6.00 €      +7.6 %
Transportation
Malaga Edit Barcelona Edit
One-way Ticket (Local Transport) 1.40 € 2.50 €      +78.6 %
Monthly Pass (Regular Price) 25.48 € 25.00 €      -1.9 %
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff) 3.42 € 3.88 €      +13.1 %
Taxi 1 mile (Normal Tariff) 1.72 € 3.42 €      +98.6 %
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff) 19.96 € 25.30 €      +26.8 %
Gasoline (1 gallon) 5.85 € 6.07 €      +3.8 %
Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car) 33,365.00 € 33,365.00 €      0.0 %
Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car) 26,000.00 € 28,250.00 €      +8.7 %
Utilities (Monthly)
Malaga Edit Barcelona Edit
Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment 117.83 € 161.15 €      +36.8 %
Mobile Phone Monthly Plan with Calls and 10GB+ Data 15.14 € 19.47 €      +28.6 %
Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) 25.94 € 32.26 €      +24.4 %
Sports And Leisure
Malaga Edit Barcelona Edit
Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult 41.22 € 50.21 €      +21.8 %
Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend) 14.25 € 18.19 €      +27.6 %
Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat 9.00 € 9.50 €      +5.6 %
Childcare
Malaga Edit Barcelona Edit
Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child 393.33 € 620.59 €      +57.8 %
International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child 8,800.00 € 13,404.29 €      +52.3 %
Clothing And Shoes
Malaga Edit Barcelona Edit
1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar) 69.29 € 73.86 €      +6.6 %
1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...) 34.17 € 31.87 €      -6.7 %
1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range) 76.88 € 89.81 €      +16.8 %
1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes 100.00 € 101.67 €      +1.7 %
Rent Per Month
Malaga Edit Barcelona Edit
Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre 1,036.67 € 1,336.79 €      +29.0 %
Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre 760.00 € 1,056.51 €      +39.0 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre 1,780.00 € 2,362.37 €      +32.7 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre 1,326.92 € 1,746.10 €      +31.6 %
Buy Apartment Price
Malaga Edit Barcelona Edit
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre 497.70 € 511.12 €      +2.7 %
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre 430.45 € 375.98 €      -12.7 %
Salaries And Financing
Malaga Edit Barcelona Edit
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax) 1,465.96 € 1,851.33 €      +26.3 %
Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate 3.46 3.39      -2.0 %
Last update: 21 June 202519 June 2025
Contributors in the past 12 months:75340