Cost of living comparison
compared to
Madrid vs. Malaga Cost of Living Summary
Madrid is 21.8% more expensive than Malaga.
- Restaurants
-
pay 16.8% more in Madrid
- Groceries
-
pay 15.2% more in Madrid
- Transportation
-
pay 23.3% more in Madrid
- Housing
-
pay 30.0% more in Madrid
- Childcare
-
pay 33.8% more in Madrid
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 16.7% more in Madrid
- Clothing
-
pay 16.6% more in Madrid
The cost of childcare, housing, transportation, restaurants, entertainment and sports, and clothing in Madrid are more expensive than in Malaga.
Madrid vs. Malaga Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Madrid instead of Malaga, you would:
pay 16.8% more for restaurants
|
Malaga
|
Madrid
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$16.94
€14.43
|
$18.10
€15.42
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$9.34
€7.96
|
$11.68
€9.95
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.54
€2.17
|
$3.13
€2.67
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.96
€1.67
|
$2.19
€1.87
|
|
Malaga vs. Madrid - Cost of restaurants
Improve prices ·
Change currency (USD)
pay 15.2% more for groceries
|
Malaga
|
Madrid
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.56
€1.33
|
$1.71
€1.46
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$8.05
€6.86
|
$7.25
€6.17
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.60
€3.92
|
$4.61
€3.93
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$2.60
€2.21
|
$3.36
€2.86
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$3.36
€2.87
|
$4.05
€3.45
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.09
€0.93
|
$1.18
€1.00
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.87
€0.74
|
$1.02
€0.87
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$0.76
€0.65
|
$1.19
€1.02
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.17
€1.00
|
$1.26
€1.07
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.82
€0.70
|
$0.94
€0.80
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.89
€0.76
|
$1.01
€0.86
|
|
Malaga vs. Madrid - Cost of groceries
Improve prices ·
Change currency (USD)
pay 23.3% more for transportation
|
Malaga
|
Madrid
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$6.79
€5.78
|
$7.08
€6.03
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$29.75
€25.35
|
$45.84
€39.06
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$38,969.97
€33,202.65
|
$38,541.72
€32,837.78
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$11.94
€10.17
|
$16.23
€13.83
|
|
Malaga vs. Madrid - Cost of transportation
Improve prices ·
Change currency (USD)
pay 30.0% more for housing
|
Malaga
|
Madrid
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$28.30
€24.11
|
$34.54
€29.43
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,231.26
€1,049.04
|
$1,540.98
€1,312.93
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$883.29
€752.57
|
$1,118.82
€953.24
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$105.08
€89.53
|
$153.78
€131.02
|
|
Malaga vs. Madrid - Cost of housing
Improve prices ·
Change currency (USD)
pay 33.8% more for childcare
|
Malaga
|
Madrid
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$481.21
€410.00
|
$673.20
€573.57
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$10,278.31
€8,757.18
|
$13,119.76
€11,178.11
|
|
Malaga vs. Madrid - Cost of childcare
Improve prices ·
Change currency (USD)
pay 16.7% more for entertainment and sports
|
Malaga
|
Madrid
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$3.50
€2.99
|
$4.50
€3.83
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$2.45
€2.09
|
$3.20
€2.73
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$6.51
€5.55
|
$7.01
€5.97
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$48.33
€41.17
|
$51.05
€43.50
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$10.51
€8.96
|
$11.68
€9.95
|
|
Malaga vs. Madrid - Cost of entertainment and sports
Improve prices ·
Change currency (USD)
pay 16.6% more for clothing
|
Malaga
|
Madrid
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$76.89
€65.51
|
$98.88
€84.25
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$37.38
€31.84
|
$41.27
€35.16
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$89.55
€76.29
|
$107.49
€91.58
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$116.80
€99.51
|
$125.44
€106.87
|
|
Malaga vs. Madrid - Cost of clothing
Improve prices ·
Change currency (USD)
The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you.
We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world.
Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: December 2025
Change currency:
Help us improve these prices
MyLifeElsewhere is a collaborative project. Please enter price information for your location to help assist us in making these comparisons more accurate.
Learn more
ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY
Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Madrid or Malaga. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.