This post summarizes how much it costs to live in Malaga, Spain in June 2024. We’re a Canadian couple from Toronto, Canada who have the Youth Mobility Visa, and we’ve decided to live in Malaga for one year because of the sunny coast, mild winter, and lower(ish) cost of living.
According to Numbeo, Malaga’s cost of living is ~37% less than in Toronto, Canada. We personally haven’t seen that much of a cost savings yet (perhaps we’re just very expensive people?) but we certainly aren’t spending the same amount as we did while living in Downtown Toronto in our own separate condos in Liberty Village and on Queen West.
Who are are: We have no kids, no mortgage, and we’re both entrepreneurs that run our businesses remotely. Travel and spending money on great experiences is a priority for us right now.
Here’s how much we spent living in Malaga, Spain in June 2024:
| Expense | Amount Spent (in €) | Context |
|---|---|---|
| Rent (2 bd/2 bath, fully furnished, city center) | €1450 | Also includes internet, water, and electricity. We were previously spending around €1592 per month while living in an Airbnb in the most central area of the city, but we recently moved into a regular apartment that’s double the size AND cheaper! It’s only about a 12 minute walk away from Centro. |
| Restaurants & Takeout | €576 | Compared to April’s cost of €938 |
| Groceries | €548 | Compared to April’s cost of €572 |
| Spanish Classes | FREE | I’ve partnered with a local Spanish school and they provide me with free classes in exchange for content promoting their school. My partner is not currently taking Spanish classes. |
| Transportation | €213 | A few Ubers (mostly taken during peak periods where costs tend to surge) |
| Mobile Phones x 2 | €60 | Unlimited calls + 160GB each |
| Personal Care & Pharmacy | €368 | My nails (€73 for a gel pedicure, refill, and design), my braids (€150 for shoulder length goddess braids), my partner’s haircut, health supplements, etc. |
| Shopping | €277 | I bought a few linen pieces from my current fave store “Oysho” |
| Gym Membership x 2 | €60 | Unlimited visits |
| Home Goods | €25 | A few things for our new home such as air fryer liners, a strainer, etc. |
| Danica's Barcelona Trip | €700 | Will not be included in overall total. Details below. |
Total Spent: €3,577 / $5,257 CAD / $3,860 USD (down €973 from March’s €4550 which you can view here). We travelled quite extensively in both April (to Canada) and May (to Thailand) so there are now reports for those months.
Not included in the total budget: A few friends from Canada came to visit me in Spain and we explored Barcelona, Cordoba, and Granada together for about 6 days. We ate out for every meal and took a mix of planes, trains, and busses to get around. We also spent money on tickets to get into attractions such as the Alhambra in Granada, and the famous Mosque-Cathedral in Cordoba. The total for my trip was ~€700.
I did not include this in the overall total because 1) my partner did not join me on this trip, and 2) it takes away from a true understanding of what it costs to live in Malaga as travel like this isn’t entirely necessary.
I make all of my purchases here in Spain on my Wise card. It helps me save on currency conversion fees, and is super convenient! It also rounds up and categorizes all of my monthly spending, which makes life way easier to create blog posts like this for readers like you! Get your Wise card here (affiliate link).
What do you think about our overall spending in Malaga? Does the cost of living appear to be more or less than where you currently live? Let me know in the comments below!
