# Malaga — relocation profile

Malaga, Spain · Full democracy · livability 71/100

## At a glance

- **Country:** Spain
- **Region:** Europe
- **Estimated monthly cost of living (solo, renting in the centre):** $3,101/month
- **Livability score:** 71 / 100 (rank 58 of 132 Townleap cities)
- **Settler safety score:** 86 / 100 (rank 29 of 132)
- **Cost vs New York City:** 62% cheaper
- **Also appears in:** Beach Life, Lowest Crime, Budget Maximizers, European Dream, Sun + Beach, Rising Stars, Fresh Start Cities, Hidden Gems, Family-Friendly Cities, English-Friendly Cities, Retire Abroad, Warm & Affordable Europe, Young Professionals, Free Societies, Strong Democracy, Queer Settlers, Leaving the UK, Freelance-Friendly, Mediterranean Lifestyle

## Cost of living

| Item | USD / month |
| --- | --- |
| Rent — 1-bed, city centre | $1,392 |
| Rent — 1-bed, outside centre | $1,008 |
| Rent — 3-bed, city centre | $2,340 |
| Average net salary (after tax) | $1,864 |
| **Total monthly cost (solo, rent included)** | **$3,101** |

One-off cost to land (deposit, agency fee, furnishing, first admin): $6,743.

Reference point: 17% cheaper than Barcelona.

## Settling

- **Democracy index (EIU, 0–10):** 8.1
- **Regime type:** Full democracy
- **Homicide rate:** 0.6 per 100,000/year
- **Time to permanent residency:** 5 years
- **Time to citizenship:** 10 years
- **English proficiency:** Moderate (EF EPI 540)
- **Main languages:** Spanish

## Day to day

- **Summer (low–high):** 20–29°C
- **Winter (low–high):** 8–17°C
- **Healthcare index (0–100):** 84.2
- **Natural features:** sea

## Economy

- **GDP per capita:** $57,965 (2024, country-level)
- **Inflation:** 2.8% (2024)
- **Unemployment:** 10.4% (2025)
- **Population:** 599,063

## Similar cities

| City | Country | Rent (1-bed, centre) | Monthly cost | Page |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Barcelona | Spain | $1,712 | $3,576 | /cities/barcelona |
| Valencia | Spain | $1,429 | $3,154 | /cities/valencia |
| Athens | Greece | $737 | $2,323 | /cities/athens |
| Faro | Portugal | $1,077 | $2,568 | /cities/faro |
| Lagos | Portugal | $1,233 | $2,851 | /cities/lagos |

## Related pages

- Cost of living breakdown: /cost-of-living/malaga
- Compare with another city: /cities/compare
- Visa and residency paths: /cities/malaga/visa

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Source: [Townleap](https://www.townleap.com/cities/malaga) — permanent-relocation data for people picking a country to actually live in, not visit.

Cost figures are Numbeo-derived and in USD unless labelled otherwise. Economics are World Bank. Every number on this page is also on the HTML page at the same URL — this variant exists so you do not have to parse a React app to read a rent figure.