City comparison
Cost of living in Dublin vs Málaga
One person needs about €3,040 a month in Dublin and €1,380 in Málaga, rent included — Málaga is 55% cheaper overall.
Salary you'd need to keep the same lifestyle
Enter your current net monthly pay. We scale it by the full cost basket — rent, groceries, transport, utilities, eating out and internet.
To live in Málaga the way you live in Dublin on €3,000, you need
€1,362/ month net
55% less than today (-€1,638)
- Dublin today
- Basket €3,040 · left over -€40 (-1%)
- Málaga at the matched salary
- Basket €1,380 · left over -€18 (-1%)
Local pay context: average tech net pay covers the basket 152% over in Málaga (adequate) vs 171% in Dublin. Purchasing power index · How we calculate this
🇮🇪 Dublin
Big-tech salaries almost entirely absorbed by a chronic housing shortage.
Monthly budget: €3,040
Sources: Eurostat, Harmonised price indices (2025) · 0 community reports
🇪🇸 Málaga
The current favourite of remote workers: 300 sunny days, fast fibre, and Barcelona living for 40% less.
Monthly budget: €1,380
Sources: INE Spain + Eurostat, HICP & provincial rent index (2025) · 286 community reports
Should you move to Dublin or Málaga?
On salary, Dublin pays more for tech roles (€5,200 versus €2,100 a month), so the money left over after costs is €2,160 in Dublin at the top end.
Rent drives most of the gap: €2,100 in Dublin against €850 in Málaga. Groceries, transport and utilities move far less between the two.
For remote workers, the nomad index scores Dublin at 63 and Málaga at 88 — see the full nomad index and our data methodology.