Cost of Living Guide
Compare

City comparison

Cost of living in London vs Málaga

One person needs about €3,468 a month in London and €1,380 in Málaga, rent included — Málaga is 60% cheaper overall.

🇬🇧
London
United Kingdom · 8.9M pop
vs
🇪🇸
Málaga
Spain · 578K pop
Monthly rent (1BR)
€2,400€850
65% cheaper
Groceries / mo
€420€260
38% cheaper
Eating out (meal)
€22€11
50% cheaper
Internet (100mbps)
€42€32
24% cheaper
Avg salary (tech)
€5,600€2,100
63% lower
Coworking / mo
€380€130
66% cheaper
LondonMálaga
Rent€2,400€850
Groceries€420€260
Transport€190€55
Utilities€240€95

🇬🇧 London

Salaries are high, everything else is higher — transport alone costs a Tbilisi flat.

Monthly budget: €3,468

Sources: ONS + VOA, CPIH & private rental market summary (2025) · 468 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 London or Málaga?

On salary, London pays more for tech roles (€5,600 versus €2,100 a month), so the money left over after costs is €2,132 in London at the top end.

Rent drives most of the gap: €2,400 in London against €850 in Málaga. Groceries, transport and utilities move far less between the two.

For remote workers, the nomad index scores London at 64 and Málaga at 88 — see the full nomad index and our data methodology.

More London comparisons

More Málaga comparisons