City comparison
Cost of living in Mexico City vs Málaga
One person needs about €1,284 a month in Mexico City and €1,380 in Málaga, rent included — Mexico City is 7% 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 Mexico City on €3,000, you need
€3,224/ month net
7% more than today (+€224)
- Mexico City today
- Basket €1,284 · left over €1,716 (57%)
- Málaga at the matched salary
- Basket €1,380 · left over €1,844 (57%)
Local pay context: average tech net pay covers the basket 152% over in Málaga (adequate) vs 148% in Mexico City. Purchasing power index · How we calculate this
🇲🇽 Mexico City
Great food, US time zones, and rents rising quickly in Roma and Condesa.
Monthly budget: €1,284
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 Mexico City or Málaga?
On salary, Málaga pays more for tech roles (€2,100 versus €1,900 a month), so the money left over after costs is €720 in Málaga at the top end.
Rent drives most of the gap: €850 in Mexico City against €850 in Málaga. Groceries, transport and utilities move far less between the two.
For remote workers, the nomad index scores Mexico City at 78 and Málaga at 88 — see the full nomad index and our data methodology.