City comparison
Cost of living in Vienna vs Málaga
One person needs about €1,856 a month in Vienna and €1,380 in Málaga, rent included — Málaga is 26% 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 Vienna on €3,000, you need
€2,231/ month net
26% less than today (-€769)
- Vienna today
- Basket €1,856 · left over €1,144 (38%)
- Málaga at the matched salary
- Basket €1,380 · left over €851 (38%)
Local pay context: average tech net pay covers the basket 152% over in Málaga (adequate) vs 216% in Vienna. Purchasing power index · How we calculate this
🇦🇹 Vienna
Huge subsidised housing stock keeps rents unusually sane for a rich capital.
Monthly budget: €1,856
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 Vienna or Málaga?
On salary, Vienna pays more for tech roles (€4,000 versus €2,100 a month), so the money left over after costs is €2,144 in Vienna at the top end.
Rent drives most of the gap: €1,150 in Vienna against €850 in Málaga. Groceries, transport and utilities move far less between the two.
For remote workers, the nomad index scores Vienna at 75 and Málaga at 88 — see the full nomad index and our data methodology.