Malaga is the sixth most expensive city in Spain to live in despite lower household income, according to study

Barcelona, Palma de Mallorca and Madrid are the three Spanish cities with the highest cost of living compared to the national average, specifically, 38.13%, 24.20% and 20.95% respectively, according to an analysis conducted by Kelisto.es (a price comparison site in Spain). Malaga city appears in sixth place in this table for cost of living, with 12.44% above the national average. However, according to this report, the average net income per household in the capital of the Costa del Sol is 33,786 euros, making it number 41 out of 50 in the income ranking.

"Barcelona, Palma de Mallorca, Granada, Malaga, Girona, Valencia and Almeria are the main attractions thanks to their strength as tourist destinations, their appeal to multinationals and digital nomads and their excellent infrastructure and connections," explained Kelisto.es spokesperson Estefania Gonzalez.

In contrast, Lugo is the cheapest city (14.13% below the average), together with Zamora (12.22% below) and Oviedo (11.18% below). Other cities such as Teruel, Huesca and Ávila fare similarly because, according to the report, they are less attractive for being located inland.

Specifically, the report takes into account data from the 50 provincial capitals around Spain, plus the autonomous enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla. For each of them, figures were examined on 17 products and services across six categories: housing, taxes, household bills, public and private transport, shopping and leisure.

Likewise, price differences between different capital cities vary greatly depending on the product or service being compared. For example, the largest gap found turned out to be with the IBI property tax: between the most expensive city for paying this tax (Soria) and the cheapest (Pamplona), there is a 652% difference.

In contrast, the smallest differences are to be found in the price of the shopping basket (10.6% difference between the most expensive and the cheapest) and petrol, where the capital with the highest cost (Palma de Mallorca) is 44.3% more expensive than the one with the lowest (Santa Cruz de Tenerife).

In terms of housing, the most expensive prices are in San Sebastian (610,560 euros, 167.2% above the average), Madrid (540,990 euros, 136.7% more) and Barcelona (457,470 euros, 100.2% more). As for the cheapest cities, they are Zamora (123,210 euros, 46.1% below the average) and Ávila (131,130 euros, 42.6% less).

Regarding home insurance, Barcelona has the highest price, at 229.40 euros per year on average (42.4% above the average), while Castellón de la Plana has the cheapest at 129.50 euros per year on average (19.6% below the average).

One final, curious finding in this report pertains to car insurance, with Melilla having the highest average price (338 euros per year, 94.4% more than the average), while Guadalajara and Castellón de la Plana have the cheapest at 150 euros (13.7% below the average).