Moving to Málaga in 2026: where to live, prices and taxes

You can move to Málaga on any basis for a Spanish residence permit; the most common are the digital nomad visa and the non-working residence permit. Málaga is a city of 599,063 residents on the Costa del Sol with a sunny climate, a large airport, a technology park and Andalusia’s mild taxes. The main drawback is housing: a flat here costs on average a third more than across Spain, and rent eats up almost half of a family’s income. Below we cover which residence permit to choose, how to move step by step, where to live in the city and on the coast, how much housing costs, which taxes apply in Andalusia, what to expect from schools, work and safety, and how Málaga differs from Alicante.

Moving to Málaga: answers to the key questions

• Can you move there? Yes, with an ordinary Spanish residence permit. There are no special rules for Málaga; applications go to the immigration office of the province of Málaga.
• Which residence permit is most common? Remote workers take the digital nomad visa: income from €2,849 a month. People living on savings and passive income take the non-working residence permit: from €2,400 a month for the applicant.
• How much does housing cost? In August 2026 a flat in Málaga cost on average €3,938 per square metre — 35% more than the Spanish average. Rent is €16.5/m² a month.
• What is the climate like? Warm and sunny: an annual average of 18.5 °C, 12.1 °C in January and 2,905 hours of sunshine. How people live in winter and heat their homes is covered in our guide to winter in Spain.
• Do you need a regional language? No. In Andalusia the only official language is Spanish, and schools teach in it.
• Straight to permanent residence? No. First a temporary residence permit; long-term residence comes after five years of legal residence.

Which residence permit to get for living in Málaga

The route is chosen by your source of income. After arrival, applications go to the immigration office of the province of Málaga (Oficina de Extranjería, Paseo Sancha, 64), and fingerprints for the residence card are taken by the National Police by appointment. A comparison of all routes is in the article Spanish residence permit: all the ways to get one.

Málaga is one of the main destinations for remote workers: according to our relocation map, by the number of valid digital nomad residence permits the city is behind only Barcelona, Madrid and Valencia, with 3,089 people. The income threshold is linked to the minimum wage and in 2026 it rose retroactively; details are in our news piece on the income threshold for the digital nomad visa. After five years you can obtain permanent residence in Spain, and after ten you can apply for citizenship.

How to move to Málaga: step by step

1. Choose a route and check that you meet the income requirement for the whole family.
2. Decide where to apply: through the Spanish consulate in your country or, if the route allows it, from within Spain. The digital nomad visa can be obtained while already legally in Spain — in that case the residence permit is issued straight away for up to three years.
3. Gather documents: apostilled criminal record certificates, proof of income, health insurance, sworn translations into Spanish.
4. Arrive and rent a home. Short-term rental is more convenient for the first months; a long-term lease is easier to sign once you have the residence permit decision. How to look for a flat is in the article how to rent a flat in Spain.
5. Register with the city council — empadronamiento (municipal registration). Without it you cannot enrol a child in school or register with a doctor.
6. Give fingerprints and collect your residence card (TIE) at the police station.
7. Sort out healthcare. Employees and autónomos (self-employed) register with the Seguridad Social (Spanish social security) and get a health card from SAS, the Andalusian health service. The non-working residence permit requires private insurance from a Spanish company — which policy works and what it costs.
8. Open a bank account, enrol the children in school, sort out taxes. Once you have lived in Spain for more than 183 days in a year you become a tax resident — taxes in Spain for individuals.

Málaga in figures: compared with Alicante

It is useful to compare Málaga with Alicante, another large city on the Mediterranean coast that is popular with Russian speakers.

Where to live: Málaga neighbourhoods and coastal towns

Prices by district in Málaga itself, according to Idealista for August 2026:

• East (Este) — the most expensive district, €4,990/m², up 6.5% year on year.
• Centre — €4,574/m², up 5.8% year on year: the historic quarter and the museums.
• Carretera de Cádiz — €4,191/m², up 7.9% year on year.
• Teatinos — €3,966/m²: home to the university campus and the Virgen de la Victoria hospital.
• Ciudad Jardín, Puerto de la Torre, Churriana — the most affordable districts, from €2,715 to €2,852/m².

Many people move not to the city itself but to the Costa del Sol: the towns where Russians live, with purchase prices and rents, are covered below in the section on suburbs and coast near Málaga. Which towns stand on the coast and where most Blue Flag beaches are is covered in the article Andalusia and the Costa del Sol.

You can compare Málaga with other cities on rent and income in the ranking of Spanish cities and on the relocation map.

Suburbs and coast near Málaga: where Russians live

Russian speakers in the province live less in Málaga itself than on the western coast: Marbella has more Russian citizens than the city, and Estepona, Mijas, Benalmádena, Fuengirola and Torremolinos add about 3,970 more between them. Where these towns are and which schools and hospitals they have is covered in the section on Costa del Sol towns where Russians live; this section is about housing, prices and everyday life.

Russian citizens: INE annual census at 1 January 2025 (Benahavís: municipal register at 1 January 2022). Valuation: average mortgage valuation of housing (valor tasado), Ministry of Housing, Q2 2026; it is not published for municipalities with fewer than 25,000 residents. Rent: median of existing contracts from landlords’ tax returns (SERPAVI, Ministry of Housing, 2024). These are not asking prices: in Málaga itself Idealista showed €16.5/m² a month in August 2026 against €9.55/m² in the tax data, so a new lease will cost noticeably more than the table shows.

Torremolinos

The shortest commute to work in Málaga and to the airport — the C-1 train runs straight from the town. Housing is mostly flats in seafront blocks, and they are compact: the median rented flat is 73 m², the smallest in the table, while rent per square metre is among the highest at €10.17/m². Purchase prices are rising more slowly than in the neighbouring towns: +7.9% in a year. The downside is tourist density: in summer the centre and the beaches are noisy. There are few Russians — 362 — and more Ukrainians, 878.

Benalmádena

Three lifestyles in one municipality: around Arroyo de la Miel station, an ordinary town with shops and schools; on the coast, a resort with a marina; in Benalmádena Pueblo, quiet houses on the hillside with sea views. Homes are valued at €3,783/m², the highest between Málaga and Marbella; the median rent is €695 a month for 81 m². Families with children choose it for the full-cycle British school and the train to Málaga. There are 632 Russian and 951 Ukrainian citizens.

Fuengirola

A town where everything is within walking distance: the promenade, the market, health centres and the end of the train line — 45 minutes to central Málaga. It is the most urban option on the coast: mostly flats, few villas. Purchase prices rose 14.8% in a year to €3,758/m², and the median rent is €675 a month for 80 m². Many of the foreigners are British and Scandinavian; there are 488 Russian and 1,342 Ukrainian citizens. It suits those who do not want to depend on a car.

Mijas

The most affordable of the resort towns in the table by valuation — €3,365/m² — and the lowest median rent in the table, €615 a month. Housing varies: flats in Las Lagunas next to Fuengirola, villas and townhouses with gardens on the hills of Mijas Costa, houses by the sea in La Cala. There is no train, so life without a car is inconvenient. There are 1,111 Russian citizens, unchanged over the year, and 1,358 Ukrainian citizens. Families come here for a house with a garden at a lower price than in Marbella.

Estepona

Marbella’s western neighbour and the third-largest Russian community in the province — 1,376 people, a third more than three years ago. Homes are valued at €3,518/m², about 22% below Marbella, and the median rent is €675 a month for a 90 m² flat. There is a lot of new housing: complexes with pools by the sea and by the golf courses. There is no train; people reach Málaga and the airport on the AP-7 toll motorway or by bus. It suits those who want Marbella’s standard without Marbella’s prices.

Benahavís

Here people buy villas rather than rent flats. The median rented flat is 123 m² at €1,115 a month and the median house 181 m² at €1,246 — the largest homes and the highest rent in the table. In 2022 there were 495 Russian citizens, almost one resident in eighteen. The hills are quiet, but schools, shops and the hospital are in Marbella and Estepona, so a car is essential.

Marbella has the largest Russian-speaking community in the province and the most expensive housing in the table; life there is covered in the article on moving to Marbella.

Russian speakers in Málaga and on the Costa del Sol

According to the INE annual census, at 1 January 2025 the province of Málaga was home to 18,923 Ukrainian citizens and 9,867 Russian citizens — roughly 9% of all Ukrainian and Russian citizens living in Spain. Málaga itself has 6,163 Ukrainians and 1,717 Russians, and Marbella 3,859 and 2,794. That is fewer than in the province of Alicante, which has 2.3 times as many Russians. Foreigners make up 19.1% of the whole province’s residents, with Britons and Moroccans the largest groups. How the community is spread across the country is covered in the article Russians in Spain.

The British and American community on the Costa del Sol

Málaga province had 56,019 British residents on its municipal registers in 2022 and took 3,076 of the 18,434 British arrivals in Spain in 2024, second only to Alicante. They concentrate west of the city: Mijas has 8,804 British residents, Fuengirola 5,507, Marbella 5,232, Estepona 4,838 and Benalmádena 3,719. The city of Málaga itself holds far fewer than any of them.

The composition of that community is shifting. British arrivals in the province fell 55% between 2021 and 2024, while American arrivals rose 52% and Canadian 40%. The Costa del Sol keeps its English-speaking infrastructure — international schools, English-speaking gestores and doctors — but the people using it increasingly hold a different passport, and they come for remote work rather than retirement.

Andalusia is the reason many wealthy buyers choose this coast over the Costa Blanca: the region rebates the wealth tax in full, as Madrid does, while the Valencian Community charges it. Over a large estate that single difference outweighs the higher property prices here. Compare the regions on our map of regional income and property purchase taxes, with rent and community size on the province map. The route in from each country is covered in the guides to moving from the UK and the United States.

Cost of living in Málaga

• Buying a home. According to Idealista, in August 2026 a flat in Málaga cost on average €3,938/m² — an all-time high, up 5.1% year on year. The province stood at €4,293/m², the fourth most expensive province in Spain after the Balearic Islands, Madrid and Gipuzkoa. The Spanish average is €2,924/m².
• Rent. €16.5/m² a month in August 2026, up 2.8% year on year — more expensive than the Spanish average (€15.1/m²), but rising half as fast.
• Rent against income. In our ranking of cities Málaga is the worst of twenty cities for housing affordability: rent takes 48.8% of family income.
• Rent control. No stressed rental market areas with price caps have been declared in Andalusia, so landlords set the rent for new leases themselves.
• Tourist lets. Since 23 August 2025 registration of new tourist flats in Málaga has been suspended across the whole city for up to three years. If you are buying a flat to let by the night, you need to take this into account.
• Minimum budget. The residence permit requirements give a benchmark: for living without working, from €2,400 a month for one person; for the digital nomad visa, from €2,849.

Taxes in Málaga and Andalusia

Andalusia’s taxes are milder than those of the Valencian Community and Asturias, above all for high incomes and large estates.

• IRPF. The regional scale runs from 9.5% to 22.5% (Andalusian Law 5/2021). For comparison: in the Valencian Community the top rate is 29.35%. The Spain-wide part of the tax is added to the regional part.
• Deduction for renting your main home — 15% of the rent, up to €1,200 a year, for tenants under 35, over 65 and certain other categories, with a taxable base of up to €25,000 (up to €30,000 for a joint return).
• Birth or adoption of a child — a €200 deduction.
• Tax on buying a resale home (ITP) — 7%; 6% for a main home up to €150,000; 3.5% for buyers under 35 purchasing a main home up to €150,000.
• Inheritance and gifts between spouses, children and parents — the taxable base is reduced by €1,000,000 and a 99% rebate applies; gifts require a notarial deed. Regional reliefs, deadlines and rules for non-residents are covered in our guide to inheritance and gift tax in Spain.
• Wealth tax — a tax-free allowance of €700,000. Andalusian law provides a 100% rebate, but while the state temporary solidarity tax on large fortunes applies, the full rebate works only for those who do not pay that state tax: for everyone else it is reduced by the amount of that tax.

You can work for yourself by registering as an autónomo — step-by-step guide. Taxes when buying are covered in the article property taxes in Spain.

Schools and language

• Language. Andalusia’s Statute of Autonomy does not establish a second official language: schools teach in Spanish, and there is no need to seek exemption from a regional subject, as with Valencian in Alicante.
• State schools are free, with English from primary school.
• British schools — The British School of Málaga in the city itself, Aloha College and Swans International School in Marbella (all members of NABSS, the National Association of British Schools in Spain).
• The University of Málaga — its main campus is in Teatinos. Which other universities the country has is covered in the article universities in Spain.
• Russian for your child — where to look for schools and clubs is covered in the article Russian schools in Spain.

Healthcare, transport, work and safety

• Hospitals. The Regional University Hospital of Málaga (formerly Carlos Haya) and the Virgen de la Victoria University Hospital in Teatinos — both public, within the SAS system.
• Airport. It handled 26.8 million passengers in 2025 — the fourth highest figure in Spain after Madrid, Barcelona and Palma, and more than Alicante (19.95 million).
• Transport. Two metro lines have reached the centre since 2023, the C-1 commuter train links the city with the airport and the resorts as far as Fuengirola, and AVE high-speed trains run to Madrid.
• Work. Unemployment in the province in the second quarter of 2026 was 13.57%, above the Spanish average (9.87%); average earnings in Andalusia are €26,090 a year against €29,540 nationally. The main hub of well-paid work is the Málaga TechPark: 719 organisations and 29,018 workers in 2025; since 2023 the city has also had a Google cybersecurity centre.
• Safety. In 2025, 38,225 offences were recorded in Málaga. Per 1,000 residents that is about 52 cases of conventional crime (excluding cybercrime), against 40.4 on average in Spain. Part of the gap comes from tourists: crimes against them are counted, but they are not included in the number of residents.

Downsides of living in Málaga

• Expensive housing — €3,938/m² to buy and almost half of family income on rent.
• Tourist pressure — in 53 neighbourhoods tourist flats make up more than 8% of housing, which is why the city has frozen registration of new ones.
• Local jobs — unemployment above average, salaries below; it is easier for those who work remotely or at the technology park.
• More crime than the national average — above all theft: 12,846 cases in 2025.
• Hot summers — average temperatures of 25.5 °C in July and 26 °C in August.

Read next

Málaga, Spain: where it is, climate, beaches and what to see

14.09.2026

Málaga or Alicante

Both cities are on the Mediterranean coast, with a large airport, beaches within the city and the same residence permit rules. Málaga is bigger (599,063 residents against 366,221), sunnier and has a technology park, and its taxes are milder for high incomes and large estates: a top IRPF rate of 22.5% against 29.35%, and wealth tax with a rebate that is full for those who do not pay the state solidarity tax on large fortunes. Alicante is cheaper: housing at about €2,705/m² against €3,938/m², and the Russian-speaking community around it is the largest in the country. For those who value a business environment and taxes, Málaga is the closer fit; for those watching their budget and wanting a Russian-speaking environment, Alicante. The second option is covered in detail in the article moving to Alicante. The city itself, its beaches, climate and sights are described in the guide Málaga.

Frequently asked questions about moving to Málaga

Can I move to live in Málaga?

Yes. People move here on the usual Spanish residence permit routes: the digital nomad visa, the non-working residence permit, work, study or family. Applications go to the immigration office of the province of Málaga at Paseo Sancha, 64.

Which residence permit is best for living in Málaga?

For remote workers, the digital nomad visa with income from €2,849 a month. For those living on savings or passive income, the non-working residence permit: from €2,400 a month for the applicant and €600 for each family member.

How much does a flat in Málaga cost?

In August 2026 the average housing price in Málaga was €3,938 per square metre, 5.1% more than a year earlier. That is 35% more than the Spanish average (€2,924/m²). Rent is €16.5 per square metre a month.

How many Russians live in Málaga?

At 1 January 2025 the province of Málaga was home to 9,867 Russian citizens and 18,923 Ukrainian citizens. The city itself has 1,717 Russians; the largest number live in Marbella, 2,794.

Where is the best place to live in Málaga?

In Málaga itself if you need jobs, the university and hospitals: by the sea in the east or in Teatinos near the campus. Cheaper options are Ciudad Jardín, Puerto de la Torre and Churriana. On the coast, Marbella and Estepona for those looking for a resort, and Fuengirola and Torremolinos, which are a train ride from the city and the airport.

What taxes apply in Málaga?

The taxes of Andalusia apply: a regional IRPF scale from 9.5% to 22.5%, a 7% tax on buying a resale home (3.5% for young buyers under 35 on homes up to €150,000), a 99% rebate on inheritance and gifts to close relatives and a wealth tax rebate that is full for those who do not pay the state solidarity tax on large fortunes.

Do I need to learn a local language in Málaga?

No. In Andalusia the only official language is Spanish, and there is no second regional language in schools.

Which is better to live in: Málaga or Alicante?

Málaga is sunnier, bigger and milder on taxes for high incomes and large estates, but more expensive: housing at about €3,938/m² against €2,705/m² in Alicante. Alicante has the largest Russian-speaking community in the country. The residence permit rules are the same in both cities.

Where do British people live on the Costa del Sol?

West of Málaga city. Mijas has 8,804 British residents, Fuengirola 5,507, Marbella 5,232, Estepona 4,838 and Benalmádena 3,719, while the city of Málaga itself has far fewer than any of them. The province held 56,019 British residents in total, second only to Alicante.