Málaga, Spain: population, climate, prices

Málaga, Andalusia · 599,063 inhabitants (1 Jan 2025)

Living in Málaga

Málaga is a city of 599,063 inhabitants on the coast in Málaga (Andalusia), with mild winters and hot summers (January nights 9.0°C, August afternoons 32.3°C). The nearest international school (Centro Internacional María Montessori, international curriculum) is 1.2 km away. Winter nights are mild for Spain: 9.0°C on average in January, warmer than 88% of the towns compared. Year-round direct flights to Amsterdam, London, Brussels, Paris and the US leave from Málaga-Costa del Sol Airport (AGP), 9 km away. Against that, public waiting lists in Andalusia are long (173 days on average for planned surgery); 88 nights a year stay above 20 °C, which makes sleeping without air conditioning hard in summer; 3.2% of all homes are holiday lets (Spain 1.3%), so summers are busy and rents are under pressure. Around 2055, Spain's official climate scenarios put August afternoons here at about 33.1°C and the number of warm nights at 103 a year.

Each sentence is chosen by where the town ranks among the 333 places compared on that measure (top or bottom 20%); the numbers are the ones in the sections below, from the sources named there.

About Málaga

Málaga is a municipality of Spain and the capital of the province of Málaga, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. With a population of 592,346 in 2024, it is the 2nd-largest city in Andalusia and the 6th-largest in the country. It lies in Southern Iberia on the Costa del Sol of the Mediterranean, primarily on the left bank of the Guadalhorce. The urban core originally developed in the space between the Gibralfaro Hill and the Guadalmedina.

From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Read more on Wikipedia →

Buying: appraised price

3,225 €/m²

Last 4 quarters to 2026 Q2, 6,660 valuations. 1 year 16.2%, 5 years 79.2%.

Renting: typical apartment

718 €/month

9.55 €/m² per month for a typical 80 m² (2024 contracts). 5 years 31.4%. Houses: 656 €/month.

Safety: recorded crime

52.0 per 1,000

Conventional crime 2025 (Spain ≈ 41). Home burglaries 0.82, violent robbery 1.49, theft 21.4 per 1,000. 1 year 1.4%.

Sea

0.4 km

Straight-line distance from the town centre to the coast.

Getting there

Nearest airport: Málaga-Costa del Sol Airport (AGP), 9 km, 26,760,549 passengers in 2025, 168 destinations
Direct to Amsterdam: Málaga airport, 9 km (year-round)
Direct to Brussels (Zaventem or Charleroi): Málaga airport, 9 km (year-round)
Direct to London: Málaga airport, 9 km (year-round)
Direct to Paris: Málaga airport, 9 km (year-round)
Direct to Frankfurt: Málaga airport, 9 km (year-round)
Direct to the US: Madrid airport, 426 km (year-round); summer only from Málaga, 9 km
Train station: Málaga María Zambrano (1.4 km)
Fastest train to Madrid: 2 h 44
Fastest train to Barcelona: 6 h 41

Distances are straight-line. Flights as listed in airport route tables on 4 Oct 2026; train times from Renfe's timetable (Iryo and Ouigo not included).

Healthcare

Nearest public general hospital: Hospital Universitario Virgen de La Victoria (in town, 774 beds)
Nearest large public hospital (500+ beds, most specialties): Hospital Universitario Virgen de La Victoria (in town, 774 beds)
Nearest private general hospital: Hospital Quironsalud Málaga (in town, 160 beds)
General hospitals within 25 km: 13
Waiting time for planned surgery (Andalusia): 173 days on average; 32.2% wait more than 6 months (Spain: 121 days)
Waiting time for a first specialist visit: 136 days on average; 57.1% wait more than 60 days (Spain: 102 days)

Ministry of Health, National Hospital Catalogue 2025 (situation on 31 Dec 2024); general hospitals only. Distances are straight-line to the hospital's municipality. Residents registered in Spain use public hospitals; non-EU applicants for some visas must have private health insurance. Waiting times are for the whole region (public health service, 31 Dec 2025), as reported by each region to the Ministry of Health (SISLE-SNS); private insurance usually avoids most of the wait.

International schools

Nearest international school: Centro Internacional María Montessori (curriculum not stated), Málaga, 1.2 km
International schools within 25 km: 12
Nearest by curriculum (within 100 km): British 4.0 km · American 77 km · French 3.4 km · German 43 km · Nordic 17 km

Within 30 km (up to five):

School	Curriculum	Levels in the register	Where	Distance
Centro Internacional María Montessori	curriculum not stated	infant, primary, secondary	Málaga	1.2 km
Licée Français International de Málaga	French	not listed	Málaga	3.4 km
International Waldorf School El Farol	curriculum not stated	not listed	Málaga	3.8 km
The British School of Málaga	British	not listed	Málaga	4.0 km
Genius Montessori School	curriculum not stated	infant	La Cala del Moral	9.7 km

Ministry of Education, register of non-university schools (RCD), October 2026: every school authorised to teach a foreign curriculum in Spain, without the business, arts and hairdressing schools in the same list and without schools for one nationality (Japanese, Libyan, Iraqi, Russian, Panamanian). Curriculum as labelled in the register or clear from the school's name; levels as listed in the register, which leaves them out for some schools. Straight-line distance from the town centre. We do not rate schools: visit, and ask about accreditation and fees.

Who lives here

Population trend: +5.3% in ten years (569,130 in 2015, 599,063 in 2025)
Age: 18.6% aged 65 or over, 15.4% under 16 (2022; Spain: 20.0% and 14.9%)
Local income: 13,847 € net per person per year (2023), 92% of the Spanish average; median 17,850 € per adult-equivalent
Foreign residents: 9.0% of all residents; 2.7% of residents aged 65+ (2022)
Largest nationalities: Moroccan 1.6%, Ukrainian 0.8%, Chinese 0.6%, Italian 0.6%; all EU citizens 1.8% (share of all residents, 1 Jan 2022; the Netherlands, Belgium, Ireland and the Nordic countries are not published per town)

INE: population register (Padrón) and household income atlas. Local income is a rough guide to local prices and affluence; Spain publishes no official cost-of-living index for towns.

Within a 10-minute walk of the centre

Everyday essentials on foot: 6 of 6 ✓ 15+ food shops ✓ 3+ pharmacies ✓ 25+ cafés, bars or restaurants ✓ 2+ parks ✓ 3+ bus stops ✓ 2+ libraries, theatres, cinemas or cultural centres
Lively centre: 95 out of 100: how much there is compared with the other 332 places (big cities score highest)

74 food shops (supermarkets, bakeries, greengrocers…)
21 pharmacies
14 doctors, clinics or hospitals
385 cafés, bars and restaurants
484 parks and gardens
73 bus stops
37 libraries, theatres, cinemas, cultural centres
4 market places

Counted in OpenStreetMap within 800 m of the town centre, taken as the point OpenStreetMap marks as the town's centre, moved at most 500 m to the busiest nearby spot (for a few spread-out municipalities without such a point: the busiest spot near the official coordinate). OpenStreetMap is kept by volunteers: very complete in most Spanish towns, thinner in some. “Everyday essentials” only asks whether the basics are there, so a small town can score 6 of 6; “lively centre” ranks each count among all 333 places and averages them, so it mostly reflects size. Large municipalities with several centres (Lorca, Oleiros, Ames…) can score low because their official centre is a small village.

Holiday lets and beaches

Tourist apartments: 8,288 (3.17% of all homes; Spain 1.28%), 5.8 tourist beds per 100 residents (May 2026)
Blue Flag beaches: 7 in town; 26 within 30 km

Tourist apartments: INE count of homes listed on Airbnb, Booking and Vrbo. A high share means busy summers and pressure on rents. Blue Flag 2026 (ADEAC): beaches meeting water-quality, safety and service standards; this includes some lake and river beaches. Distances are straight-line between town centres.

Water

River basin: Cuencas Mediterraneas Andaluzas
Reservoirs now: 64.3% full (week of 2026-09-29); the same week in the previous 10 years averaged 39.2%
Worst week 2016-2025: 18.2% full (2024-02-06)
Weeks below 40% full, 2016-2025: 39% of all weeks

Ministry for the Ecological Transition, weekly hydrological bulletin: all reservoirs over 5 hm³ in the basin. Low reservoirs are what led to drought restrictions in Catalonia (2023-24) and Andalusia (2022-24). Some basins (Segura) also rely on transfers and desalination, so their reservoir level alone overstates the risk of taps running dry.

What the rankings say

Oxford Economics Global Cities Index 2026 (overall, of 1,000 cities): 212 (source)
ViveDonde quality-of-life ranking 2026: 13 (source)
InterNations Expat City Ranking 2025: 2 (source)
OCU residents' survey 2026 (15 largest cities): 6 (source)
idealista: best places to retire (2026): listed (source)
MySpainVisa: best places to retire (2026): listed (source)

Climate

● average daily high ● average nightly low ■ rainy days (1 mm or more). These are 1991-2020 averages, not record temperatures: a hot spell will be warmer and a cold night colder than these values.

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Average daily high, °C	18.0	18.3	20.1	22.2	25.4	29.4	31.9	32.3	29.4	25.5	20.8	18.4
Average nightly low, °C	9.0	9.4	11.1	12.9	15.7	19.5	22.1	22.8	20.2	16.6	12.4	10.0
Rain, mm	41	54	74	40	15	1	0	1	28	56	80	64
Rainy days (1 mm or more)	4.7	4.8	6.1	4.8	2.9	0.2	0.1	0.2	2.6	4.9	5.9	4.8
Sunshine, hours per day	5.9	6.7	7.2	8.3	9.7	11.2	11.4	10.4	8.7	7.1	5.9	5.2
Humidity, %	67	66	65	62	58	55	56	59	63	70	68	69
Days reaching 30 °C / 86 °F	0.0	0.0	0.1	0.2	2.1	11.1	21.0	24.4	9.7	1.3	0.0	0.0

The year in numbers

Köppen climate class: Csa: Hot-summer Mediterranean
Summer mugginess (August average dew point): 18.2°C – oppressive (humidity from a nearby station)
Days reaching 25 °C / 77 °F: 160 a year (estimate)
Days reaching 30 °C / 86 °F: 70 a year
Days reaching 35 °C / 95 °F: 7 a year (estimate)
Warm nights (low of 20 °C / 68 °F or more): 88 a year (estimate)
Frost nights (0 °C / 32 °F or less): 0 a year
Average humidity: 63%

Dew point measures how sticky the air feels: under 13 °C (55 °F) feels dry, 16-18 °C (61-64 °F) muggy, over 18 °C oppressive. For comparison, Davis, California (also Köppen Csa) has a summer dew point of about 11 °C. "Typical hottest day" is the 1991-2020 average of each year's single hottest day. Estimates are counted from daily satellite data adjusted to this place's averages; checked against AEMET's own 30 °C counts they are usually within 4 days a year.

1991-2020 averages, AEMET station MÁLAGA, CENTRO METEOROLÓGICO (6156X), 5.5 km away; sunshine from MÁLAGA AEROPUERTO (6155A), 8 km; humidity from MÁLAGA AEROPUERTO (6155A), 8 km; temperatures adjusted to the town's altitude. © AEMET.

Around 2055 (projection)

August average high: 33.1°C: +0.8 °C compared with today (models range from 0.2 °C to 1.4 °C)
Warm nights (low of 20 °C / 68 °F or more): 103 a year, +15 (models: +7 to +22)
Frost nights: 0 a year (+0)
Rainy days (1 mm or more): 35 a year, -7 (models: -13 to -2)
Rain amount: -9% over the year: summer -32%, winter -5%
Sunlight reaching the ground: +0.3% (models: -1.0% to +0.9%); no official sunshine-hours projection exists

Spain's official climate scenarios (Escenarios-PNACC 2024, AEMET regionalisation of 11 global climate models, ~5 km grid), middle emissions scenario SSP2-4.5: average change from 2011-2040 to 2041-2070, added to today's 1991-2020 values above. The range shows the lowest and highest of the 11 models. Rain: the same models regionalised by CSIC (DeepESD). Sunlight: EURO-CORDEX regional models (RCP4.5). A projection, not a forecast. Read: Spain around 2055, region by region →

Questions people ask

Where is Málaga?

Málaga is in the province of Málaga (Andalusia), Spain, on the coast. The nearest airport is Málaga-Costa del Sol Airport (AGP), 9 km away.

How many people live in Málaga?

599,063 registered residents on 1 January 2025 (INE), +5.3% in ten years.

What is the climate of Málaga?

January afternoons average 18.0°C and nights 9.0°C; August afternoons 32.3°C. 8.1 hours of sunshine a day and 42 rainy days a year (AEMET 1991-2020).

Is Málaga safe?

Recorded conventional crime in Málaga was 52.0 offences per 1,000 residents in 2025, about average for Spain (national rate about 41). Home burglaries: 0.82 per 1,000.

How hot is Málaga in summer?

August afternoons average 32.3°C (1991-2020), with 88 nights a year above 20 °C and 7 days of 35 °C or more.

How cold is Málaga in winter?

January afternoons average 18.0°C and January nights 9.0°C, with 0 frost nights a year.

Is there a hospital in Málaga?

Yes: Hospital Universitario Virgen de La Victoria, a public general hospital with 774 beds. Planned surgery in Andalusia waits 173 days on average.

Can you fly direct from Málaga to Amsterdam or London all year?

Yes. Málaga-Costa del Sol Airport (AGP) (9 km away) has year-round direct flights to Amsterdam, London, Brussels, Paris and the US.

What does it cost to rent or buy in Málaga?

A typical apartment (80 m²) rented for 718 € a month in 2024 contracts. Homes were appraised at 3,225 €/m² on average over the last four quarters, 79.2% in five years.

Nearby and similar towns

Nearest towns in this comparison: Rincón de la Victoria (Málaga, 12 km), Torremolinos (Málaga, 13 km), Alhaurín de la Torre (Málaga, 15 km), Benalmádena (Málaga, 18 km), Cártama (Málaga, 19 km)
Most similar towns (summer heat, winter nights, rainy days, home prices, size): València (Valencia), Palma (Balearic Islands), Alacant/Alicante (Alicante), Sevilla (Seville), Sabadell (Barcelona)

Distances are straight-line between town centres. Similarity is the distance in standardised values of the five measures.