Should you visit Kos or Malaga?
Trying to figure out where to travel next? This travel cost comparison between Kos and Malaga can help. For many travelers, the cost of a destination is a primary consideration when choosing where to go.
Kos
Kos is a Greek island and third largest island of the Dodecanese group, located near the Turkish coast in the southeast Aegean Sea. It is best known for its beautiful sandy beaches, which make it a popular tourist destination, as well as its ancient Greek and Roman landmarks.
Malaga
Malaga is a port city in the southern part of Spain. It is the 6th largest city in Spain and the southernmost large city in Europe. Malaga lies on the Mediterranean on the Costa del Sol, only 62 miles east of the Strait of Gibraltar, and 80 miles north of Africa. Malaga's history dates back about 2,800 years, which makes it one of the oldest cities in the world. The archaeological remains and monuments from the Phoenician, Roman, Arabic and Christian eras make the historic center of the city an "open museum", displaying its history of more than 3,000 years. Because of its important cultural infrastructure and the artistic heritage, Malaga has been nominated for the European Capital of Culture. Malaga's most important economic contributors include tourism, technology, and construction, but transportation and logistics are becoming increasingly important factors as well.
Which city is cheaper, Malaga or Kos?
These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations.
The average daily cost (per person) in Kos is €107, while the average daily cost in Malaga is €106. These costs include accommodation (assuming double occupancy, so the traveler is sharing the room), food, transportation, and entertainment. While every person is different, these costs are an average of past travelers in each city. Below is a breakdown of travel costs for Kos and Malaga in more detail.
Accommodation
Travelers usually pay around €98 for a double occupancy room in Kos If you want to be in a premiere location or have high end amenities, you can expect to pay a bit more.
Accommodation prices vary by location and style, but travelers pay on average about €108 for a double occupancy room in Malaga.
Food
While meal prices in Kos can vary, the average travelers spends about €35 per day on food. Based on the spending habits of previous travelers, when dining out, an average meal in Kos should cost around €14 per person. Breakfast prices are usually a little cheaper than lunch or dinner. The price of food in sit-down restaurants in Kos is often higher than fast food prices or street food prices.
Malaga food costs typically run travelers around €27 per day. Eating every meal in a nicer restaurant will drive the cost up, and grabbing fast food or casual meals will help you save money.
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Food
Meals for one day
Kos €35
Malaga €27
Typical Food prices in Malaga
Some typical examples of dining costs in Malaga are as follows:
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Malaga
Also, here are some specific examples of food and dining related activities in Malaga.
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Sardines Espetos Cooking Workshop:
$73
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Typical Andalusian Dinner with Wine Pairing in Málaga:
$79
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Malaga Food Tour - Do Eat Better Experience:
$86
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Sardines On Skewers Cooking Class in Malaga:
$111
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Malaga Sunset Cruise and Restaurant Dinner:
$112
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Málaga Swim Cruise with Tapas Dinner and Flamenco Show:
$128
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Malaga Catamaran Cruise with BBQ Lunch and Port Restaurant Dinner:
$146
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Malaga Market Visit and Cooking Class in Malaga Countryside House:
$149
Local Transportation
To get around in Kos, the average visitor spends €29 per day, per person. This includes the costs of taxi rides and private drivers as well as public transportation, which tends to be much more affordable.
The average price of local transportation around Malaga is €25 per person, per day. As this average includes both taxis and public transport, keep in mind that the prices of private drivers and taxis are significantly more expensive than public transportation.
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Kos
Also for Kos, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:
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Private Airport Transfer: from Kos Island to Kos Airport (KGS):
$41
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Kos - Airport Private Transfer:
$62
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Private departure Transfer from Kos island resorts to Kos airport:
$96
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Malaga
Some specific examples of transportation prices in Malaga:
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Transfer from your Hotel to Malaga Airport (Departure Transfer):
$17
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Transfer from Nerja to Granada:
$62
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Transfer from Malaga Airport to Costa del Sol Hotels (Any Hotel):
$17
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TRANSFER MALAGA AIRPORT from/to ESTEPONA-PRICE ALL INCLUSIVE:
$133
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Shared Arrival Transfer: Malaga Airport to Costa del Sol Hotels:
$36
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Round Trip Malaga Airport (AGP) Transfer to Malaga City Center:
$39
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Private arrival OR departure transfer in Malaga (hotel OR airport pick-up):
$34
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Private Transfer: Malaga to Malaga Airport (AGP):
$622
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Private Transfer: Malaga Airport (AGP) to Malaga:
$622
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Private Transfer from/to Motril to/from Malaga with private driver:
$158
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Private Transfer from Rivera del Sol to Malaga (AGP) Airport:
$88
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Private Transfer from Málaga to Faro (FAO) Airport:
$909
Is it cheaper to fly into Kos or Malaga?
Prices for flights to both Malaga and Kos change regularly based on dates and travel demand. We suggest you find the best prices for your next trip on Kayak, because you can compare the cost of flights across multiple airlines for your prefered dates.
Entertainment
In Kos, the costs for things to do, activities, admission tickets, and other sightseeing expenses are on average €26 per person, per day.
Malaga's costs for entertainment, tickets, attractions, and tours will often cost around €25 per person, per day. This cost can vary widely by the type of activity, however, as this includes admission tickets, day tours, museums, and other things to do.
Tours and Activities in Kos
For Kos, here are a few prices for actual activities, tours, and tickets provided by various companies:
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Kalymnos and Pserimos Day Cruise:
$55
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Photo tour island of Kos:
$684
Typical Entertainment prices in Malaga
Some typical examples of activities, tours, and entrance ticket prices in Malaga are as follows:
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Entrance to Castillos
€7.10
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Concert
€31
Tours and Activities in Malaga
Some specific costs of activities, tours, and entrance tickets for Malaga are as follows:
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1 Hour Malaga Panoramic Segway Tour:
$39
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1-hour Segway Tour in Malaga:
$28
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1.5-Hour Roman Theater and Alcazaba Castle Walking Tour:
$16
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2-day Granada, Toledo & Madrid Tour from Costa del Sol:
$311
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2-hour E-bike Tour of Malaga:
$30
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3 Hours Malaga Tapas Crawl Tour:
$83
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4-Day Morocco Tour: Fez, Meknes, Rabat and Tangier:
$671
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5-Day Morocco Tour: Casablanca, Marrakech, Meknes, Fez and Rabat from Malaga:
$677
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6-Night Morocco Tour from Fez, Meknes, Marrakech, Casablanca, Rabat and Tangier:
$899
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7-Day Morocco Tour from Costa del Sol: Fez, Meknes, Marrakech, Casablanca, Rabat and Tangier:
$899
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8 Days Morocco Tour From Spain:
$1,460
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90min Segway Small Group Tour in Malaga:
$34
Alcohol
Typically, people visiting Kos spend on average €16 on alcoholic beverages per person, per day.
The average person spends about €18 on alcoholic beverages in Malaga per day. The more you spend on alcohol, the more fun you might be having despite your higher budget.
Sample the Local Flavors in Malaga
Also in Malaga, these are the prices for nightlife and alcohol related activities from various tour providers:
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Malaga Nightlife - Pub Crawl Tour with Skip-the-line Club Access:
$26
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Frigiliana Small-Group Hike and Wine Tasting Tour from Malaga:
$49
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Muscatel Winery Tour and Wine Tastings from Malaga:
$75
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Malaga Tapas and Wine Tour:
$81
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Flamenco, Tapas and Wine Tour: BEST OF Málaga in one evening!:
$108
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Private Ronda Wine Tour with Tapas Including a Visit to Ronda:
$404
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Ronda Private Full Day Wine Tour with Tapas:
$406
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Malaga Shore Excursion: Panoramic Buggy Tour with Wine Tasting in a Historical Cellar:
$481
When comparing the travel costs between Kos and Malaga, we can see that Kos is more expensive. However, the two cities are actually relatively comparable in price, as the difference is somewhat minimal. Generally, this means that you could travel with generally the same travel style and level of luxury in each place. Since both cities are in Europe, it's no surprise that their costs are relatively close, as many destinations here have somewhat similar travel prices overall.
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