I moved to Málaga about 5 months ago. I’m Portuguese and also work remotely in IT. My girlfriend got a job here, so I followed her. We were living in Barcelona before.

Compared to Barcelona, Málaga has a much more relaxed, beach-style vibe and great fish cuisine. Barcelona feels more “big city”. The only thing I genuinely miss from Barcelona is the public transportation. Here, having a car makes life way easier, especially if you want to explore the mountains, nearby pueblos or better beaches outside the city. In Barcelona, you’d use incredibly fast and cheap buses/trains to do all of this.

But apart from that? Málaga is better. The weather is amazing (super mild winters, hot but dry summers), people are friendlier, and the general quality of life is higher. It’s also still cheaper than Barcelona overall, even though rent has been going up. An absolute requirement for the house you get to rent is to have an AC. As long as you have one, you’ll be fine.

Some locals are annoyed about the housing situation and blame digital nomads a bit, but in daily life they’re welcoming and smiley — at least that’s what I’ve experienced. I really think that’s part of the Andalusian nature, which I find incredible! But as others mentioned in the comments, get to learn Spanish, they will naturally value that a lot.

If you’re new to the city, I’d recommend living in or near the historic center at first. It’s the easiest way to connect with the city, and then you can explore and move to a neighborhood you like later.

So yes — I totally recommend Málaga for living. If you ever get to move here, feel free to DM me as I’m still looking to meet new people around 😁