Málaga: Here for the (cheap) beer

Drinking beer in Málaga is both a fun and affordable pastime.

A return flight costs less than 200 quid; the flight time is under three hours, and summer temperatures barely drop below 30ºC for weeks on end.

Yep, there are many reasons to choose Málaga for a week or even weekend away in the sun, but the news that the city serves the fourth-cheapest beer in the world may well swing it for thousands of thirsty travellers…

A recent study by travel website GoEuro found that a typical beer in Málaga – which for the purposes of the poll was classed as a 33ml serving – costs just €1.56, ranking the city fourth-cheapest in the world for the golden nectar.

Poland’s Krakow is the cheapest among the 75 destinations ranked, and will set punters back just €1.51 for a beer. Kiev in Ukraine is second-cheapest (€1.52) followed by the Slovakian capital, Bratislava (€1.54), making Málaga the cheapest city in western Europe when it comes to drinking beer.

The top five was rounded out by Delhi, India, and Serbia’s Belgrade was the only other European destination to make the top ten.

Unsurprisingly, at the other end of the scale, Geneva in Switzerland topped the charts. A 33ml beer in the Swiss city will cost you a whopping €5.72, while Hong Kong was not far behind, with Israel’s Tel Aviv coming in third-place. New York is the fifth-most expensive city in the world for beer, with a punter paying an average of €4.80.

Along the coastline of the Costa del Sol, beer prices do climb steadily the closer you get to Puerto Banús. And while it is not unusual to pay around €10 for a bottle of beer along the front line of Puerto Banús, those in the know can easily snap up beers for around half that.

In Marbella’s Old Town, or in the more local Spanish neighbourhoods at the rear of the town, beer prices more closely resemble those found in Málaga, while the many beachfront bars and cafés that line the shore in Benalmádena, Fuengirola and Torremolinos have generally low prices and often run attractive happy hour deals.

In short, if you’re keen on drinking a few well-priced pints and canny cañas while on the Costa del Sol, then you really are spoilt for choice.