Is Alicante Warmer Than Malaga?

When choosing our destination it is important to know what weather to expect. Alicante and Malaga are 293mi (472km) away from each other. Which one is warmer?

Alicante VS Malaga
Alicante VS Malaga

Malaga is 293mi (472km) south of Alicante. In general, the south of the Mediterranean coast is hotter than the north. Malaga can be hotter than Alicante and Alicante is, in general, warmer than, for example, Barcelona. Other differences between Alicante and Malaga are in this article. But is this difference in temperatures huge?

Is Alicante Warmer than Malaga in Summer?

In general, Malaga is a bit hotter than Alicante in summer. The high average temperature in August is 31°C (87.8°F) which is the same as in Malaga. The low average temperature in Alicante in August is 22°C (71.6°F). It is 21°C (69.8°F) in Malaga. How come Malaga is hotter?

The answer is the extremes. Hot days are hotter in Malaga than in Alicante. While in Alicante is strange to get a temperature higher than 34°C (93.2°F) in Malaga is normal to get temperatures up to 36°C (96.8°F).

The hot season bit milder and longer in Alicante than in Malaga with an average of 3 months in Alicante and 2.9 months in Malaga. In both places, summers are hot and dry.

Rainfall Days in Summer

Alicante averages 3.2 days of rain in June, Jule and August. Malaga has an average of 2 days of rain in the same month. Both places are dry in the hot season.

Is The Sea Warmer in Alicante than in Malaga in Summer?

In Alicante, the sea temperature is warmer in summer. The warmest month is August averaging 26.3°C (79.34°F) in Alicante VS 23.5°C (74.3°F) in Malaga. In general, the warmer the water the better for swimming in the sea so Alicante might be a better beach destination.

The temperature of the sea is higher in Alicante than in Malaga from May to November, all the hot season.

Is Alicante Warmer than Malaga in Winter?

On average, Alicante is warmer than Malaga in winter. The coldest month is January in both cities but the average temperature is higher in Alicante, 17°C(62.6°F), versus Malaga, 16.8°C(62.24°F).

During the day, Alicante is a bit hotter than Malaga as well but the average difference is less than 1°C (33.8°F). The average maximum temperature in both cities is very near to 17°C (62.6°F) in January.

During the night, Alicante is a bit colder than Malaga. The average low temperature in Aliante is 6.5°C (43.7°F) and in Malaga 7.4°C (45.32°F) as the sea temperature is warmer in Malaga in winter.

As you can see both places have a mild winter and the differences are small being Alicante a bit warmer in winter in general.

Rainfall Days in Winter

December, January and February are dry in Alicante and a bit wet in Malaga.

The average wet days is 10.2 in Alicante for the 3 months and 18 days in Malaga. It never snows in any of the two cities.

In general, Alicante is the best option to escape from the rain in winter as your chances of finding wet days are lower. Nevertheless, the two cities are extremely dry.

Is The Sea Warmer in Alicante than in Malaga in Winter?

The sea temperature in winter is higher in Malaga than in Alicante. In both cities the coldest sea month is February. Alicante averages 14.1°C (57.38°F) and Malaga 15.6°C (60.08°F).

As shown by the data, Alicante is a bit less extreme than Malaga in the summer. Alicantinian hot days are usually less suffocating than hot days in Malaga. Due to different geographic conditions, Malaga averages colder days during the winter being the hottest hours of the days warmer in Alicante.

Have you visited any of the two cities? What city do you think has better weather? Leave your thoughts in the comments!