Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Balzan and Birkirkara

For one person, living is cheaper in Balzan: $1,909 a month against $2,024 in Birkirkara, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. The total is higher in Birkirkara despite lower rent and utilities.

Balzan
🇲🇹 Malta
$1,909
/mo nomad
Birkirkara
🇲🇹 Malta
$2,024
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Balzan and in Birkirkara

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Balzan and in Birkirkara actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,909 per month in Balzan vs $2,024 in Birkirkara, rent included.

  • Balzan $1,909
  • Birkirkara $2,024

A couple spends around $2,866 per month in Balzan vs $3,003 in Birkirkara, rent included.

  • Balzan $2,866
  • Birkirkara $3,003

A family of three spends $3,822 per month in Balzan vs $3,981 in Birkirkara, rent included.

  • Balzan $3,822
  • Birkirkara $3,981

Balzan is about 6% cheaper than Birkirkara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Balzan and Birkirkara sit above the global median – Balzan by 41%, Birkirkara by 50%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Balzan
Birkirkara
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$18.28 €16.26
$10.96 €9.75
66.79%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$89.1 €79.2
$77.7 €69.1
14.58%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$12.05 €10.72
$13.64 €12.14
-11.66%
Cappuccino
$3.22 €2.86
$3.07 €2.73
4.89%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.99 €1.77
$2.24 €2.00
-11.16%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.02 €0.90
$1.60 €1.42
-36.25%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.39 €3.02
$3.31 €2.94
2.42%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.56 €2.27
$3.40 €3.03
-24.71%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Balzan
Birkirkara
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.21 €1.08
$1.28 €1.14
-5.47%
White Bread (500g)
$0.92 €0.82
$1.28 €1.14
-28.13%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.52 €3.13
$3.60 €3.20
-2.22%
Eggs
$4.28 €3.81
$3.38 €3.00
26.63%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.12 €9.00
$13.26 €11.79
-23.68%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.68 €7.72
$12.47 €11.09
-30.39%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.44 €11.07
$18.25 €16.23
-31.84%
Apples (1kg)
$2.52 €2.24
$2.62 €2.33
-3.82%
Banana (1kg)
$1.96 €1.74
$2.03 €1.80
-3.45%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.78 €1.58
$2.14 €1.90
-16.82%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.09 €0.97
$2.81 €2.50
-61.21%
Potato (1kg)
$0.91 €0.81
$1.38 €1.23
-34.06%
Onion (1kg)
$0.92 €0.82
$1.99 €1.77
-53.77%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.87 €0.78
$1.92 €1.70
-54.69%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.99 €0.88
$1.07 €0.95
-7.48%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.18 €5.50
$6.38 €5.67
-3.13%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.10 €5.43
$10.01 €8.90
-39.06%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.05 €0.93
$2.26 €2.01
-53.54%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.47 €1.31
$3.75 €3.33
-60.80%
🚌 Getting Around
Balzan
Birkirkara
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.11 €2.76
$2.20 €1.95
41.36%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$27.75 €24.68
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.18 €1.94
$5.42 €4.82
-59.78%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.82 €1.62
$2.88 €2.56
-36.81%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$32.50 €28.91
$70.9 €63.1
-54.18%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.48 €1.32
$1.46 €1.30
1.37%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.3K €24.3K
$32.3K €28.7K
-15.26%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$32.6K €29.0K
$41.1K €36.5K
-20.55%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Balzan
Birkirkara
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$155 €138
$116 €103
33.94%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$19.91 €17.71
$29.28 €26.05
-32.00%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$29.16 €25.94
$31.12 €27.68
-6.30%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Balzan
Birkirkara
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$55.9 €49.75
$65.4 €58.2
-14.48%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$28.71 €25.54
-
Cinema Ticket
$11.14 €9.91
$13.57 €12.07
-17.91%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Balzan
Birkirkara
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$273 €243
$415 €369
-34.09%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.4K €11.0K
$6,689 €5,950
85.56%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Balzan
Birkirkara
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$56.3 €50.1
$141 €126
-60.14%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$68.8 €61.2
$58.4 €52.0
17.79%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$111 €99.1
$106 €94.2
5.25%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$128 €114
$161 €143
-20.44%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Balzan
Birkirkara
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,108 €985
$1,150 €1,023
-3.66%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$943 €839
$959 €853
-1.72%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,773 €1,577
$1,698 €1,511
4.43%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,488 €1,324
$1,432 €1,274
3.91%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,056 €3,608
$3,906 €3,474
3.84%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,866 €2,550
$2,684 €2,388
6.78%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Balzan
Birkirkara
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,014 €902
$1,847 €1,643
-45.07%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.05
4.79
-15.45%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Balzan: October 11, 2026

Last update for Birkirkara: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Balzan
$943
Birkirkara
$959 1.8% $17
Eating Out
Balzan
$255
Birkirkara
$204 20% $51
Groceries & Markets
Balzan
$241
Birkirkara
$326 35.2% $85
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Balzan
$204
Birkirkara
$176 13.7% $28
Clothing & Footwear
Balzan
$164
Birkirkara
$210 28% $46
Sport & Entertainment
Balzan
$78
Birkirkara
$93 18.3% $14
Getting Around
Balzan
$24 *
Birkirkara
$56 138% $33

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,108 in Balzan versus $1,150 in Birkirkara. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 82% higher in Birkirkara, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $89.0 in Balzan versus $78.0 in Birkirkara. Groceries tell a different story – $241 in Balzan vs $326 in Birkirkara – so Balzan wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇲🇹 Balzan
🇲🇹 Birkirkara
🕒 Local time
06:26 6:26 AM
06:26 6:26 AM
Same time as Balzan
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
4,700
22,247
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Balzan Birkirkara 1 km
From you
  • Balzan
  • Birkirkara

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index
Balzan vs Birkirkara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Balzan and in Birkirkara compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $1,909 in Balzan, $2,024 in Birkirkara – roughly 6% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.
What salary covers living expenses in Balzan compared to Birkirkara?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,864 per month in Balzan and $3,037 in Birkirkara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Balzan and Birkirkara?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Balzan, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $89.0 in Balzan and $78.0 in Birkirkara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Groceries cost about 35% more in Birkirkara, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Which city is more doable on $3,000 per month?
A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Balzan, where all-in costs run around $1,909, than in Birkirkara at $2,024. In Balzan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Birkirkara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Where should families live: Balzan or Birkirkara?
Families tend to lean toward Balzan – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Is Balzan or Birkirkara safer for residents?
Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.
How do I decide between Balzan and Birkirkara?
If budget matters most, go with Balzan. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Birkirkara makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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