Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Balzan and Sliema

For one person, living is cheaper in Balzan: $1,939 a month against $2,416 in Sliema, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

92

Cost of Living Index in Balzan
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Balzan Living Index
115

Cost of Living Index in Sliema
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Sliema Living Index

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Balzan

🇲🇹 Malta

$1,939

/mo nomad

Sliema

🇲🇹 Malta

$2,416

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Balzan and in Sliema

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 Sliema actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,939 per month in Balzan vs $2,416 in Sliema, rent included.

Balzan $1,939
Sliema $2,416

A couple spends around $2,927 per month in Balzan vs $3,868 in Sliema, rent included.

Balzan $2,927
Sliema $3,868

A family of three spends $3,915 per month in Balzan vs $5,320 in Sliema, rent included.

Balzan $3,915
Sliema $5,320

Balzan is about 20% cheaper than Sliema, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Balzan and Sliema sit above the global median – Balzan by 42%, Sliema by 78%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.68 €16.73

$19.81 €17.74

-5.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$91.1 €81.6

$85.4 €76.5

6.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.10 €10.84

$13.58 €12.16

-10.90%

Cappuccino

$3.09 €2.76

$2.79 €2.49

10.75%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 €1.73

$3.16 €2.83

-38.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 €0.92

$2.21 €1.98

-53.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.26 €2.92

$4.60 €4.12

-29.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.45 €2.19

$5.29 €4.74

-53.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 €1.12

$1.36 €1.21

-8.09%

White Bread (500g)

$0.97 €0.87

$1.34 €1.20

-27.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.52 €3.16

$4.44 €3.97

-20.72%

Eggs

$4.30 €3.85

$4.17 €3.74

3.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.30 €9.23

$8.08 €7.24

27.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.10 €8.15

$10.35 €9.27

-12.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.40 €11.10

$18.36 €16.44

-32.46%

Apples (1kg)

$2.64 €2.37

$4.28 €3.83

-38.32%

Banana (1kg)

$2.04 €1.83

$2.80 €2.50

-27.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.68 €1.51

$3.64 €3.26

-53.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.15 €1.03

$3.41 €3.05

-66.28%

Potato (1kg)

$0.86 €0.77

$2.22 €1.99

-61.26%

Onion (1kg)

$0.91 €0.81

$1.92 €1.72

-52.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.85 €0.76

$2.35 €2.10

-63.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 €0.89

$1.29 €1.15

-23.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.09 €5.46

$6.78 €6.07

-10.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.02 €5.39

$7.97 €7.13

-24.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 €0.96

$1.69 €1.51

-36.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.49 €1.34

$2.36 €2.12

-36.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.01 €2.70

$2.22 €1.99

35.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$136 €122

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.23 €2.00

$5.46 €4.89

-59.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.76 €1.58

$2.30 €2.06

-23.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.03 €28.69

$26.69 €23.90

20.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 €1.36

$1.47 €1.32

3.40%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$27.5K €24.6K

$37.4K €33.5K

-26.63%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$32.2K €28.9K

$38.4K €34.4K

-16.03%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$154 €138

$104 €93.2

48.05%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$19.90 €17.82

$25.37 €22.72

-21.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.97 €25.95

$43.68 €39.12

-33.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.6 €65.9

$74.7 €66.9

-1.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.09 €14.41

Cinema Ticket

$11.40 €10.21

$10.04 €9.00

13.55%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$280 €250

$370 €331

-24.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.1K €10.9K

$11.1K €9,939

9.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.0 €52.0

$88.0 €78.8

-34.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$69.1 €61.9

$40.29 €36.08

71.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 €98.5

$101 €90.2

9.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 €117

$79.5 €71.2

63.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,132 €1,014

$1,752 €1,569

-35.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$950 €851

$1,233 €1,104

-22.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,804 €1,615

$3,113 €2,788

-42.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,522 €1,364

$2,504 €2,243

-39.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,057 €3,633

$5,387 €4,825

-24.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,876 €2,575

$3,499 €3,134

-17.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,000 €896

$1,841 €1,649

-45.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.05

2.9

39.66%

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

Last update for Balzan: October 26, 2026

Last update for Sliema: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Balzan

$950 49%

Sliema

$1.2K 51% 29.8% $283

Eating Out

Balzan

$256 13.2%

Sliema

$288 11.9% 12.5% $32

Groceries & Markets

Balzan

$245 12.6%

Sliema

$327 13.5% 33.3% $82

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Balzan

$203 10.5%

Sliema

$173 7.2% 14.7% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Balzan

$165 8.5%

Sliema

$139 5.8% 16% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Balzan

$96 5%

Sliema

$95 3.9% 1.6% $1.5

Getting Around

Balzan

$23 * 1.2%

Sliema

$162 6.7% 601% $139

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,132 in Balzan versus $1,752 in Sliema. 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 84% higher in Sliema. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $91 in Balzan versus $85 in Sliema. Groceries tell a different story – $245 in Balzan vs $327 in Sliema – so Balzan wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇹 Balzan

🇲🇹 Sliema

🕒 Local time

11:04 11:04 AM

Same time as Balzan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,700

16,854

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Balzan Sliema 5 km

From you

Balzan
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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 Sliema: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,939 in Balzan, $2,416 in Sliema – Balzan comes out roughly 20% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,908 per month in Balzan and $3,624 in Sliema. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Balzan, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,132 there versus $1,752 in Sliema.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $91 in Balzan and $85 in Sliema. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 33% more in Sliema, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,939 in Balzan and $2,416 in Sliema, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Balzan. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Sliema makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.