Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Birgu and Sliema

For one person, living is cheaper in Birgu: $1,731 a month against $2,396 in Sliema, rent and utilities included – about $8,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

85

Cost of Living Index in Birgu
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Birgu Living Index
116

Cost of Living Index in Sliema
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Sliema Living Index

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Birgu

🇲🇹 Malta

$1,731

/mo nomad

Sliema

🇲🇹 Malta

$2,396

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Birgu 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 Birgu and in Sliema actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,731 in Birgu versus $2,396 in Sliema.

Birgu $1,731
Sliema $2,396

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,817 in Birgu versus $3,794 in Sliema.

Birgu $2,817
Sliema $3,794

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,902 in Birgu versus $5,191 in Sliema.

Birgu $3,902
Sliema $5,191

Living in Birgu costs roughly 28% less than in Sliema, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Birgu 28% above, Sliema 77% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.77 €17.58

$19.81 €17.63

-0.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$87.6 €77.9

$85.6 €76.2

2.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.87 €10.56

$13.24 €11.77

-10.35%

Cappuccino

$2.64 €2.35

$2.77 €2.47

-4.69%

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

$2.29 €2.04

$3.02 €2.69

-24.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 €1.53

$2.16 €1.92

-20.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.48 €3.98

$4.60 €4.09

-2.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.18 €4.61

$5.24 €4.66

-1.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 €1.21

$1.35 €1.20

0.74%

White Bread (500g)

$1.34 €1.19

$1.37 €1.22

-2.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.21 €3.74

$4.24 €3.77

-0.71%

Eggs

$4.05 €3.60

$4.30 €3.82

-5.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.31 €7.39

$8.27 €7.35

0.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.59 €7.64

$10.25 €9.12

-16.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.33 €13.63

$18.21 €16.20

-15.82%

Apples (1kg)

$2.77 €2.46

$4.24 €3.77

-34.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.26 €1.12

$2.81 €2.50

-55.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.82 €2.51

$3.52 €3.13

-19.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.77 €2.46

$3.32 €2.95

-16.57%

Potato (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$2.42 €2.16

-9.09%

Onion (1kg)

$1.69 €1.51

$2.05 €1.82

-17.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.30 €2.05

$2.34 €2.08

-1.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 €0.77

$1.30 €1.16

-33.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.82 €6.06

$6.83 €6.08

-0.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.32 €7.40

$8.09 €7.19

2.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 €1.42

$1.68 €1.50

-5.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 €2.17

$2.40 €2.14

1.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.34 €2.08

$2.17 €1.93

7.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$13.80 €12.27

$133 €118

-89.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.42 €4.82

$5.64 €5.02

-3.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 €0.97

$2.20 €1.96

-50.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.03 €24.04

$27.09 €24.10

-0.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 €1.30

$1.54 €1.37

-5.19%

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

$26.0K €23.2K

$37.9K €33.7K

-31.34%

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

$32.7K €29.1K

$39.6K €35.2K

-17.54%

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

$103 €91.3

$103 €91.9

-0.64%

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

$25.53 €22.70

$25.61 €22.78

-0.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.11 €29.45

$42.84 €38.10

-22.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.55 €38.74

$76.4 €68.0

-43.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$66.5 €59.2

$15.86 €14.11

319.29%

Cinema Ticket

$9.89 €8.80

$10.20 €9.08

-3.04%

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

$371 €330

$366 €326

1.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,023 €1,799

$11.1K €9,912

-81.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$25.33 €22.53

$85.5 €76.0

-70.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.87 €30.13

$40.84 €36.33

-17.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 €89.1

$101 €90.0

-1.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 €97.4

$76.7 €68.2

42.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 €872

$1,775 €1,579

-44.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$798 €709

$1,220 €1,085

-34.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,785 €1,588

$2,913 €2,591

-38.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,534 €1,365

$2,385 €2,122

-35.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,050 €3,603

$5,353 €4,762

-24.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,820 €2,509

$3,578 €3,183

-21.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,873 €1,666

$1,815 €1,614

3.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.9

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

Last update for Birgu: October 12, 2026

Last update for Sliema: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Birgu

$798 46.1%

Sliema

$1.2K 50.9% 53% $422

Groceries & Markets

Birgu

$279 16.2%

Sliema

$326 13.6% 16.8% $47

Eating Out

Birgu

$274 15.8%

Sliema

$286 11.9% 4.2% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Birgu

$161 9.3%

Sliema

$172 7.2% 6.5% $10

Clothing & Footwear

Birgu

$121 7%

Sliema

$137 5.7% 13.1% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Birgu

$63 3.7%

Sliema

$97 4% 52.8% $33

Getting Around

Birgu

$34 2%

Sliema

$158 6.6% 366% $124

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $980 in Birgu and $1,775 in Sliema. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Birgu pays 3% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $88.0 in Birgu vs $86.0 in Sliema. Groceries flip the comparison at $279 vs $326, with Birgu cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇹 Birgu

🇲🇹 Sliema

🕒 Local time

08:29 8:29 AM

Same time as Birgu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,500

16,854

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Birgu Sliema 3 km

From you

Birgu
Sliema

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

Birgu vs Sliema: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Birgu wins on cost – living expenses run 38% lower than in Sliema. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Birgu the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 3% higher in Birgu, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $980 in Birgu versus $1,775 in Sliema. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Birgu runs roughly 865% less than in Sliema. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $371 in Birgu versus $366 in Sliema. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,731 in Birgu versus $2,396 in Sliema, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Birgu but tight or insufficient in Sliema. The gap between the two cities makes Birgu the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Birgu delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,731 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Birgu hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Birgu and Sliema are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Birgu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 38% less than in Sliema. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.