Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ferrara and Mellieha

For one person, living is cheaper in Ferrara: $1,582 a month against $1,868 in Mellieha, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Mellieha outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

77

Cost of Living Index in Ferrara
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Ferrara Living Index
92

Cost of Living Index in Mellieha
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Mellieha Living Index

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Ferrara

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,582

/mo nomad

Mellieha

🇲🇹 Malta

$1,868

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ferrara and in Mellieha

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,582 in Ferrara versus $1,868 in Mellieha.

Ferrara $1,582
Mellieha $1,868

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,476 in Ferrara versus $2,814 in Mellieha.

Ferrara $2,476
Mellieha $2,814

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,370 in Ferrara versus $3,761 in Mellieha.

Ferrara $3,370
Mellieha $3,761

Living in Ferrara costs roughly 15% less than in Mellieha, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Ferrara 17% above, Mellieha 38% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.96 €15.98

$16.84 €14.98

6.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.9 €60.4

$64.6 €57.4

5.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.07 €9.85

$10.74 €9.55

3.07%

Cappuccino

$1.92 €1.70

$2.65 €2.36

-27.55%

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

$2.63 €2.34

$2.43 €2.16

8.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.98 €1.76

-40.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.54 €4.93

$3.92 €3.49

41.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.46 €4.86

$6.84 €6.08

-20.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.62 €1.44

$1.37 €1.22

18.25%

White Bread (500g)

$2.72 €2.42

$1.37 €1.22

98.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.13 €2.78

$3.44 €3.06

-9.01%

Eggs

$4.64 €4.13

$4.43 €3.94

4.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.61 €15.67

$10.15 €9.03

73.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.31 €10.06

$9.90 €8.80

14.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$24.40 €21.70

$18.22 €16.21

33.92%

Apples (1kg)

$2.96 €2.63

$3.69 €3.28

-19.78%

Banana (1kg)

$1.48 €1.31

$2.81 €2.50

-47.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.76 €3.34

$3.99 €3.55

-5.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.33 €3.85

$3.78 €3.36

14.55%

Potato (1kg)

$2.41 €2.15

$1.90 €1.69

26.84%

Onion (1kg)

$2.39 €2.13

$3.39 €3.02

-29.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.70 €1.51

9.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.34 €0.30

$1.15 €1.02

-70.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.63 €5.90

$6.43 €5.72

3.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.33 €3.85

$6.01 €5.35

-27.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.40 €1.25

$2.42 €2.15

-42.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.89

$2.36 €2.10

-9.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.06 €1.84

$2.74 €2.43

-24.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.25 €26.91

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$8.28 €7.37

$3.96 €3.52

109.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.91 €1.70

$1.84 €1.64

3.80%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.91 €30.16

$33.19 €29.52

2.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.46 €1.30

43.84%

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

$35.6K €31.6K

$28.1K €25.0K

26.44%

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

$36.0K €32.0K

$39.0K €34.7K

-7.60%

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

$139 €124

$104 €92.3

34.12%

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

$9.52 €8.47

$30.81 €27.40

-69.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.59 €24.54

$28.75 €25.57

-4.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.21 €33.09

$59.9 €53.3

-37.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.97 €14.20

Cinema Ticket

$8.80 €7.83

$8.44 €7.51

4.27%

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

$337 €300

$282 €250

19.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.0K €8,930

$12.3K €11.0K

-18.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.8 €83.5

$57.2 €50.9

64.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.56 €29.85

$39.17 €34.85

-14.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.8

$82.3 €73.2

26.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 €91.8

$72.7 €64.7

41.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$621 €552

$1,131 €1,006

-45.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$529 €470

$915 €814

-42.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,261 €1,122

$1,789 €1,591

-29.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$886 €788

$1,508 €1,341

-41.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,314 €2,058

$3,935 €3,500

-41.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,763 €1,568

$2,756 €2,451

-36.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,618 €1,439

$1,350 €1,201

19.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.37

4.05

-16.79%

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

Last update for Ferrara: October 12, 2026

Last update for Mellieha: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ferrara

$529 33.4%

Mellieha

$915 49% 73% $386

Groceries & Markets

Ferrara

$361 22.8%

Mellieha

$326 17.4% 9.8% $35

Eating Out

Ferrara

$254 16%

Mellieha

$250 13.4% 1.6% $4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ferrara

$176 11.2%

Mellieha

$163 8.8% 7.3% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Ferrara

$151 9.5%

Mellieha

$113 6.1% 24.9% $38

Getting Around

Ferrara

$56 3.6%

Mellieha

$24 * 1.3% 57.2% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Ferrara

$55 3.5%

Mellieha

$77 4.1% 40.1% $22

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $621 in Ferrara and $1,131 in Mellieha. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ferrara pays 20% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $68.0 in Ferrara vs $65.0 in Mellieha for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $361 vs $326 per month, with Mellieha cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Ferrara

🇲🇹 Mellieha

🕒 Local time

17:22 5:22 PM

Same time as Ferrara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

133,155

10,087

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Ferrara Mellieha 1,010 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Ferrara
Mellieha

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

Ferrara vs Mellieha: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ferrara wins on cost – living expenses run 18% lower than in Mellieha. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Ferrara the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 20% higher in Ferrara, 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: $621 in Ferrara versus $1,131 in Mellieha. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $337 in Ferrara versus $282 in Mellieha. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Ferrara – a meal for two runs $68.0 versus $65.0 in Mellieha. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,582 in Ferrara versus $1,868 in Mellieha, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ferrara but tight or insufficient in Mellieha. The gap between the two cities makes Ferrara the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Ferrara and Mellieha 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 Ferrara gentler on the wallet – expenses run 18% less than in Mellieha. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.