Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hamrun and Balzan

For one person, living is cheaper in Hamrun: $1,654 a month against $1,903 in Balzan, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Hamrun
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Hamrun Living Index
92

Cost of Living Index in Balzan
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Balzan Living Index

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Hamrun

🇲🇹 Malta

$1,654

/mo nomad

Balzan

🇲🇹 Malta

$1,903

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Hamrun and in Balzan

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

A single person spends $1,654 per month in Hamrun vs $1,903 in Balzan, rent included.

Hamrun $1,654
Balzan $1,903

A couple spends around $2,564 per month in Hamrun vs $2,892 in Balzan, rent included.

Hamrun $2,564
Balzan $2,892

A family of three spends $3,475 per month in Hamrun vs $3,881 in Balzan, rent included.

Hamrun $3,475
Balzan $3,881

Hamrun is about 13% cheaper than Balzan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Hamrun and Balzan sit above the global median – Hamrun by 22%, Balzan by 40%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.57 €11.18

$18.74 €16.67

-32.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.0 €48.93

$90.2 €80.2

-38.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.90 €7.92

$12.21 €10.86

-27.11%

Cappuccino

$2.01 €1.79

$3.21 €2.86

-37.38%

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

$1.98 €1.76

$1.90 €1.69

4.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.21

$0.99 €0.88

37.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.94 €1.72

$3.33 €2.96

-41.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 €2.02

$2.55 €2.27

-10.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 €1.12

$1.20 €1.07

4.17%

White Bread (500g)

$1.34 €1.19

$0.97 €0.87

38.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.29 €3.82

$3.54 €3.15

21.19%

Eggs

$4.33 €3.85

$4.29 €3.82

0.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.08 €7.19

$10.21 €9.08

-20.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.33 €9.19

$8.86 €7.88

16.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.24 €16.23

$12.35 €10.98

47.69%

Apples (1kg)

$4.11 €3.65

$2.63 €2.34

56.27%

Banana (1kg)

$2.83 €2.51

$1.98 €1.76

42.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.54 €3.15

$1.77 €1.57

100.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.26 €2.90

$1.13 €1.01

188.50%

Potato (1kg)

$2.47 €2.19

$0.85 €0.75

190.59%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 €1.77

$0.91 €0.81

118.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.27 €2.02

$0.81 €0.72

180.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.35 €1.20

$0.97 €0.86

39.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.59 €5.87

$6.44 €5.72

2.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.05 €7.16

$5.98 €5.32

34.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 €1.51

$1.09 €0.97

55.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.43 €2.16

$1.47 €1.31

65.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.53 €2.25

$3.07 €2.73

-17.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.67 €5.05

$2.26 €2.01

150.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.22 €1.97

$1.82 €1.62

21.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.95 €23.97

$33.14 €29.48

-18.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 €1.32

$1.53 €1.36

-2.61%

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

$37.7K €33.6K

$28.1K €25.0K

34.23%

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

$39.2K €34.8K

$32.4K €28.8K

20.89%

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

$102 €90.8

$154 €137

-33.61%

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

$25.76 €22.91

$20.17 €17.94

27.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.46 €24.42

$28.73 €25.55

-4.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.9 €56.0

$61.8 €55.0

1.78%

Cinema Ticket

$10.24 €9.11

$11.38 €10.13

-10.02%

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

$369 €329

$271 €241

36.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K €10.0K

$12.3K €10.9K

-8.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.6 €77.9

$58.3 €51.8

50.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.99 €36.46

$69.2 €61.6

-40.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.7 €86.9

$111 €98.7

-11.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.5 €69.9

$132 €117

-40.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$842 €749

$1,136 €1,011

-25.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$747 €664

$925 €823

-19.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,560 €1,388

$1,762 €1,568

-11.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,361 €1,211

$1,514 €1,347

-10.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,947 €3,511

$3,935 €3,500

0.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,795 €2,486

$2,829 €2,517

-1.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,024 €911

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.9

4.05

-28.40%

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

Last update for Hamrun: October 18, 2026

Last update for Balzan: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hamrun

$747 45.2%

Balzan

$925 48.6% 23.9% $178

Groceries & Markets

Hamrun

$325 19.7%

Balzan

$242 12.7% 25.5% $83

Eating Out

Hamrun

$179 10.8%

Balzan

$258 13.6% 44.4% $79

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hamrun

$155 9.4%

Balzan

$203 10.6% 30.5% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Hamrun

$137 8.3%

Balzan

$167 8.8% 21.5% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Hamrun

$83 5%

Balzan

$85 4.4% 1.4% $1.2

Getting Around

Hamrun

$27 * 1.6%

Balzan

$24 * 1.2% 12.1% $3.3

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $842 in Hamrun versus $1,136 in Balzan. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55.0 in Hamrun versus $90.0 in Balzan. Groceries tell a different story – $325 in Hamrun vs $242 in Balzan – so Balzan wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇹 Hamrun

🇲🇹 Balzan

🕒 Local time

11:51 11:51 AM

Same time as Hamrun

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,000

4,700

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Hamrun Balzan 3 km

From you

Hamrun
Balzan

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

Hamrun vs Balzan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,654 in Hamrun, $1,903 in Balzan – roughly 15% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,480 per month in Hamrun and $2,855 in Balzan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Hamrun, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55.0 in Hamrun and $90.0 in Balzan. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 34% cheaper in Balzan – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Hamrun, where all-in costs run around $1,654, than in Balzan at $1,903. In Hamrun it covers expenses comfortably, while in Balzan it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Hamrun – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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.

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