Cost of Living Comparison Between Italy and Malta Cost of Living Comparison Between Italy and Malta

Name: Malta
Address: MT

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,796 in Italy versus $2,057 in Malta.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,739 in Italy versus $3,112 in Malta.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,682 in Italy versus $4,166 in Malta.

Living in Italy costs about 13% less than in Malta on average.

Both countries sit above the global median: Italy 30% above, Malta 49% above.

Italy ($1,152–$2,626) and Malta ($1,684–$2,939) have similar cost spreads. Where you settle within each country has roughly equal impact on the budget.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.24 €18.26

$17.15 €14.75

23.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.8 €69.5

$85.6 €73.6

-5.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.41 €9.81

$12.09 €10.39

-5.62%

Cappuccino

$2.08 €1.79

$2.92 €2.51

-28.77%

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

$3.05 €2.62

$2.68 €2.30

13.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 €1.19

$1.74 €1.50

-20.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.79 €4.98

$4.58 €3.94

26.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 €4.95

$4.71 €4.05

22.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 €1.46

$1.38 €1.19

23.19%

White Bread (500g)

$2.41 €2.07

$1.37 €1.18

75.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.01 €2.59

$3.88 €3.34

-22.42%

Eggs

$4.32 €3.71

$4.00 €3.44

8.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.93 €15.42

$11.17 €9.60

60.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.67 €10.89

$10.09 €8.68

25.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.57 €17.69

$17.32 €14.89

18.76%

Apples (1kg)

$2.62 €2.25

$3.23 €2.78

-18.89%

Banana (1kg)

$2.15 €1.84

$2.29 €1.97

-6.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.80 €2.41

$3.00 €2.58

-6.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.32 €2.86

$3.27 €2.81

1.53%

Potato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.80

$2.03 €1.74

3.45%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 €1.62

$2.29 €1.97

-17.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.55 €1.33

$1.98 €1.70

-21.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 €0.48

$1.03 €0.89

-45.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.16 €6.16

$6.93 €5.96

3.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.35 €6.32

$8.23 €7.08

-10.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 €1.55

$1.82 €1.56

-1.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.41 €2.07

$2.47 €2.12

-2.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.93 €1.66

$2.35 €2.02

-17.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.24 €38.90

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.74 €4.93

$5.74 €4.94

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.70 €1.46

$2.27 €1.95

-25.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.25 €30.30

$33.86 €29.11

4.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.04 €1.75

$1.52 €1.30

34.21%

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

$37.5K €32.3K

$28.5K €24.5K

31.62%

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

$37.1K €31.9K

$39.5K €34.0K

-6.18%

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

$231 €199

$108 €92.6

114.47%

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

$12.34 €10.61

$27.51 €23.66

-55.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.17 €26.80

$36.00 €30.96

-13.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.2 €47.50

$69.3 €59.6

-20.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.91 €21.42

$21.83 €18.77

14.11%

Cinema Ticket

$11.13 €9.57

$11.31 €9.73

-1.59%

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

$568 €489

$426 €366

33.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.5K €10.8K

$11.4K €9,797

9.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.0 €79.9

$101 €87.2

-8.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.82 €34.23

$47.21 €40.59

-15.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €89.6

$108 €93.1

-3.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$135 €116

$121 €104

12.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$852 €732

$1,216 €1,046

-29.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$645 €554

$1,009 €867

-36.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,449 €1,246

$2,020 €1,737

-28.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,084 €932

$1,629 €1,400

-33.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,813 €3,278

$4,506 €3,875

-15.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,357 €2,027

$3,446 €2,963

-31.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,933 €1,662

$1,815 €1,561

6.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.57

4.16

-14.18%

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

Last update for Italy: September 5, 2026

Last update for Malta: September 8, 2026

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $755 in Italy, $1,222 in Malta. Capital cities: $1,247 in Rome vs $1,485 in Valletta.

National salary averages: $1,964 in Italy, $1,853 in Malta. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 62% higher in Malta.

Dining out costs 11% more in Malta.

Public transport is 617% more expensive in Italy.

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

Italy vs Malta: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $1,889 per month in Italy and $2,312 in Malta, there's a 22% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Day-to-day life is simply cheaper in Italy: lower food prices, cheaper commutes, smaller household bills. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent in Malta is consistently higher than in Italy across the board, especially in major cities. Housing is usually the single biggest driver of the overall cost difference between the two countries.

In Italy, $2,500 covers most cities easily; in Malta it stretches only to regional areas and falls short in the capital – you'll need to make trade-offs on housing or lifestyle.

It depends on what you're after: Italy wins on affordability; Malta may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.