Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Luqa and Balzan

For one person, living is cheaper in Luqa: $1,845 a month against $1,939 in Balzan, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Balzan outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

88

Cost of Living Index in Luqa
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Luqa Living Index
92

Cost of Living Index in Balzan
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Balzan Living Index

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Luqa

🇲🇹 Malta

$1,845

/mo nomad

Balzan

🇲🇹 Malta

$1,939

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,845 per month in Luqa vs $1,939 in Balzan, rent included.

Luqa $1,845
Balzan $1,939

A couple spends around $2,902 per month in Luqa vs $2,927 in Balzan, rent included.

Luqa $2,902
Balzan $2,927

A family of three spends $3,960 per month in Luqa vs $3,915 in Balzan, rent included.

Luqa $3,960
Balzan $3,915

Luqa is about 5% cheaper than Balzan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Luqa and Balzan sit above the global median – Luqa by 36%, Balzan by 42%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.96 €17.81

$18.68 €16.67

6.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$99.9 €89.1

$91.1 €81.3

9.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.81 €9.65

$12.10 €10.79

-10.66%

Cappuccino

$3.40 €3.03

$3.09 €2.75

10.03%

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

$2.89 €2.58

$1.93 €1.73

49.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 €1.76

$1.03 €0.92

91.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.54 €4.05

$3.26 €2.90

39.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.27 €3.81

$2.45 €2.18

74.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 €1.02

$1.25 €1.11

-8.80%

White Bread (500g)

$1.16 €1.03

$0.97 €0.87

19.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.17 €2.83

$3.52 €3.14

-9.94%

Eggs

$3.93 €3.51

$4.30 €3.83

-8.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.31 €11.87

$10.30 €9.19

29.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.92 €8.85

$9.10 €8.12

9.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.81 €14.10

$12.40 €11.06

27.50%

Apples (1kg)

$2.74 €2.44

$2.64 €2.36

3.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$2.04 €1.82

-3.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.99 €2.66

$1.68 €1.50

77.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.72 €3.32

$1.15 €1.03

223.48%

Potato (1kg)

$1.79 €1.60

$0.86 €0.77

108.14%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$0.91 €0.81

116.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.93 €1.72

$0.85 €0.76

127.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 €0.80

$0.99 €0.89

-10.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.84 €6.10

$6.09 €5.44

12.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.17 €6.40

$6.02 €5.37

19.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 €1.34

$1.07 €0.96

40.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.49 €1.33

51.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.19 €1.95

$3.01 €2.69

-27.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$14.44 €12.89

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.52 €4.03

$2.23 €1.99

102.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.64 €1.46

$1.76 €1.57

-6.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.01 €34.81

$32.03 €28.58

21.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 €1.30

$1.52 €1.36

-3.95%

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

$24.9K €22.2K

$27.5K €24.5K

-9.29%

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

$39.5K €35.2K

$32.2K €28.7K

22.48%

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

$74.9 €66.8

$154 €138

-51.43%

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

$35.83 €31.96

$19.90 €17.75

80.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.44 €29.83

$28.97 €25.85

15.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.2 €47.49

$73.6 €65.6

-27.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$55.2 €49.23

Cinema Ticket

$11.10 €9.91

$11.40 €10.17

-2.63%

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

$611 €545

$280 €249

118.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.6K €12.1K

$12.1K €10.8K

12.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$145 €129

$58.0 €51.8

149.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.0 €49.04

$69.1 €61.7

-20.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.1 €76.0

$110 €98.1

-22.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$135 €121

$130 €116

3.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$811 €724

$1,132 €1,010

-28.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$819 €731

$950 €848

-13.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,284 €1,146

$1,804 €1,609

-28.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,298 €1,158

$1,522 €1,358

-14.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,945 €2,627

$4,057 €3,619

-27.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,120 €2,784

$2,876 €2,566

8.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,456 €1,299

$1,000 €893

45.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.22

4.05

-20.49%

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

Last update for Luqa: October 24, 2026

Last update for Balzan: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Luqa

$819 44.4%

Balzan

$950 49% 16% $131

Groceries & Markets

Luqa

$299 16.2%

Balzan

$245 12.6% 17.9% $53

Eating Out

Luqa

$284 15.4%

Balzan

$256 13.2% 9.8% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Luqa

$189 10.2%

Balzan

$165 8.5% 12.6% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Luqa

$144 7.8%

Balzan

$203 10.5% 40.9% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Luqa

$75 4.1%

Balzan

$96 5% 27.7% $21

Getting Around

Luqa

$36 2%

Balzan

$23 * 1.2% 35.7% $13

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $811 in Luqa versus $1,132 in Balzan. 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 46% higher in Luqa, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $100 in Luqa versus $91 in Balzan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $299 vs $245 – making Balzan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇹 Luqa

🇲🇹 Balzan

🕒 Local time

20:02 8:02 PM

Same time as Luqa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,900

4,700

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Luqa Balzan 6 km

From you

Luqa
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

Luqa vs Balzan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,845 in Luqa, $1,939 in Balzan – Luqa comes out roughly 5% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,768 per month in Luqa and $2,908 in Balzan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Luqa, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $811 there versus $1,132 in Balzan.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $100 in Luqa and $91 in Balzan. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 18% cheaper in Balzan – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

It depends on your priorities. Luqa has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,845 in Luqa to $1,939 in Balzan. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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