Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Malta and China

Name: China
Address: CN

For one person, living is cheaper in China: $791 a month against $1,970 in Malta, rent and utilities included – about $14,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

95

Cost of Living Index in Malta
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Malta Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in China
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China Living Index

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🇲🇹 Malta

$1,970

/mo nomad

🇨🇳 China

$791

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Malta and in China

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,970 in Malta versus $791 in China.

Malta $1,970
China $791

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,036 in Malta versus $1,251 in China.

Malta $3,036
China $1,251

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,102 in Malta versus $1,711 in China.

Malta $4,102
China $1,711

Internal cost variation is higher in Malta: monthly costs span $1,657 to $2,871, compared to $465–$1,222 in China. City choice carries more weight in Malta.

Living in Malta is roughly 149% more expensive than in China on average.

Malta (45% above) and China (42% below) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.44 €14.76

$2.98 ¥19.80

451.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$82.7 €74.2

$22.09 ¥147

274.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.69 €10.49

$5.20 ¥34.58

124.81%

Cappuccino

$2.75 €2.47

$2.97 ¥19.73

-7.41%

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

$2.57 €2.30

$0.48 ¥3.19

435.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 €1.51

$0.30 ¥2.01

460.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.48 €4.02

$1.08 ¥7.17

314.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.43 €3.98

$2.28 ¥15.14

94.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 €1.17

$1.80 ¥11.95

-27.78%

White Bread (500g)

$1.30 €1.17

$1.68 ¥11.14

-22.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.71 €3.33

$0.92 ¥6.13

303.26%

Eggs

$3.90 €3.50

$1.61 ¥10.73

142.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.47 €9.39

$13.38 ¥89.0

-21.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.15 €9.11

$3.35 ¥22.27

202.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.73 €15.01

$11.35 ¥75.5

47.40%

Apples (1kg)

$3.08 €2.76

$1.82 ¥12.12

69.23%

Banana (1kg)

$2.20 €1.98

$1.31 ¥8.69

67.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.93 €2.63

$1.49 ¥9.89

96.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.24 €2.90

$1.27 ¥8.47

155.12%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 €1.74

$0.71 ¥4.73

173.24%

Onion (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$0.93 ¥6.21

124.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.90 €1.70

$0.62 ¥4.12

206.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 €0.83

$0.56 ¥3.74

66.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.91 €6.20

$3.78 ¥25.14

82.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.18 €7.34

$12.13 ¥80.7

-32.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 €1.54

$0.83 ¥5.54

107.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 €2.09

$1.68 ¥11.20

38.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.25 €2.02

$0.29 ¥1.91

675.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.83 ¥119

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.72 €5.13

$1.49 ¥9.89

283.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.23 €2.00

$0.37 ¥2.49

502.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.06 €29.66

$7.10 ¥47.21

365.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 €1.33

$1.26 ¥8.37

17.46%

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

$27.4K €24.6K

$19.4K ¥129.3K

40.88%

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

$39.5K €35.5K

$17.5K ¥116.6K

125.48%

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

$103 €92.3

$54.6 ¥363

88.51%

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

$26.16 €23.47

$8.73 ¥58.1

199.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.75 €31.18

$11.07 ¥73.6

213.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.0 €60.1

$40.77 ¥271

64.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.27 €19.98

$14.48 ¥96.3

53.80%

Cinema Ticket

$11.01 €9.87

$6.78 ¥45.09

62.39%

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

$436 €391

$517 ¥3,436

-15.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.2K €10.1K

$19.8K ¥131.8K

-43.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.7 €89.5

$46.53 ¥309

114.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.43 €41.66

$35.66 ¥237

30.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.9

$77.0 ¥512

35.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €107

$80.3 ¥534

48.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,230 €1,104

$386 ¥2,566

218.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$974 €874

$235 ¥1,560

315.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,093 €1,878

$822 ¥5,466

154.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,660 €1,490

$453 ¥3,013

266.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,503 €4,041

$4,697 ¥31.2K

-4.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,344 €3,000

$2,372 ¥15.8K

40.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,766 €1,585

$1,093 ¥7,270

61.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.06

3.46

17.34%

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

Last update for Malta: October 26, 2026

Last update for China: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Malta

$974 49.4%

China

$235 29.6% 75.9% $739

Groceries & Markets

Malta

$304 15.4%

China

$210 26.5% 30.8% $94

Eating Out

Malta

$248 12.6%

China

$88 11.1% 64.5% $160

Clothing & Footwear

Malta

$166 8.4%

China

$108 13.6% 35.2% $59

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Malta

$164 8.3%

China

$74 9.4% 54.6% $89

Sport & Entertainment

Malta

$89 4.5%

China

$54 6.9% 39% $35

Getting Around

Malta

$26 * 1.3%

China

$22 2.8% 13.6% $3.5

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

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $1,180 in Malta, $298 in China. Capital cities: $1,389 in Valletta vs $933 in Beijing (Pekin).

National salary averages: $1,801 in Malta, $873 in China. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 296% higher in Malta.

Dining out costs 273% more in Malta.

Public transport is 67% more expensive in Malta.

Salaries are about 2.1 times higher in Malta, and purchasing power comes out stronger in China.

Good to know

🇲🇹 Malta

🇨🇳 China

🕒 Local time

20:00 8:00 PM

03:00 3:00 AM

7 h ahead of Malta

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

553,214

1,442,965,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Malta China 8,410 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Malta
China

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

Malta vs China: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $791 per month in China and $1,970 in Malta, China comes out about 60% cheaper. 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 cheaper in China: lower grocery prices, cheaper commutes, and more affordable meals out. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $1,180 in Malta and $298 in China. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

In China, $2,000 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: China wins on affordability, while salaries, visas, language, and lifestyle can tip the balance either way.