Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Malta and India

For one person, living is cheaper in India: $399 a month against $1,970 in Malta, rent and utilities included – about $18,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Malta
India
🇲🇹 Malta
$1,970
/mo nomad
🇮🇳 India
$399
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Malta and in India

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 India actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,970 in Malta versus $399 in India.

  • Malta $1,970
  • India $399

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,036 in Malta versus $639 in India.

  • Malta $3,036
  • India $639

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,102 in Malta versus $879 in India.

  • Malta $4,102
  • India $879

Internal cost variation is higher in Malta: monthly costs span $1,657 to $2,871, compared to $230–$813 in India. City choice carries more weight in Malta.

Living in Malta is roughly 393% more expensive than in India on average.

Malta (45% above) and India (71% below) straddle the global median.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Malta
India
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.44 €14.76
$2.14 ₹204
668.22%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$82.7 €74.2
$10.46 ₹996
690.54%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.69 €10.49
$3.80 ₹362
207.63%
Cappuccino
$2.75 €2.47
$1.68 ₹160
63.69%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.57 €2.30
$0.38 ₹36.05
576.32%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.68 €1.51
$0.15 ₹14.63
1020.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.48 €4.02
$1.87 ₹178
139.57%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.43 €3.98
$3.18 ₹303
39.31%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Malta
India
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.30 €1.17
$0.62 ₹59.3
109.68%
White Bread (500g)
$1.30 €1.17
$0.50 ₹47.84
160.00%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.71 €3.33
$0.63 ₹60.4
488.89%
Eggs
$3.90 €3.50
$0.96 ₹91.4
306.25%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.47 €9.39
$4.85 ₹462
115.88%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.15 €9.11
$2.84 ₹271
257.39%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$16.73 €15.01
-
-
Apples (1kg)
$3.08 €2.76
$2.00 ₹191
54.00%
Banana (1kg)
$2.20 €1.98
$0.65 ₹61.5
238.46%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.93 €2.63
$0.97 ₹92.4
202.06%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.24 €2.90
$0.47 ₹44.37
589.36%
Potato (1kg)
$1.94 €1.74
$0.34 ₹31.92
470.59%
Onion (1kg)
$2.09 €1.87
$0.42 ₹39.79
397.62%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.90 €1.70
$0.47 ₹44.46
304.26%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.93 €0.83
$0.31 ₹29.72
200.00%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.91 €6.20
$5.08 ₹484
36.02%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.18 €7.34
$7.31 ₹696
11.90%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.72 €1.54
$1.63 ₹155
5.52%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.33 €2.09
$2.76 ₹263
-15.58%
Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)
-
$5.11 ₹487
-
🚌 Getting Around
Malta
India
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.25 €2.02
$0.26 ₹24.89
765.38%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$8.58 ₹817
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.72 €5.13
$1.00 ₹94.8
472.00%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.23 €2.00
$0.27 ₹25.78
725.93%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$33.06 €29.66
$1.54 ₹146
2046.75%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.48 €1.33
$1.07 ₹102
38.32%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.4K €24.6K
$11.2K ₹1.1M
144.28%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$39.5K €35.5K
$20.1K ₹1.9M
97.21%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Malta
India
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$103 €92.3
$37.08 ₹3,532
177.37%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$26.16 €23.47
$3.58 ₹341
630.73%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$34.75 €31.18
$7.15 ₹681
386.01%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Malta
India
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$67.0 €60.1
$15.00 ₹1,429
346.80%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$22.27 €19.98
$7.17 ₹683
210.60%
Cinema Ticket
$11.01 €9.87
$3.20 ₹304
244.06%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Malta
India
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$436 €391
$58.8 ₹5,601
641.41%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.2K €10.1K
$1,667 ₹158.7K
573.29%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Malta
India
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$99.7 €89.5
$23.03 ₹2,194
332.91%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$46.43 €41.66
$24.17 ₹2,302
92.10%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$105 €93.9
$41.20 ₹3,924
154.05%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$119 €107
$29.62 ₹2,821
301.52%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Malta
India
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,230 €1,104
$146 ₹14.0K
739.66%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$974 €874
$96.4 ₹9,178
910.38%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,093 €1,878
$343 ₹32.7K
510.33%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,660 €1,490
$234 ₹22.3K
609.93%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,503 €4,041
$1,177 ₹112.1K
282.66%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,344 €3,000
$633 ₹60.3K
428.03%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Malta
India
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,766 €1,585
$409 ₹38.9K
331.89%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.06
8.93
-54.54%

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

Last update for Malta: October 26, 2026

Last update for India: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Malta
$974
India
$96 90.1% $877
Groceries & Markets
Malta
$304
India
$102 66.3% $201
Eating Out
Malta
$248
India
$67 73.2% $181
Clothing & Footwear
Malta
$166
India
$53 68.1% $113
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Malta
$164
India
$48 70.8% $116
Sport & Entertainment
Malta
$89
India
$21 76% $68
Getting Around
Malta
$26 *
India
$12 53.7% $14

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, $120 in India. Capital cities: $1,389 in Valletta vs $277 in Delhi.

National salary averages: $1,801 in Malta, $412 in India. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 883% higher in Malta.

Dining out costs 645% more in Malta.

Public transport is 275% more expensive in Malta.

Salaries are about 4.4 times higher in Malta, and purchasing power comes out stronger in India.

Good to know
🇲🇹 Malta
🇮🇳 India
🕒 Local time
20:14 8:14 PM
00:44 12:44 AM
4 h 30 min ahead of Malta
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
553,214
1,326,093,247
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

INR, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 0.897 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 95.25 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 106 INR (1,000 INR = 9.41 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Malta India 5,850 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Malta
  • India

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 India: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the cost difference between India and Malta?
At $399 per month in India and $1,970 in Malta, India comes out about 80% cheaper. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.
Which country is cheaper for everyday spending?
Day-to-day life is cheaper in India: 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.
Which country has higher housing costs?
Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $1,180 in Malta and $120 in India. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.
Should I move to India or to Malta?
It depends on what you’re after: India wins on affordability, while salaries, visas, language, and lifestyle can tip the balance either way.

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