Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Malta and Italy

Name: Italy
Address: IT

For one person, living is cheaper in Italy: $1,843 a month against $1,970 in Malta, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Malta outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

95

Cost of Living Index in Malta
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Malta Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Italy
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Italy Living Index

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🇲🇹 Malta

$1,970

/mo nomad

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,843

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Malta and in Italy

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,970 in Malta versus $1,843 in Italy.

Malta $1,970
Italy $1,843

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,036 in Malta versus $2,816 in Italy.

Malta $3,036
Italy $2,816

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,102 in Malta versus $3,788 in Italy.

Malta $4,102
Italy $3,788

Malta ($1,657–$2,871) and Italy ($1,038–$2,555) have similar cost spreads. Where you settle within each country has roughly equal impact on the budget.

Living in Malta is roughly 7% more expensive than in Italy on average.

Both countries sit above the global median: Malta 45% above, Italy 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.44 €14.76

$20.46 €18.36

-19.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$82.7 €74.2

$79.5 €71.3

4.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.69 €10.49

$11.15 €10.01

4.84%

Cappuccino

$2.75 €2.47

$2.04 €1.83

34.80%

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

$2.57 €2.30

$3.10 €2.78

-17.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 €1.51

$1.40 €1.26

20.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.48 €4.02

$5.51 €4.95

-18.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.43 €3.98

$5.74 €5.15

-22.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 €1.17

$1.57 €1.41

-17.20%

White Bread (500g)

$1.30 €1.17

$2.38 €2.14

-45.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.71 €3.33

$2.90 €2.60

27.93%

Eggs

$3.90 €3.50

$4.07 €3.66

-4.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.47 €9.39

$17.44 €15.65

-39.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.15 €9.11

$12.56 €11.27

-19.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.73 €15.01

$20.17 €18.10

-17.06%

Apples (1kg)

$3.08 €2.76

$2.58 €2.32

19.38%

Banana (1kg)

$2.20 €1.98

$2.19 €1.96

0.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.93 €2.63

$2.68 €2.40

9.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.24 €2.90

$3.27 €2.93

-0.92%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 €1.74

$1.90 €1.71

2.11%

Onion (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$1.82 €1.63

14.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.90 €1.70

$1.57 €1.41

21.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 €0.83

$0.55 €0.49

69.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.91 €6.20

$6.69 €6.01

3.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.18 €7.34

$7.99 €7.17

2.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 €1.54

$1.77 €1.59

-2.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 €2.09

$2.35 €2.11

-0.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.25 €2.02

$1.91 €1.71

17.80%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.44 €38.98

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.72 €5.13

$5.62 €5.04

1.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.23 €2.00

$1.71 €1.54

30.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.06 €29.66

$33.64 €30.18

-1.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 €1.33

$2.03 €1.82

-27.09%

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

$27.4K €24.6K

$35.3K €31.7K

-22.41%

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

$39.5K €35.5K

$36.7K €33.0K

7.60%

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

$103 €92.3

$227 €203

-54.60%

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

$26.16 €23.47

$11.59 €10.40

125.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.75 €31.18

$30.38 €27.26

14.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.0 €60.1

$51.8 €46.46

29.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.27 €19.98

$23.70 €21.26

-6.03%

Cinema Ticket

$11.01 €9.87

$10.60 €9.51

3.87%

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

$436 €391

$568 €509

-23.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.2K €10.1K

$11.5K €10.3K

-2.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.7 €89.5

$90.5 €81.2

10.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.43 €41.66

$38.55 €34.59

20.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.9

$103 €92.1

1.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €107

$131 €118

-9.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,230 €1,104

$826 €741

48.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$974 €874

$646 €580

50.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,093 €1,878

$1,400 €1,256

49.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,660 €1,490

$1,054 €946

57.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,503 €4,041

$3,662 €3,286

22.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,344 €3,000

$2,301 €2,065

45.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,766 €1,585

$1,886 €1,692

-6.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.06

3.56

14.04%

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

Last update for Malta: October 26, 2026

Last update for Italy: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Malta

$974 49.4%

Italy

$646 35.1% 33.6% $327

Groceries & Markets

Malta

$304 15.4%

Italy

$348 18.9% 14.6% $44

Eating Out

Malta

$248 12.6%

Italy

$279 15.1% 12.4% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Malta

$166 8.4%

Italy

$163 8.9% 1.9% $3.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Malta

$164 8.3%

Italy

$269 14.6% 64% $105

Sport & Entertainment

Malta

$89 4.5%

Italy

$73 4% 18% $16

Getting Around

Malta

$26 * 1.3%

Italy

$65 3.5% 152% $39

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, $729 in Italy. Capital cities: $1,389 in Valletta vs $1,297 in Rome.

National salary averages: $1,801 in Malta, $1,890 in Italy. 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 12% more in Malta.

Public transport is 43% more expensive in Italy.

Good to know

🇲🇹 Malta

🇮🇹 Italy

🕒 Local time

21:32 9:32 PM

Same time as Malta

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

553,214

58,850,717

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Malta Italy 690 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Malta
Italy

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 Italy: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $1,843 per month in Italy and $1,970 in Malta, Italy comes out about 6% cheaper. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $1,180 in Malta and $729 in Italy. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

It depends on what you’re after: Italy wins on affordability, while salaries, visas, language, and lifestyle can tip the balance either way.