Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Malta and Spain

Name: Spain
Address: ES

For one person, living is cheaper in Spain: $1,775 a month against $1,970 in Malta, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 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
86

Cost of Living Index in Spain
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Spain Living Index

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🇲🇹 Malta

$1,970

/mo nomad

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,775

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Malta and in Spain

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,970 in Malta versus $1,775 in Spain.

Malta $1,970
Spain $1,775

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,036 in Malta versus $2,606 in Spain.

Malta $3,036
Spain $2,606

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,102 in Malta versus $3,438 in Spain.

Malta $4,102
Spain $3,438

Internal cost variation is higher in Spain: monthly costs span $931 to $2,610, compared to $1,657–$2,871 in Malta. City choice carries more weight in Spain.

Living in Malta is roughly 11% more expensive than in Spain on average.

Both countries sit above the global median: Malta 45% above, Spain 30% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.44 €14.74

$16.69 €14.96

-1.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$82.7 €74.1

$55.7 €49.91

48.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.69 €10.48

$11.37 €10.18

2.81%

Cappuccino

$2.75 €2.47

$2.42 €2.17

13.64%

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

$2.57 €2.30

$2.68 €2.40

-4.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 €1.50

$1.79 €1.60

-6.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.48 €4.02

$3.42 €3.07

30.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.43 €3.97

$3.88 €3.47

14.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.20 €1.07

8.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.30 €1.17

$1.48 €1.33

-12.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.71 €3.33

$1.67 €1.50

122.16%

Eggs

$3.90 €3.50

$3.42 €3.07

14.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.47 €9.38

$14.17 €12.70

-26.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.15 €9.10

$8.33 €7.46

21.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.73 €14.99

$16.20 €14.52

3.27%

Apples (1kg)

$3.08 €2.76

$2.45 €2.20

25.71%

Banana (1kg)

$2.20 €1.97

$2.03 €1.82

8.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.93 €2.63

$2.08 €1.86

40.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.24 €2.90

$2.58 €2.31

25.58%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 €1.74

$1.83 €1.64

6.01%

Onion (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$2.00 €1.79

4.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.90 €1.70

$1.31 €1.17

45.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 €0.83

$0.77 €0.69

20.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.91 €6.19

$6.36 €5.70

8.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.18 €7.33

$5.64 €5.06

45.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 €1.54

$1.30 €1.17

32.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 €2.09

$2.09 €1.87

11.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.25 €2.02

$1.64 €1.47

37.20%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.91 €29.49

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.72 €5.13

$4.43 €3.97

29.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.23 €2.00

$1.47 €1.31

51.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.06 €29.62

$24.98 €22.39

32.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 €1.33

$1.77 €1.59

-16.38%

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

$27.4K €24.5K

$35.5K €31.8K

-22.88%

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

$39.5K €35.4K

$30.6K €27.4K

29.17%

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

$103 €92.2

$149 €134

-31.10%

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

$26.16 €23.44

$17.67 €15.84

48.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.75 €31.14

$31.88 €28.57

9.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.0 €60.1

$44.24 €39.64

51.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.27 €19.95

$15.29 €13.70

45.65%

Cinema Ticket

$11.01 €9.86

$9.66 €8.66

13.98%

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

$436 €391

$544 €488

-19.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.2K €10.1K

$10.6K €9,504

5.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.7 €89.3

$84.9 €76.1

17.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.43 €41.60

$37.11 €33.26

25.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.8

$89.2 €79.9

17.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €107

$106 €94.8

12.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,230 €1,102

$1,056 €947

16.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$974 €872

$808 €724

20.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,093 €1,875

$1,621 €1,453

29.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,660 €1,488

$1,246 €1,117

33.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,503 €4,036

$4,135 €3,706

8.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,344 €2,996

$2,633 €2,359

27.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,766 €1,582

$1,999 €1,791

-11.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.06

3.3

23.03%

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

Last update for Malta: October 26, 2026

Last update for Spain: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Malta

$974 49.4%

Spain

$808 45.5% 17% $166

Groceries & Markets

Malta

$304 15.4%

Spain

$272 15.3% 10.5% $32

Eating Out

Malta

$248 12.6%

Spain

$239 13.5% 3.4% $8.5

Clothing & Footwear

Malta

$166 8.4%

Spain

$143 8% 14.3% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Malta

$164 8.3%

Spain

$199 11.2% 21.4% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Malta

$89 4.5%

Spain

$64 3.6% 28.6% $25

Getting Around

Malta

$26 * 1.3%

Spain

$51 2.9% 98.1% $25

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, $920 in Spain. Capital cities: $1,389 in Valletta vs $1,508 in Madrid.

National salary averages: $1,801 in Malta, $1,972 in Spain. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 28% higher in Malta.

Dining out costs 44% more in Malta.

Good to know

🇲🇹 Malta

🇪🇸 Spain

🕒 Local time

20:14 8:14 PM

Same time as Malta

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

553,214

47,415,750

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Malta Spain 1,670 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Malta
Spain

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 Spain: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $1,970 per month in Malta and $1,775 in Spain, Spain comes out about 10% 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 $920 in Spain. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

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