Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Malta and the United States

Name: United States
Address: US

For one person, living is cheaper in Malta: $1,970 a month against $2,734 in the United States, rent and utilities included – about $9,200 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
131

Cost of Living Index in the United States
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United States Living Index

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🇲🇹 Malta

$1,970

/mo nomad

🇺🇸 United States

$2,734

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Malta and in the United States

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 the United States actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,970 in Malta versus $2,734 in the United States.

Malta $1,970
United States $2,734

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,036 in Malta versus $3,985 in the United States.

Malta $3,036
United States $3,985

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,102 in Malta versus $5,235 in the United States.

Malta $4,102
United States $5,235

Internal cost variation is higher in the United States: monthly costs span $979 to $5,160, compared to $1,657–$2,871 in Malta. City choice carries more weight in the United States.

Living in Malta costs about 28% less than in the United States on average.

Both countries sit above the global median: Malta 45% above, the United States 101% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.44 €14.77

$20.03 $20.03

-17.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$82.7 €74.3

$80.0 $80.0

3.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.69 €10.51

$11.80 $11.80

-0.93%

Cappuccino

$2.75 €2.47

$5.55 $5.55

-50.45%

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

$2.57 €2.31

$2.66 $2.66

-3.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 €1.51

$2.17 $2.17

-22.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.48 €4.03

$6.12 $6.12

-26.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.43 €3.98

$7.94 $7.94

-44.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 €1.17

$1.04 $1.04

25.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.30 €1.17

$3.59 $3.59

-63.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.71 €3.33

$4.52 $4.52

-17.92%

Eggs

$3.90 €3.51

$4.28 $4.28

-8.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.47 €9.41

$13.22 $13.22

-20.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.15 €9.12

$12.60 $12.60

-19.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.73 €15.03

$17.60 $17.60

-4.94%

Apples (1kg)

$3.08 €2.76

$5.30 $5.30

-41.89%

Banana (1kg)

$2.20 €1.98

$1.69 $1.69

30.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.93 €2.64

$4.44 $4.44

-34.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.24 €2.91

$4.77 $4.77

-32.08%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 €1.74

$2.97 $2.97

-34.68%

Onion (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$3.15 $3.15

-33.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.90 €1.71

$2.20 $2.20

-13.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 €0.83

$2.35 $2.35

-60.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.91 €6.21

$10.98 $10.98

-37.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.18 €7.35

$15.05 $15.05

-45.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 €1.54

$2.06 $2.06

-16.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 €2.09

$3.79 $3.79

-38.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.25 €2.03

$1.94 $1.94

15.98%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.4 $59.4

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.72 €5.14

$3.58 $3.58

59.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.23 €2.00

$1.88 $1.88

18.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.06 €29.69

$29.84 $29.84

10.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 €1.33

$1.02 $1.02

45.10%

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

$27.4K €24.6K

$28.8K $28.8K

-4.73%

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

$39.5K €35.5K

$26.2K $26.2K

50.88%

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

$103 €92.4

$218 $218

-52.81%

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

$26.16 €23.50

$62.5 $62.5

-58.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.75 €31.21

$74.5 $74.5

-53.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.0 €60.2

$41.86 $41.86

60.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.27 €20.00

$22.81 $22.81

-2.37%

Cinema Ticket

$11.01 €9.89

$14.70 $14.70

-25.10%

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

$436 €392

$1,489 $1,489

-70.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.2K €10.1K

$25.3K $25.3K

-55.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.7 €89.6

$54.3 $54.3

83.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.43 €41.71

$42.71 $42.71

8.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €94.0

$94.1 $94.1

11.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €107

$114 $114

4.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,230 €1,105

$1,659 $1,659

-25.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$974 €875

$1,348 $1,348

-27.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,093 €1,880

$2,682 $2,682

-21.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,660 €1,491

$2,169 $2,169

-23.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,503 €4,045

$3,283 $3,283

37.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,344 €3,004

$2,482 $2,482

34.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,766 €1,586

$4,296 $4,296

-58.90%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.06

6.55

-38.02%

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

Last update for Malta: October 26, 2026

Last update for the United States: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Malta

$974 49.4%

United States

$1.3K 49.3% 38.4% $374

Groceries & Markets

Malta

$304 15.4%

United States

$415 15.2% 36.8% $112

Eating Out

Malta

$248 12.6%

United States

$328 12% 32.3% $80

Clothing & Footwear

Malta

$166 8.4%

United States

$137 5% 17.6% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Malta

$164 8.3%

United States

$355 13% 117% $191

Sport & Entertainment

Malta

$89 4.5%

United States

$71 2.6% 19.9% $18

Getting Around

Malta

$26 * 1.3%

United States

$80 2.9% 210% $54

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, $1,620 in the United States. Capital cities: $1,389 in Valletta vs $2,768 in Washington, DC.

National salary averages: $1,801 in Malta, $4,549 in the United States. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 37% higher in the United States.

Public transport is 110% more expensive in the United States.

Salaries are about 2.5 times higher in the United States, and purchasing power comes out stronger in the United States.

Good to know

🇲🇹 Malta

🇺🇸 United States

🕒 Local time

03:27 3:27 AM

22:27 10:27 PM

5 h behind Malta

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

553,214

340,110,988

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Malta United States 8,660 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Malta
United States

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 United States: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $1,970 per month in Malta and $2,734 in the United States, Malta comes out about 28% 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 $1,620 in the United States and $1,180 in Malta. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

In Malta, $3,000 covers most cities easily; in the United States 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: Malta wins on affordability, while salaries, visas, language, and lifestyle can tip the balance either way.