Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mdina and Balzan

For one person, living is cheaper in Balzan: $1,909 a month against $2,080 in Mdina, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

95

Cost of Living Index in Mdina
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Mdina Living Index
93

Cost of Living Index in Balzan
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Balzan Living Index

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Mdina

🇲🇹 Malta

$2,080

/mo nomad

Balzan

🇲🇹 Malta

$1,909

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mdina and in Balzan

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

A single person spends $2,080 per month in Mdina vs $1,909 in Balzan, rent included.

Mdina $2,080
Balzan $1,909

A couple spends around $3,064 per month in Mdina vs $2,866 in Balzan, rent included.

Mdina $3,064
Balzan $2,866

A family of three spends $4,048 per month in Mdina vs $3,822 in Balzan, rent included.

Mdina $4,048
Balzan $3,822

Mdina costs about 9% more than Balzan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Mdina and Balzan sit above the global median – Mdina by 54%, Balzan by 41%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.17 €17.05

$18.28 €16.26

4.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.3 €75.9

$89.1 €79.2

-4.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.38 €11.90

$12.05 €10.72

11.04%

Cappuccino

$2.78 €2.47

$3.22 €2.86

-13.66%

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

$3.15 €2.80

$1.99 €1.77

58.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 €1.94

$1.02 €0.90

113.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.42 €3.93

$3.39 €3.02

30.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.06 €4.50

$2.56 €2.27

97.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.33 €1.18

$1.21 €1.08

9.92%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 €1.21

$0.92 €0.82

47.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.31 €3.83

$3.52 €3.13

22.44%

Eggs

$4.25 €3.78

$4.28 €3.81

-0.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.34 €7.42

$10.12 €9.00

-17.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.26 €9.13

$8.68 €7.72

18.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.48 €16.44

$12.44 €11.07

48.55%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 €3.60

$2.52 €2.24

60.71%

Banana (1kg)

$2.78 €2.48

$1.96 €1.74

41.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.63 €3.23

$1.78 €1.58

103.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.38 €3.01

$1.09 €0.97

210.09%

Potato (1kg)

$2.43 €2.16

$0.91 €0.81

167.03%

Onion (1kg)

$2.04 €1.82

$0.92 €0.82

121.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.27 €2.02

$0.87 €0.78

160.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 €1.19

$0.99 €0.88

35.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.82 €6.06

$6.18 €5.50

10.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.23 €7.32

$6.10 €5.43

34.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 €1.58

$1.05 €0.93

69.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 €2.10

$1.47 €1.31

60.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.55 €2.27

$3.11 €2.76

-18.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.45 €4.85

$2.18 €1.94

150.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.21 €1.96

$1.82 €1.62

21.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.64 €23.70

$32.50 €28.91

-18.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 €1.31

$1.48 €1.32

-0.68%

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

$37.6K €33.4K

$27.3K €24.3K

37.45%

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

$38.9K €34.6K

$32.6K €29.0K

19.10%

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

$104 €92.5

$155 €138

-33.07%

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

$25.81 €22.96

$19.91 €17.71

29.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.04 €37.39

$29.16 €25.94

44.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.5 €62.7

$55.9 €49.75

26.03%

Cinema Ticket

$9.90 €8.80

$11.14 €9.91

-11.13%

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

$370 €329

$273 €243

35.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.0K €9,820

$12.4K €11.0K

-11.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.3 €77.6

$56.3 €50.1

54.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.22 €35.78

$68.8 €61.2

-41.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.4 €87.5

$111 €99.1

-11.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.1 €70.4

$128 €114

-38.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 €1,040

$1,108 €985

5.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,045 €930

$943 €839

10.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,554 €1,383

$1,773 €1,577

-12.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,544 €1,374

$1,488 €1,324

3.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,557 €3,164

$4,056 €3,608

-12.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,055 €2,717

$2,866 €2,550

6.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,467 €1,305

$1,014 €902

44.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.9

4.05

-28.40%

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

Last update for Mdina: October 12, 2026

Last update for Balzan: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mdina

$1K 50.3%

Balzan

$943 49.4% 9.8% $103

Groceries & Markets

Mdina

$328 15.8%

Balzan

$241 12.6% 26.5% $87

Eating Out

Mdina

$280 13.5%

Balzan

$255 13.4% 9% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mdina

$172 8.3%

Balzan

$204 10.7% 19% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Mdina

$137 6.6%

Balzan

$164 8.6% 19.5% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Mdina

$90 4.3%

Balzan

$78 4.1% 13.4% $12

Getting Around

Mdina

$27 * 1.3%

Balzan

$24 * 1.2% 11.2% $3

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,170 in Mdina versus $1,108 in Balzan. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 45% higher in Mdina, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $85.0 in Mdina versus $89.0 in Balzan. Groceries tell a different story – $328 in Mdina vs $241 in Balzan – so Balzan wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇹 Mdina

🇲🇹 Balzan

🕒 Local time

17:51 5:51 PM

Same time as Mdina

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

193

4,700

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Mdina Balzan 5 km

From you

Mdina
Balzan

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

Mdina vs Balzan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,080 in Mdina, $1,909 in Balzan – roughly 9% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,120 per month in Mdina and $2,864 in Balzan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Balzan, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $85.0 in Mdina and $89.0 in Balzan. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 36% more in Mdina, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Balzan, where all-in costs run around $1,909, than in Mdina at $2,080. In Balzan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Mdina it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Balzan – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Balzan. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Mdina makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.