Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mdina and Sliema

For one person, living is cheaper in Mdina: $2,080 a month against $2,396 in Sliema, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

95

Cost of Living Index in Mdina
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Mdina Living Index
116

Cost of Living Index in Sliema
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Sliema Living Index

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Mdina

🇲🇹 Malta

$2,080

/mo nomad

Sliema

🇲🇹 Malta

$2,396

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mdina and in Sliema

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,080 in Mdina versus $2,396 in Sliema.

Mdina $2,080
Sliema $2,396

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,064 in Mdina versus $3,794 in Sliema.

Mdina $3,064
Sliema $3,794

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,048 in Mdina versus $5,191 in Sliema.

Mdina $4,048
Sliema $5,191

Living in Mdina costs roughly 13% less than in Sliema, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mdina 54% above, Sliema 77% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.17 €17.05

$19.81 €17.63

-3.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.3 €75.9

$85.6 €76.2

-0.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.38 €11.90

$13.24 €11.77

1.06%

Cappuccino

$2.78 €2.47

$2.77 €2.47

0.36%

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

$3.15 €2.80

$3.02 €2.69

4.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 €1.94

$2.16 €1.92

0.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.42 €3.93

$4.60 €4.09

-3.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.06 €4.50

$5.24 €4.66

-3.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.33 €1.18

$1.35 €1.20

-1.48%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 €1.21

$1.37 €1.22

-0.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.31 €3.83

$4.24 €3.77

1.65%

Eggs

$4.25 €3.78

$4.30 €3.82

-1.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.34 €7.42

$8.27 €7.35

0.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.26 €9.13

$10.25 €9.12

0.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.48 €16.44

$18.21 €16.20

1.48%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 €3.60

$4.24 €3.77

-4.48%

Banana (1kg)

$2.78 €2.48

$2.81 €2.50

-1.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.63 €3.23

$3.52 €3.13

3.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.38 €3.01

$3.32 €2.95

1.81%

Potato (1kg)

$2.43 €2.16

$2.42 €2.16

0.41%

Onion (1kg)

$2.04 €1.82

$2.05 €1.82

-0.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.27 €2.02

$2.34 €2.08

-2.99%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 €1.19

$1.30 €1.16

3.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.82 €6.06

$6.83 €6.08

-0.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.23 €7.32

$8.09 €7.19

1.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 €1.58

$1.68 €1.50

5.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 €2.10

$2.40 €2.14

-1.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.55 €2.27

$2.17 €1.93

17.51%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$133 €118

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.45 €4.85

$5.64 €5.02

-3.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.21 €1.96

$2.20 €1.96

0.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.64 €23.70

$27.09 €24.10

-1.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 €1.31

$1.54 €1.37

-4.55%

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

$37.6K €33.4K

$37.9K €33.7K

-0.89%

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

$38.9K €34.6K

$39.6K €35.2K

-1.84%

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

$104 €92.5

$103 €91.9

0.58%

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

$25.81 €22.96

$25.61 €22.78

0.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.04 €37.39

$42.84 €38.10

-1.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.5 €62.7

$76.4 €68.0

-7.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.86 €14.11

Cinema Ticket

$9.90 €8.80

$10.20 €9.08

-2.94%

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

$370 €329

$366 €326

0.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.0K €9,820

$11.1K €9,912

-0.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.3 €77.6

$85.5 €76.0

2.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.22 €35.78

$40.84 €36.33

-1.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.4 €87.5

$101 €90.0

-2.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.1 €70.4

$76.7 €68.2

3.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 €1,040

$1,775 €1,579

-34.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,045 €930

$1,220 €1,085

-14.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,554 €1,383

$2,913 €2,591

-46.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,544 €1,374

$2,385 €2,122

-35.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,557 €3,164

$5,353 €4,762

-33.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,055 €2,717

$3,578 €3,183

-14.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,467 €1,305

$1,815 €1,614

-19.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.9

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

Last update for Mdina: October 12, 2026

Last update for Sliema: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mdina

$1K 50.3%

Sliema

$1.2K 50.9% 16.7% $174

Groceries & Markets

Mdina

$328 15.8%

Sliema

$326 13.6% 0.4% $1.5

Eating Out

Mdina

$280 13.5%

Sliema

$286 11.9% 1.9% $5.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mdina

$172 8.3%

Sliema

$172 7.2% 0% $0

Clothing & Footwear

Mdina

$137 6.6%

Sliema

$137 5.7% 0.2% $0.3

Sport & Entertainment

Mdina

$90 4.3%

Sliema

$97 4% 7.2% $6.5

Getting Around

Mdina

$27 * 1.3%

Sliema

$158 6.6% 494% $132

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,170 in Mdina and $1,775 in Sliema. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sliema pays 24% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $85.0 in Mdina vs $86.0 in Sliema. Groceries flip the comparison at $328 vs $326, with Sliema cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇹 Mdina

🇲🇹 Sliema

🕒 Local time

16:47 4:47 PM

Same time as Mdina

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

193

16,854

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Mdina Sliema 9 km

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Mdina
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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 Sliema: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mdina and Sliema differ by about 15% in total monthly costs ($2,080 vs $2,396 including rent). Mdina is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 24% lower in Sliema. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,170 in Mdina versus $1,775 in Sliema. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Sliema pay roughly 0% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $2,080 per month in Mdina versus $2,396 in Sliema – a 15% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,080 in Mdina versus $2,396 in Sliema, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Mdina but tight or insufficient in Sliema. The gap between the two cities makes Mdina the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Mdina and Sliema are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Mdina gentler on the wallet – expenses run 15% less than in Sliema. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.