Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Paola and Sliema

For one person, living is cheaper in Paola: $2,086 a month against $2,396 in Sliema, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

95

Cost of Living Index in Paola
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Paola Living Index
116

Cost of Living Index in Sliema
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Sliema Living Index

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Paola

🇲🇹 Malta

$2,086

/mo nomad

Sliema

🇲🇹 Malta

$2,396

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Paola 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 Paola and in Sliema actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,086 in Paola versus $2,396 in Sliema.

Paola $2,086
Sliema $2,396

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,108 in Paola versus $3,794 in Sliema.

Paola $3,108
Sliema $3,794

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,130 in Paola versus $5,191 in Sliema.

Paola $4,130
Sliema $5,191

Living in Paola 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: Paola 55% above, Sliema 77% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.50 €17.34

$19.81 €17.63

-1.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$86.7 €77.1

$85.6 €76.2

1.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.16 €11.70

$13.24 €11.77

-0.60%

Cappuccino

$2.67 €2.38

$2.77 €2.47

-3.61%

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

$3.04 €2.70

$3.02 €2.69

0.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 €1.96

$2.16 €1.92

2.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.47 €3.98

$4.60 €4.09

-2.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.10 €4.54

$5.24 €4.66

-2.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.34 €1.19

$1.35 €1.20

-0.74%

White Bread (500g)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.37 €1.22

-5.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.42 €3.93

$4.24 €3.77

4.25%

Eggs

$4.16 €3.70

$4.30 €3.82

-3.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.00 €7.11

$8.27 €7.35

-3.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.33 €9.19

$10.25 €9.12

0.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.58 €16.53

$18.21 €16.20

2.03%

Apples (1kg)

$4.27 €3.80

$4.24 €3.77

0.71%

Banana (1kg)

$2.70 €2.40

$2.81 €2.50

-3.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.68 €3.27

$3.52 €3.13

4.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.29 €2.93

$3.32 €2.95

-0.90%

Potato (1kg)

$2.45 €2.18

$2.42 €2.16

1.24%

Onion (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$2.05 €1.82

-0.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.28 €2.03

$2.34 €2.08

-2.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 €1.14

$1.30 €1.16

-0.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.64 €5.90

$6.83 €6.08

-2.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.91 €7.04

$8.09 €7.19

-2.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.68 €1.50

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.35 €2.09

$2.40 €2.14

-2.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.57 €2.28

$2.17 €1.93

18.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$133 €118

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.59 €4.98

$5.64 €5.02

-0.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.20 €1.96

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.01 €24.02

$27.09 €24.10

-0.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 €1.37

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

$37.7K €33.5K

$37.9K €33.7K

-0.60%

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

$38.9K €34.6K

$39.6K €35.2K

-1.72%

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

$102 €91.1

$103 €91.9

-0.89%

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

$25.39 €22.58

$25.61 €22.78

-0.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.44 €37.75

$42.84 €38.10

-0.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$59.8 €53.2

$76.4 €68.0

-21.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.86 €14.11

Cinema Ticket

$9.88 €8.79

$10.20 €9.08

-3.14%

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

$359 €320

$366 €326

-1.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.0K €9,795

$11.1K €9,912

-1.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.8 €77.2

$85.5 €76.0

1.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.15 €35.72

$40.84 €36.33

-1.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €87.6

$101 €90.0

-2.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.9 €70.2

$76.7 €68.2

2.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,294 €1,151

$1,775 €1,579

-27.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,066 €948

$1,220 €1,085

-12.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,778 €1,582

$2,913 €2,591

-38.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,645 €1,463

$2,385 €2,122

-31.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,598 €3,200

$5,353 €4,762

-32.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,442 €2,172

$3,578 €3,183

-31.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,815 €1,614

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 Paola: October 10, 2026

Last update for Sliema: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Paola

$1.1K 51.1%

Sliema

$1.2K 50.9% 14.4% $154

Groceries & Markets

Paola

$326 15.6%

Sliema

$326 13.6% 0.2% $0.8

Eating Out

Paola

$281 13.5%

Sliema

$286 11.9% 1.7% $4.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Paola

$170 8.2%

Sliema

$172 7.2% 0.9% $1.5

Clothing & Footwear

Paola

$137 6.6%

Sliema

$137 5.7% 0% $0

Sport & Entertainment

Paola

$80 3.8%

Sliema

$97 4% 21.6% $17

Getting Around

Paola

$27 * 1.3%

Sliema

$158 6.6% 490% $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 $1,294 in Paola and $1,775 in Sliema. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $87.0 in Paola vs $86.0 in Sliema. Groceries flip the comparison at $326 vs $326, with Paola cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇹 Paola

🇲🇹 Sliema

🕒 Local time

09:59 9:59 AM

Same time as Paola

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,000

16,854

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Paola Sliema 5 km

From you

Paola
Sliema

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

Paola vs Sliema: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Paola wins on cost – living expenses run 15% lower than in Sliema. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Paola the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $3,129 in Paola and $3,594 in Sliema to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,294 in Paola versus $1,775 in Sliema. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $359 in Paola versus $366 in Sliema. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Paola – a meal for two runs $87.0 versus $86.0 in Sliema. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,086 in Paola versus $2,396 in Sliema, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Paola but tight or insufficient in Sliema. The gap between the two cities makes Paola the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Paola delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $2,086 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Paola hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Paola 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 Paola 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.