Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pau and Swieqi

For one person, living is cheaper in Pau: $1,441 a month against $2,089 in Swieqi, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Swieqi outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

70

Cost of Living Index in Pau
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Pau Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in Swieqi
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Swieqi Living Index

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Pau

🇫🇷 France

$1,441

/mo nomad

Swieqi

🇲🇹 Malta

$2,089

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Pau and in Swieqi

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

A single person spends $1,441 per month in Pau vs $2,089 in Swieqi, rent included.

Pau $1,441
Swieqi $2,089

A couple spends around $2,269 per month in Pau vs $3,297 in Swieqi, rent included.

Pau $2,269
Swieqi $3,297

A family of three spends $3,097 per month in Pau vs $4,505 in Swieqi, rent included.

Pau $3,097
Swieqi $4,505

Pau is about 31% cheaper than Swieqi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Pau and Swieqi sit above the global median – Pau by 7%, Swieqi by 55%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.89 €15.02

$16.71 €14.87

1.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.83 €42.54

$67.0 €59.6

-28.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.18 €9.94

$11.11 €9.88

0.63%

Cappuccino

$3.82 €3.40

$3.22 €2.86

18.63%

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

$2.51 €2.23

$2.39 €2.13

5.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 €1.36

$1.85 €1.64

-17.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.55 €4.94

$3.59 €3.20

54.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.79 €3.37

$4.56 €4.05

-16.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.03

$1.36 €1.21

-14.71%

White Bread (500g)

$2.21 €1.97

$1.43 €1.27

54.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.55 €1.37

$3.41 €3.03

-54.55%

Eggs

$5.49 €4.88

$3.14 €2.80

74.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$20.38 €18.13

$8.85 €7.87

130.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.79 €10.49

$9.97 €8.87

18.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$24.95 €22.20

$18.00 €16.01

38.61%

Apples (1kg)

$3.74 €3.33

$3.73 €3.32

0.27%

Banana (1kg)

$2.25 €2.00

$2.18 €1.94

3.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.04 €1.81

$2.78 €2.47

-26.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.32 €2.95

$3.68 €3.28

-9.78%

Potato (1kg)

$1.68 €1.50

$1.86 €1.66

-9.68%

Onion (1kg)

$2.22 €1.97

$2.50 €2.22

-11.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 €1.13

$1.72 €1.53

-26.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.69 €0.61

$0.89 €0.79

-22.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.50 €11.12

$6.28 €5.59

99.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.92 €8.82

$6.00 €5.33

65.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.35 €3.87

$2.49 €2.22

74.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.49 €4.88

$2.30 €2.04

138.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.32 €1.18

$2.32 €2.06

-43.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.30 €22.51

$14.41 €12.82

75.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.43

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.83 €1.63

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.02 €29.38

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.03 €1.80

$1.49 €1.32

36.24%

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

$35.0K €31.1K

$27.5K €24.4K

27.29%

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

$35.8K €31.9K

$39.0K €34.7K

-8.12%

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

$86.9 €77.3

$125 €111

-30.36%

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

$31.04 €27.61

$22.22 €19.77

39.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.92 €29.28

$29.77 €26.48

10.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.10 €37.44

$64.9 €57.7

-35.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.93 €14.17

Cinema Ticket

$12.19 €10.84

$8.87 €7.89

37.43%

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

$382 €339

$222 €197

72.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,369 €3,886

$12.4K €11.0K

-64.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$110 €98.3

$57.1 €50.8

93.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.30 €29.62

$56.6 €50.3

-41.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.7 €80.7

$112 €99.9

-19.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 €79.4

$128 €113

-29.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$733 €652

$1,283 €1,142

-42.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$392 €349

$1,081 €961

-63.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 €956

$3,155 €2,807

-65.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$708 €630

$2,140 €1,903

-66.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,411 €2,144

$3,950 €3,513

-38.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,991 €1,771

$2,768 €2,462

-28.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,056 €2,718

$1,418 €1,262

115.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.81

4.01

-4.99%

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

Last update for Pau: October 10, 2026

Last update for Swieqi: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Pau

$392 27.2%

Swieqi

$1.1K 51.7% 176% $689

Groceries & Markets

Pau

$389 27%

Swieqi

$303 14.5% 22.1% $86

Eating Out

Pau

$266 18.5%

Swieqi

$250 12% 6.2% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pau

$151 10.5%

Swieqi

$177 8.5% 17.2% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Pau

$146 10.1%

Swieqi

$159 7.6% 9.2% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Pau

$66 4.6%

Swieqi

$83 4% 24.3% $16

Getting Around

Pau

$31 * 2.1%

Swieqi

$37 1.8% 19.9% $6.1

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $733 in Pau versus $1,283 in Swieqi. 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 115% higher in Pau, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $48.00 in Pau versus $67.0 in Swieqi. Groceries tell a different story – $389 in Pau vs $303 in Swieqi – so Swieqi wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Pau

🇲🇹 Swieqi

🕒 Local time

17:15 5:15 PM

Same time as Pau

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

77,066

14,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Pau Swieqi 1,510 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Pau
Swieqi

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

Pau vs Swieqi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,441 in Pau, $2,089 in Swieqi – roughly 45% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,161 per month in Pau and $3,133 in Swieqi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Interestingly, groceries are about 28% cheaper in Swieqi – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $48.00 in Pau and $67.0 in Swieqi. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Pau, where all-in costs run around $1,441, than in Swieqi at $2,089. In Pau it covers expenses comfortably, while in Swieqi it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Pau – 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 Pau. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Swieqi makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.