Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rabat and Balzan

For one person, living costs are similar in Rabat and in Balzan: $1,928 and $1,909 a month, rent and utilities included.

88

Cost of Living Index in Rabat
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Rabat Living Index
93

Cost of Living Index in Balzan
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Balzan Living Index

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Rabat

🇲🇹 Malta

$1,928

/mo nomad

Balzan

🇲🇹 Malta

$1,909

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,928 per month in Rabat vs $1,909 in Balzan, rent included.

Rabat $1,928
Balzan $1,909

A couple spends around $2,701 per month in Rabat vs $2,866 in Balzan, rent included.

Rabat $2,701
Balzan $2,866

A family of three spends $3,474 per month in Rabat vs $3,822 in Balzan, rent included.

Rabat $3,474
Balzan $3,822

Rabat costs about 1% more than Balzan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Rabat and Balzan sit above the global median – Rabat by 43%, Balzan by 41%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.55 €14.72

$18.28 €16.26

-9.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.4 €44.82

$89.1 €79.2

-43.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.19 €9.96

$12.05 €10.72

-7.14%

Cappuccino

$2.25 €2.00

$3.22 €2.86

-30.12%

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

$2.48 €2.20

$1.99 €1.77

24.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 €1.51

$1.02 €0.90

65.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.33 €2.97

$3.39 €3.02

-1.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.43 €3.05

$2.56 €2.27

33.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 €0.99

$1.21 €1.08

-8.26%

White Bread (500g)

$1.34 €1.19

$0.92 €0.82

45.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$3.52 €3.13

-35.80%

Eggs

$3.50 €3.11

$4.28 €3.81

-18.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.97 €7.09

$10.12 €9.00

-21.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.87 €7.00

$8.68 €7.72

-9.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.51 €11.13

$12.44 €11.07

0.56%

Apples (1kg)

$4.12 €3.67

$2.52 €2.24

63.49%

Banana (1kg)

$2.18 €1.94

$1.96 €1.74

11.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.55 €3.16

$1.78 €1.58

99.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.21 €1.97

$1.09 €0.97

102.75%

Potato (1kg)

$1.15 €1.02

$0.91 €0.81

26.37%

Onion (1kg)

$1.14 €1.01

$0.92 €0.82

23.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 €0.97

$0.87 €0.78

25.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 €0.97

$0.99 €0.88

10.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.80 €6.05

$6.18 €5.50

10.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.23 €7.32

$6.10 €5.43

34.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 €1.57

$1.05 €0.93

67.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 €2.17

$1.47 €1.31

65.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.71 €2.41

$3.11 €2.76

-12.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.73 €5.09

$2.18 €1.94

162.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.21 €1.96

$1.82 €1.62

21.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.77 €23.81

$32.50 €28.91

-17.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 €1.34

$1.48 €1.32

2.03%

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

$37.7K €33.6K

$27.3K €24.3K

38.05%

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

$38.6K €34.3K

$32.6K €29.0K

18.29%

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

$101 €90.2

$155 €138

-34.71%

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

$12.17 €10.82

$19.91 €17.71

-38.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.85 €38.12

$29.16 €25.94

46.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.1 €55.3

$55.9 €49.75

11.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.18 €19.73

Cinema Ticket

$10.09 €8.98

$11.14 €9.91

-9.43%

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

$369 €328

$273 €243

34.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K €10.0K

$12.4K €11.0K

-9.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.2 €76.7

$56.3 €50.1

53.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.60 €24.55

$68.8 €61.2

-59.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.7 €65.6

$111 €99.1

-33.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$76.8 €68.3

$128 €114

-39.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,051 €934

$1,108 €985

-5.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,049 €933

$943 €839

11.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,735 €1,543

$1,773 €1,577

-2.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,460 €1,299

$1,488 €1,324

-1.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,396 €3,910

$4,056 €3,608

8.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,149 €2,801

$2,866 €2,550

9.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,318 €1,173

$1,014 €902

29.96%

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 Rabat: October 10, 2026

Last update for Balzan: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rabat

$1K 54.4%

Balzan

$943 49.4% 10.1% $106

Groceries & Markets

Rabat

$261 13.5%

Balzan

$241 12.6% 7.6% $20

Eating Out

Rabat

$233 12.1%

Balzan

$255 13.4% 9.4% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rabat

$156 8.1%

Balzan

$204 10.7% 30.6% $48

Clothing & Footwear

Rabat

$119 6.2%

Balzan

$164 8.6% 37.9% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Rabat

$82 4.3%

Balzan

$78 4.1% 5% $4.1

Getting Around

Rabat

$28 * 1.4%

Balzan

$24 * 1.2% 14% $3.9

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,051 in Rabat 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 30% higher in Rabat, 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 $50.0 in Rabat versus $89.0 in Balzan. Groceries tell a different story – $261 in Rabat vs $241 in Balzan – so Balzan wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇹 Rabat

🇲🇹 Balzan

🕒 Local time

16:04 4:04 PM

Same time as Rabat

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,497

4,700

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

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Between locations

Rabat Balzan 5 km

From you

Rabat
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

Rabat vs Balzan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,928 in Rabat, $1,909 in Balzan – roughly 1% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,892 per month in Rabat 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 $50.0 in Rabat 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 8% more in Rabat, 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 Rabat at $1,928. In Balzan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Rabat 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, Rabat makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.