Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Pawl Il-bahar and Balzan

For one person, living is cheaper in San Pawl Il-bahar: $1,697 a month against $1,909 in Balzan, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

83

Cost of Living Index in San Pawl Il-bahar
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San Pawl Il-bahar Living Index
93

Cost of Living Index in Balzan
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Balzan Living Index

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San Pawl Il-bahar

🇲🇹 Malta

$1,697

/mo nomad

Balzan

🇲🇹 Malta

$1,909

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in San Pawl Il-bahar 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 San Pawl Il-bahar and in Balzan actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,697 per month in San Pawl Il-bahar vs $1,909 in Balzan, rent included.

San Pawl Il-bahar $1,697
Balzan $1,909

A couple spends around $2,593 per month in San Pawl Il-bahar vs $2,866 in Balzan, rent included.

San Pawl Il-bahar $2,593
Balzan $2,866

A family of three spends $3,489 per month in San Pawl Il-bahar vs $3,822 in Balzan, rent included.

San Pawl Il-bahar $3,489
Balzan $3,822

San Pawl Il-bahar is about 11% cheaper than Balzan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both San Pawl Il-bahar and Balzan sit above the global median – San Pawl Il-bahar by 26%, Balzan by 41%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.75 €17.57

$18.28 €16.26

8.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$82.2 €73.1

$89.1 €79.2

-7.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.28 €10.03

$12.05 €10.72

-6.39%

Cappuccino

$2.58 €2.30

$3.22 €2.86

-19.88%

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

$2.47 €2.20

$1.99 €1.77

24.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 €1.74

$1.02 €0.90

91.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.50 €4.00

$3.39 €3.02

32.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.18 €4.60

$2.56 €2.27

102.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.21 €1.08

8.26%

White Bread (500g)

$1.16 €1.03

$0.92 €0.82

26.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.82 €3.40

$3.52 €3.13

8.52%

Eggs

$3.62 €3.22

$4.28 €3.81

-15.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.44 €7.50

$10.12 €9.00

-16.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.75 €6.89

$8.68 €7.72

-10.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.41 €8.37

$12.44 €11.07

-24.36%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.65

$2.52 €2.24

18.25%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 €1.82

$1.96 €1.74

4.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.93 €2.60

$1.78 €1.58

64.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.86 €2.54

$1.09 €0.97

162.39%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 €1.40

$0.91 €0.81

72.53%

Onion (1kg)

$1.84 €1.64

$0.92 €0.82

100.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 €1.06

$0.87 €0.78

36.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 €1.07

$0.99 €0.88

21.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.33 €5.63

$6.18 €5.50

2.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.30 €7.38

$6.10 €5.43

36.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.49 €1.32

$1.05 €0.93

41.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 €1.78

$1.47 €1.31

36.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.76 €2.46

$3.11 €2.76

-11.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.72 €5.09

$2.18 €1.94

162.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.17 €1.93

$1.82 €1.62

19.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.51 €23.58

$32.50 €28.91

-18.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 €1.30

$1.48 €1.32

-0.68%

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

$38.3K €34.1K

$27.3K €24.3K

40.07%

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

$39.6K €35.2K

$32.6K €29.0K

21.22%

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

$58.9 €52.4

$155 €138

-62.10%

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

$20.63 €18.35

$19.91 €17.71

3.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.96 €35.54

$29.16 €25.94

37.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.65 €44.17

$55.9 €49.75

-11.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.51 €12.02

Cinema Ticket

$9.96 €8.86

$11.14 €9.91

-10.59%

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

$371 €330

$273 €243

35.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K €9,915

$12.4K €11.0K

-10.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$22.55 €20.06

$56.3 €50.1

-59.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.53 €29.83

$68.8 €61.2

-51.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.5 €85.8

$111 €99.1

-13.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$75.4 €67.1

$128 €114

-41.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$981 €872

$1,108 €985

-11.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$848 €755

$943 €839

-10.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,640 €1,459

$1,773 €1,577

-7.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,348 €1,199

$1,488 €1,324

-9.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,441 €3,061

$4,056 €3,608

-15.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,867 €2,550

$2,866 €2,550

0.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,670 €1,485

$1,014 €902

64.62%

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 San Pawl Il-bahar: 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

San Pawl Il-bahar

$848 50%

Balzan

$943 49.4% 11.1% $95

Eating Out

San Pawl Il-bahar

$273 16.1%

Balzan

$255 13.4% 6.7% $18

Groceries & Markets

San Pawl Il-bahar

$256 15.1%

Balzan

$241 12.6% 5.8% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Pawl Il-bahar

$119 7%

Balzan

$204 10.7% 71.1% $85

Clothing & Footwear

San Pawl Il-bahar

$103 6.1%

Balzan

$164 8.6% 59.9% $61

Sport & Entertainment

San Pawl Il-bahar

$70 4.1%

Balzan

$78 4.1% 12.4% $8.6

Getting Around

San Pawl Il-bahar

$28 * 1.6%

Balzan

$24 * 1.2% 14.1% $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 $981 in San Pawl Il-bahar 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 65% higher in San Pawl Il-bahar, 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 $82.0 in San Pawl Il-bahar versus $89.0 in Balzan. Groceries tell a different story – $256 in San Pawl Il-bahar vs $241 in Balzan – so Balzan wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇹 San Pawl Il-bahar

🇲🇹 Balzan

🕒 Local time

17:53 5:53 PM

Same time as San Pawl Il-bahar

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,046

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

San Pawl Il-bahar Balzan 7 km

From you

San Pawl Il-bahar
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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

San Pawl Il-bahar vs Balzan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,697 in San Pawl Il-bahar, $1,909 in Balzan – roughly 13% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,545 per month in San Pawl Il-bahar 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 San Pawl Il-bahar, 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 $82.0 in San Pawl Il-bahar and $89.0 in Balzan. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 6% cheaper in Balzan – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in San Pawl Il-bahar, where all-in costs run around $1,697, than in Balzan at $1,909. In San Pawl Il-bahar it covers expenses comfortably, while in Balzan it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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