Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sliema and Balzan

For one person, living is cheaper in Balzan: $1,939 a month against $2,416 in Sliema, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

115

Cost of Living Index in Sliema
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Sliema Living Index
92

Cost of Living Index in Balzan
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Balzan Living Index

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Sliema

🇲🇹 Malta

$2,416

/mo nomad

Balzan

🇲🇹 Malta

$1,939

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,416 per month in Sliema vs $1,939 in Balzan, rent included.

Sliema $2,416
Balzan $1,939

A couple spends around $3,868 per month in Sliema vs $2,927 in Balzan, rent included.

Sliema $3,868
Balzan $2,927

A family of three spends $5,320 per month in Sliema vs $3,915 in Balzan, rent included.

Sliema $5,320
Balzan $3,915

Sliema costs about 25% more than Balzan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Sliema and Balzan sit above the global median – Sliema by 78%, Balzan by 42%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.81 €17.74

$18.68 €16.73

6.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.4 €76.5

$91.1 €81.6

-6.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.58 €12.16

$12.10 €10.84

12.23%

Cappuccino

$2.79 €2.49

$3.09 €2.76

-9.71%

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

$3.16 €2.83

$1.93 €1.73

63.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 €1.98

$1.03 €0.92

114.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.60 €4.12

$3.26 €2.92

41.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.29 €4.74

$2.45 €2.19

115.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 €1.21

$1.25 €1.12

8.80%

White Bread (500g)

$1.34 €1.20

$0.97 €0.87

38.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.44 €3.97

$3.52 €3.16

26.14%

Eggs

$4.17 €3.74

$4.30 €3.85

-3.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.08 €7.24

$10.30 €9.23

-21.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.35 €9.27

$9.10 €8.15

13.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.36 €16.44

$12.40 €11.10

48.06%

Apples (1kg)

$4.28 €3.83

$2.64 €2.37

62.12%

Banana (1kg)

$2.80 €2.50

$2.04 €1.83

37.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.64 €3.26

$1.68 €1.51

116.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.41 €3.05

$1.15 €1.03

196.52%

Potato (1kg)

$2.22 €1.99

$0.86 €0.77

158.14%

Onion (1kg)

$1.92 €1.72

$0.91 €0.81

110.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.35 €2.10

$0.85 €0.76

176.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 €1.15

$0.99 €0.89

30.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.78 €6.07

$6.09 €5.46

11.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.97 €7.13

$6.02 €5.39

32.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 €1.51

$1.07 €0.96

57.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 €2.12

$1.49 €1.34

58.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.22 €1.99

$3.01 €2.70

-26.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$136 €122

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.46 €4.89

$2.23 €2.00

144.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.30 €2.06

$1.76 €1.58

30.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.69 €23.90

$32.03 €28.69

-16.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.52 €1.36

-3.29%

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

$37.4K €33.5K

$27.5K €24.6K

36.29%

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

$38.4K €34.4K

$32.2K €28.9K

19.08%

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

$104 €93.2

$154 €138

-32.46%

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

$25.37 €22.72

$19.90 €17.82

27.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.68 €39.12

$28.97 €25.95

50.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 €66.9

$73.6 €65.9

1.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.09 €14.41

Cinema Ticket

$10.04 €9.00

$11.40 €10.21

-11.93%

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

$370 €331

$280 €250

32.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K €9,939

$12.1K €10.9K

-8.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.0 €78.8

$58.0 €52.0

51.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.29 €36.08

$69.1 €61.9

-41.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 €90.2

$110 €98.5

-8.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.5 €71.2

$130 €117

-38.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,752 €1,569

$1,132 €1,014

54.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,233 €1,104

$950 €851

29.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,113 €2,788

$1,804 €1,615

72.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,504 €2,243

$1,522 €1,364

64.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,387 €4,825

$4,057 €3,633

32.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,499 €3,134

$2,876 €2,575

21.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,841 €1,649

$1,000 €896

84.02%

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 Sliema: October 27, 2026

Last update for Balzan: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sliema

$1.2K 51%

Balzan

$950 49% 22.9% $283

Groceries & Markets

Sliema

$327 13.5%

Balzan

$245 12.6% 25% $82

Eating Out

Sliema

$288 11.9%

Balzan

$256 13.2% 11.1% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sliema

$173 7.2%

Balzan

$203 10.5% 17.2% $30

Getting Around

Sliema

$162 6.7%

Balzan

$23 * 1.2% 85.7% $139

Clothing & Footwear

Sliema

$139 5.8%

Balzan

$165 8.5% 19% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Sliema

$95 3.9%

Balzan

$96 5% 1.6% $1.5

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,752 in Sliema versus $1,132 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 84% higher in Sliema. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $85 in Sliema versus $91 in Balzan. Groceries tell a different story – $327 in Sliema vs $245 in Balzan – so Balzan wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇹 Sliema

🇲🇹 Balzan

🕒 Local time

09:55 9:55 AM

Same time as Sliema

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

16,854

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

Sliema Balzan 5 km

From you

Sliema
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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

Sliema vs Balzan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,416 in Sliema, $1,939 in Balzan – Balzan comes out roughly 20% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,624 per month in Sliema and $2,908 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,132 there versus $1,752 in Sliema.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $85 in Sliema and $91 in Balzan. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 33% more in Sliema, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $2,416 in Sliema and $1,939 in Balzan, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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 cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Balzan. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Sliema makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.