Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sliema and Birgu

For one person, living is cheaper in Birgu: $1,731 a month against $2,396 in Sliema, rent and utilities included – about $8,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

116

Cost of Living Index in Sliema
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Sliema Living Index
85

Cost of Living Index in Birgu
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Birgu Living Index

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Sliema

🇲🇹 Malta

$2,396

/mo nomad

Birgu

🇲🇹 Malta

$1,731

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sliema and in Birgu

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 Birgu actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,396 in Sliema versus $1,731 in Birgu.

Sliema $2,396
Birgu $1,731

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,794 in Sliema versus $2,817 in Birgu.

Sliema $3,794
Birgu $2,817

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,191 in Sliema versus $3,902 in Birgu.

Sliema $5,191
Birgu $3,902

Living in Sliema is roughly 38% more expensive than in Birgu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Sliema 77% above, Birgu 28% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.81 €17.63

$19.77 €17.58

0.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.6 €76.2

$87.6 €77.9

-2.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.24 €11.77

$11.87 €10.56

11.54%

Cappuccino

$2.77 €2.47

$2.64 €2.35

4.92%

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

$3.02 €2.69

$2.29 €2.04

31.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.16 €1.92

$1.72 €1.53

25.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.60 €4.09

$4.48 €3.98

2.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.24 €4.66

$5.18 €4.61

1.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.35 €1.20

$1.36 €1.21

-0.74%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.34 €1.19

2.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.24 €3.77

$4.21 €3.74

0.71%

Eggs

$4.30 €3.82

$4.05 €3.60

6.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.27 €7.35

$8.31 €7.39

-0.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.25 €9.12

$8.59 €7.64

19.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.21 €16.20

$15.33 €13.63

18.79%

Apples (1kg)

$4.24 €3.77

$2.77 €2.46

53.07%

Banana (1kg)

$2.81 €2.50

$1.26 €1.12

123.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.52 €3.13

$2.82 €2.51

24.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.32 €2.95

$2.77 €2.46

19.86%

Potato (1kg)

$2.42 €2.16

$2.20 €1.96

10.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.05 €1.82

$1.69 €1.51

21.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 €2.08

$2.30 €2.05

1.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 €1.16

$0.87 €0.77

49.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.83 €6.08

$6.82 €6.06

0.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.09 €7.19

$8.32 €7.40

-2.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.68 €1.50

$1.59 €1.42

5.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 €2.14

$2.44 €2.17

-1.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.17 €1.93

$2.34 €2.08

-7.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$133 €118

$13.80 €12.27

865.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.64 €5.02

$5.42 €4.82

4.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.20 €1.96

$1.09 €0.97

101.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.09 €24.10

$27.03 €24.04

0.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 €1.37

$1.46 €1.30

5.48%

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

$37.9K €33.7K

$26.0K €23.2K

45.65%

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

$39.6K €35.2K

$32.7K €29.1K

21.26%

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

$103 €91.9

$103 €91.3

0.64%

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

$25.61 €22.78

$25.53 €22.70

0.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.84 €38.10

$33.11 €29.45

29.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$76.4 €68.0

$43.55 €38.74

75.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.86 €14.11

$66.5 €59.2

-76.15%

Cinema Ticket

$10.20 €9.08

$9.89 €8.80

3.13%

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

$366 €326

$371 €330

-1.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K €9,912

$2,023 €1,799

450.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.5 €76.0

$25.33 €22.53

237.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.84 €36.33

$33.87 €30.13

20.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 €90.0

$100 €89.1

1.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$76.7 €68.2

$110 €97.4

-29.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,775 €1,579

$980 €872

81.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,220 €1,085

$798 €709

52.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,913 €2,591

$1,785 €1,588

63.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,385 €2,122

$1,534 €1,365

55.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,353 €4,762

$4,050 €3,603

32.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,578 €3,183

$2,820 €2,509

26.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,815 €1,614

$1,873 €1,666

-3.12%

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 Sliema: October 12, 2026

Last update for Birgu: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sliema

$1.2K 50.9%

Birgu

$798 46.1% 34.6% $422

Groceries & Markets

Sliema

$326 13.6%

Birgu

$279 16.2% 14.4% $47

Eating Out

Sliema

$286 11.9%

Birgu

$274 15.8% 4% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sliema

$172 7.2%

Birgu

$161 9.3% 6.1% $10

Getting Around

Sliema

$158 6.6%

Birgu

$34 2% 78.5% $124

Clothing & Footwear

Sliema

$137 5.7%

Birgu

$121 7% 11.6% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Sliema

$97 4%

Birgu

$63 3.7% 34.6% $33

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,775 in Sliema and $980 in Birgu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Birgu pays 3% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $86.0 in Sliema vs $88.0 in Birgu. Groceries flip the comparison at $326 vs $279, with Birgu cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇹 Sliema

🇲🇹 Birgu

🕒 Local time

07:35 7:35 AM

Same time as Sliema

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

16,854

2,500

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Sliema Birgu 3 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 Birgu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Birgu wins on cost – living expenses run 38% lower than in Sliema. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Birgu the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 3% lower in Birgu. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,775 in Sliema versus $980 in Birgu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Birgu runs roughly 865% less than in Sliema. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $366 in Sliema versus $371 in Birgu. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,731 in Birgu versus $2,396 in Sliema, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Birgu but tight or insufficient in Sliema. The gap between the two cities makes Birgu the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Birgu delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,731 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Birgu hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Sliema and Birgu 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 Birgu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 38% less than in Sliema. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.