Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sliema and Luqa

For one person, living is cheaper in Luqa: $1,845 a month against $2,416 in Sliema, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

115

Cost of Living Index in Sliema
Learn more

Sliema Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Luqa
Learn more

Luqa Living Index

Jump to prices

Sliema

🇲🇹 Malta

$2,416

/mo nomad

Luqa

🇲🇹 Malta

$1,845

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sliema and in Luqa

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,416 in Sliema versus $1,845 in Luqa.

Sliema $2,416
Luqa $1,845

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,868 in Sliema versus $2,902 in Luqa.

Sliema $3,868
Luqa $2,902

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,320 in Sliema versus $3,960 in Luqa.

Sliema $5,320
Luqa $3,960

Living in Sliema is roughly 31% more expensive than in Luqa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Sliema 78% above, Luqa 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.81 €17.67

$19.96 €17.81

-0.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.4 €76.2

$99.9 €89.1

-14.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.58 €12.12

$10.81 €9.65

25.62%

Cappuccino

$2.79 €2.48

$3.40 €3.03

-17.94%

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

$3.16 €2.82

$2.89 €2.58

9.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 €1.97

$1.97 €1.76

12.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.60 €4.10

$4.54 €4.05

1.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.29 €4.72

$4.27 €3.81

23.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 €1.21

$1.14 €1.02

19.30%

White Bread (500g)

$1.34 €1.20

$1.16 €1.03

15.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.44 €3.96

$3.17 €2.83

40.06%

Eggs

$4.17 €3.72

$3.93 €3.51

6.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.08 €7.21

$13.31 €11.87

-39.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.35 €9.24

$9.92 €8.85

4.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.36 €16.38

$15.81 €14.10

16.13%

Apples (1kg)

$4.28 €3.81

$2.74 €2.44

56.20%

Banana (1kg)

$2.80 €2.49

$1.97 €1.76

42.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.64 €3.24

$2.99 €2.66

21.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.41 €3.04

$3.72 €3.32

-8.33%

Potato (1kg)

$2.22 €1.98

$1.79 €1.60

24.02%

Onion (1kg)

$1.92 €1.71

$1.97 €1.76

-2.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.35 €2.10

$1.93 €1.72

21.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 €1.15

$0.89 €0.80

44.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.78 €6.05

$6.84 €6.10

-0.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.97 €7.11

$7.17 €6.40

11.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 €1.51

$1.50 €1.34

12.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 €2.11

$2.25 €2.00

4.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.22 €1.98

$2.19 €1.95

1.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$136 €121

$14.44 €12.89

841.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.46 €4.87

$4.52 €4.03

20.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.30 €2.05

$1.64 €1.46

40.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.69 €23.81

$39.01 €34.81

-31.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.46 €1.30

0.68%

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

$37.4K €33.4K

$24.9K €22.2K

50.25%

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

$38.4K €34.2K

$39.5K €35.2K

-2.78%

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

$104 €92.9

$74.9 €66.8

39.07%

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

$25.37 €22.63

$35.83 €31.96

-29.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.68 €38.97

$33.44 €29.83

30.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 €66.7

$53.2 €47.49

40.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.09 €14.36

$55.2 €49.23

-70.84%

Cinema Ticket

$10.04 €8.96

$11.10 €9.91

-9.55%

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

$370 €330

$611 €545

-39.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K €9,902

$13.6K €12.1K

-18.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.0 €78.5

$145 €129

-39.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.29 €35.95

$55.0 €49.04

-26.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 €89.9

$85.1 €76.0

18.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.5 €70.9

$135 €121

-41.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,752 €1,563

$811 €724

116.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,233 €1,100

$819 €731

50.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,113 €2,777

$1,284 €1,146

142.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,504 €2,234

$1,298 €1,158

92.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,387 €4,806

$2,945 €2,627

82.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,499 €3,122

$3,120 €2,784

12.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,841 €1,643

$1,456 €1,299

26.45%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.9

3.22

-9.94%

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

Last update for Sliema: October 27, 2026

Last update for Luqa: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sliema

$1.2K 51%

Luqa

$819 44.4% 33.6% $414

Groceries & Markets

Sliema

$327 13.5%

Luqa

$299 16.2% 8.6% $28

Eating Out

Sliema

$288 11.9%

Luqa

$284 15.4% 1.4% $4.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sliema

$173 7.2%

Luqa

$144 7.8% 16.8% $29

Getting Around

Sliema

$162 6.7%

Luqa

$36 2% 77.8% $126

Clothing & Footwear

Sliema

$139 5.8%

Luqa

$189 10.2% 36.2% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Sliema

$95 3.9%

Luqa

$75 4.1% 20.4% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,752 in Sliema and $811 in Luqa. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sliema pays 26% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $85 in Sliema vs $100 in Luqa. Groceries flip the comparison at $327 vs $299, with Luqa cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇹 Sliema

🇲🇹 Luqa

🕒 Local time

20:02 8:02 PM

Same time as Sliema

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

16,854

5,900

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sliema Luqa 6 km

From you

Sliema
Luqa

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 Luqa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Luqa wins on cost – living expenses run 24% lower than in Sliema. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Luqa the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 26% higher in Sliema, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,752 in Sliema versus $811 in Luqa. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $2,416 per month in Sliema versus $1,845 in Luqa – Luqa is about 24% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Luqa runs roughly 89% less than in Sliema. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Luqa delivers better value at $1,845 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Luqa hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Sliema and Luqa are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Luqa wins on affordability, Sliema on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.