Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sliema and Mdina

For one person, living is cheaper in Mdina: $2,080 a month against $2,396 in Sliema, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

116

Cost of Living Index in Sliema
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Sliema Living Index
95

Cost of Living Index in Mdina
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Mdina Living Index

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Sliema

🇲🇹 Malta

$2,396

/mo nomad

Mdina

🇲🇹 Malta

$2,080

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sliema and in Mdina

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,396 in Sliema versus $2,080 in Mdina.

Sliema $2,396
Mdina $2,080

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,794 in Sliema versus $3,064 in Mdina.

Sliema $3,794
Mdina $3,064

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,191 in Sliema versus $4,048 in Mdina.

Sliema $5,191
Mdina $4,048

Living in Sliema is roughly 15% more expensive than in Mdina, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Sliema 77% above, Mdina 54% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.81 €17.63

$19.17 €17.05

3.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.6 €76.2

$85.3 €75.9

0.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.24 €11.77

$13.38 €11.90

-1.05%

Cappuccino

$2.77 €2.47

$2.78 €2.47

-0.36%

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

$3.02 €2.69

$3.15 €2.80

-4.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.16 €1.92

$2.18 €1.94

-0.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.60 €4.09

$4.42 €3.93

4.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.24 €4.66

$5.06 €4.50

3.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.35 €1.20

$1.33 €1.18

1.50%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.36 €1.21

0.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.24 €3.77

$4.31 €3.83

-1.62%

Eggs

$4.30 €3.82

$4.25 €3.78

1.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.27 €7.35

$8.34 €7.42

-0.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.25 €9.12

$10.26 €9.13

-0.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.21 €16.20

$18.48 €16.44

-1.46%

Apples (1kg)

$4.24 €3.77

$4.05 €3.60

4.69%

Banana (1kg)

$2.81 €2.50

$2.78 €2.48

1.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.52 €3.13

$3.63 €3.23

-3.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.32 €2.95

$3.38 €3.01

-1.78%

Potato (1kg)

$2.42 €2.16

$2.43 €2.16

-0.41%

Onion (1kg)

$2.05 €1.82

$2.04 €1.82

0.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 €2.08

$2.27 €2.02

3.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.34 €1.19

-2.99%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.83 €6.08

$6.82 €6.06

0.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.09 €7.19

$8.23 €7.32

-1.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.68 €1.50

$1.78 €1.58

-5.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 €2.14

$2.36 €2.10

1.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.17 €1.93

$2.55 €2.27

-14.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$133 €118

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.64 €5.02

$5.45 €4.85

3.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.20 €1.96

$2.21 €1.96

-0.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.09 €24.10

$26.64 €23.70

1.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 €1.37

$1.47 €1.31

4.76%

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

$37.9K €33.7K

$37.6K €33.4K

0.90%

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

$39.6K €35.2K

$38.9K €34.6K

1.88%

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

$103 €91.9

$104 €92.5

-0.58%

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

$25.61 €22.78

$25.81 €22.96

-0.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.84 €38.10

$42.04 €37.39

1.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$76.4 €68.0

$70.5 €62.7

8.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.86 €14.11

Cinema Ticket

$10.20 €9.08

$9.90 €8.80

3.03%

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

$366 €326

$370 €329

-0.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K €9,912

$11.0K €9,820

0.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.5 €76.0

$87.3 €77.6

-2.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.84 €36.33

$40.22 €35.78

1.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 €90.0

$98.4 €87.5

2.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$76.7 €68.2

$79.1 €70.4

-3.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,775 €1,579

$1,170 €1,040

51.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,220 €1,085

$1,045 €930

16.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,913 €2,591

$1,554 €1,383

87.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,385 €2,122

$1,544 €1,374

54.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,353 €4,762

$3,557 €3,164

50.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,578 €3,183

$3,055 €2,717

17.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,815 €1,614

$1,467 €1,305

23.70%

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 Mdina: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sliema

$1.2K 50.9%

Mdina

$1K 50.3% 14.3% $174

Groceries & Markets

Sliema

$326 13.6%

Mdina

$328 15.8% 0.5% $1.5

Eating Out

Sliema

$286 11.9%

Mdina

$280 13.5% 1.9% $5.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sliema

$172 7.2%

Mdina

$172 8.3% 0% $0

Getting Around

Sliema

$158 6.6%

Mdina

$27 * 1.3% 83.2% $132

Clothing & Footwear

Sliema

$137 5.7%

Mdina

$137 6.6% 0.2% $0.3

Sport & Entertainment

Sliema

$97 4%

Mdina

$90 4.3% 6.7% $6.5

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,775 in Sliema and $1,170 in Mdina. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sliema pays 24% 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: $86.0 in Sliema vs $85.0 in Mdina. Groceries flip the comparison at $326 vs $328, with Sliema cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇹 Sliema

🇲🇹 Mdina

🕒 Local time

17:24 5:24 PM

Same time as Sliema

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

16,854

193

💱 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 Mdina 9 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 Mdina: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sliema and Mdina differ by about 15% in total monthly costs ($2,396 vs $2,080 including rent). Mdina is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 24% 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: $1,775 in Sliema versus $1,170 in Mdina. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Sliema pay roughly 0% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $2,396 per month in Sliema versus $2,080 in Mdina – a 15% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,080 in Mdina versus $2,396 in Sliema, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Mdina but tight or insufficient in Sliema. The gap between the two cities makes Mdina the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Sliema and Mdina 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 Mdina gentler on the wallet – expenses run 15% less than in Sliema. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.