Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sliema and Mgarr

For one person, living is cheaper in Mgarr: $2,090 a month against $2,396 in Sliema, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 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
101

Cost of Living Index in Mgarr
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Mgarr Living Index

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Sliema

🇲🇹 Malta

$2,396

/mo nomad

Mgarr

🇲🇹 Malta

$2,090

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sliema and in Mgarr

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,396 in Sliema versus $2,090 in Mgarr.

Sliema $2,396
Mgarr $2,090

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,794 in Sliema versus $3,175 in Mgarr.

Sliema $3,794
Mgarr $3,175

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,191 in Sliema versus $4,260 in Mgarr.

Sliema $5,191
Mgarr $4,260

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

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Sliema 77% above, Mgarr 55% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.81 €17.63

$22.19 €19.74

-10.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.6 €76.2

$88.8 €79.0

-3.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.24 €11.77

$13.23 €11.77

0.08%

Cappuccino

$2.77 €2.47

$3.19 €2.84

-13.17%

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

$3.02 €2.69

$2.31 €2.06

30.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.16 €1.92

$2.00 €1.78

8.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.60 €4.09

$5.49 €4.89

-16.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.24 €4.66

$6.72 €5.97

-22.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.35 €1.20

$1.31 €1.17

3.05%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.40 €1.25

-2.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.24 €3.77

$3.40 €3.02

24.71%

Eggs

$4.30 €3.82

$4.48 €3.98

-4.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.27 €7.35

$10.27 €9.14

-19.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.25 €9.12

$11.74 €10.44

-12.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.21 €16.20

$18.26 €16.24

-0.27%

Apples (1kg)

$4.24 €3.77

$3.66 €3.25

15.85%

Banana (1kg)

$2.81 €2.50

$2.72 €2.42

3.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.52 €3.13

$3.79 €3.37

-7.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.32 €2.95

$3.83 €3.41

-13.32%

Potato (1kg)

$2.42 €2.16

$1.86 €1.65

30.11%

Onion (1kg)

$2.05 €1.82

$3.34 €2.97

-38.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 €2.08

$2.17 €1.93

7.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.56 €1.39

-16.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.83 €6.08

$6.13 €5.45

11.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.09 €7.19

$6.07 €5.40

33.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.68 €1.50

$2.51 €2.23

-33.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 €2.14

$2.37 €2.11

1.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.17 €1.93

$2.47 €2.20

-12.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$133 €118

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.64 €5.02

$3.85 €3.43

46.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.20 €1.96

$1.75 €1.56

25.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.09 €24.10

$32.05 €28.51

-15.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 €1.37

$1.47 €1.30

4.76%

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

$37.9K €33.7K

$27.5K €24.4K

38.02%

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

$39.6K €35.2K

$39.7K €35.3K

-0.17%

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

$103 €91.9

$154 €137

-32.79%

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

$25.61 €22.78

$31.46 €27.98

-18.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.84 €38.10

$29.71 €26.43

44.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$76.4 €68.0

$67.9 €60.4

12.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.86 €14.11

Cinema Ticket

$10.20 €9.08

$11.38 €10.13

-10.37%

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

$366 €326

$281 €250

30.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K €9,912

$12.2K €10.9K

-8.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.5 €76.0

$56.3 €50.1

51.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.84 €36.33

$69.2 €61.5

-40.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 €90.0

$114 €101

-11.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$76.7 €68.2

$131 €116

-41.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,775 €1,579

$1,126 €1,002

57.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,220 €1,085

$941 €837

29.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,913 €2,591

$1,785 €1,588

63.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,385 €2,122

$1,525 €1,357

56.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,353 €4,762

$4,469 €3,975

19.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,578 €3,183

$2,453 €2,182

45.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,815 €1,614

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 12, 2026

Last update for Mgarr: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sliema

$1.2K 50.9%

Mgarr

$941 45% 22.9% $279

Groceries & Markets

Sliema

$326 13.6%

Mgarr

$341 16.3% 4.4% $14

Eating Out

Sliema

$286 11.9%

Mgarr

$314 15% 9.8% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sliema

$172 7.2%

Mgarr

$215 10.3% 25.1% $43

Getting Around

Sliema

$158 6.6%

Mgarr

$23 * 1.1% 85.8% $136

Clothing & Footwear

Sliema

$137 5.7%

Mgarr

$167 8% 21.7% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Sliema

$97 4%

Mgarr

$91 4.3% 6.3% $6.1

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 $1,126 in Mgarr. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $86.0 in Sliema vs $89.0 in Mgarr for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $326 vs $341 per month, with Sliema cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇹 Sliema

🇲🇹 Mgarr

🕒 Local time

17:24 5:24 PM

Same time as Sliema

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

16,854

3,600

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Sliema Mgarr 12 km

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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 Mgarr: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mgarr wins on cost – living expenses run 15% lower than in Sliema. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Mgarr the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $3,594 in Sliema and $3,136 in Mgarr to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,775 in Sliema versus $1,126 in Mgarr. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $366 in Sliema versus $281 in Mgarr. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Mgarr – a meal for two runs $89.0 versus $86.0 in Sliema. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,090 in Mgarr versus $2,396 in Sliema, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Mgarr but tight or insufficient in Sliema. The gap between the two cities makes Mgarr the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Mgarr delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $2,090 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Mgarr hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Sliema and Mgarr 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 Mgarr 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.