Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sliema and Valletta

For one person, living is cheaper in Valletta: $2,258 a month against $2,396 in Sliema, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

116

Cost of Living Index in Sliema
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Sliema Living Index
110

Cost of Living Index in Valletta
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Valletta Living Index

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Sliema

🇲🇹 Malta

$2,396

/mo nomad

Valletta

🇲🇹 Malta

$2,258

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sliema and in Valletta

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,396 in Sliema versus $2,258 in Valletta.

Sliema $2,396
Valletta $2,258

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,794 in Sliema versus $3,519 in Valletta.

Sliema $3,794
Valletta $3,519

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,191 in Sliema versus $4,780 in Valletta.

Sliema $5,191
Valletta $4,780

Living in Sliema is roughly 6% more expensive than in Valletta, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Sliema 77% above, Valletta 67% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.81 €17.63

$22.42 €19.95

-11.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.6 €76.2

$87.6 €78.0

-2.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.24 €11.77

$13.23 €11.76

0.08%

Cappuccino

$2.77 €2.47

$3.20 €2.85

-13.44%

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

$3.02 €2.69

$2.42 €2.15

24.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.16 €1.92

$1.91 €1.69

13.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.60 €4.09

$5.65 €5.02

-18.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.24 €4.66

$6.59 €5.86

-20.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.35 €1.20

$1.32 €1.17

2.27%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.45 €1.29

-5.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.24 €3.77

$3.44 €3.06

23.26%

Eggs

$4.30 €3.82

$4.28 €3.81

0.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.27 €7.35

$10.20 €9.07

-18.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.25 €9.12

$11.86 €10.55

-13.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.21 €16.20

$17.94 €15.96

1.51%

Apples (1kg)

$4.24 €3.77

$3.79 €3.37

11.87%

Banana (1kg)

$2.81 €2.50

$2.72 €2.42

3.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.52 €3.13

$3.85 €3.42

-8.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.32 €2.95

$3.70 €3.29

-10.27%

Potato (1kg)

$2.42 €2.16

$1.86 €1.65

30.11%

Onion (1kg)

$2.05 €1.82

$3.27 €2.91

-37.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 €2.08

$2.20 €1.95

6.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.57 €1.39

-17.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.83 €6.08

$6.22 €5.53

9.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.09 €7.19

$5.86 €5.21

38.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.68 €1.50

$2.46 €2.19

-31.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 €2.14

$2.38 €2.12

0.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.17 €1.93

$2.78 €2.47

-21.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$133 €118

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.64 €5.02

$3.81 €3.39

48.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.20 €1.96

$1.84 €1.63

19.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.09 €24.10

$32.08 €28.53

-15.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 €1.37

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

$37.9K €33.7K

$27.9K €24.8K

35.90%

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

$39.6K €35.2K

$39.4K €35.0K

0.56%

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

$103 €91.9

$155 €138

-33.38%

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

$25.61 €22.78

$31.40 €27.93

-18.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.84 €38.10

$28.93 €25.73

48.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$76.4 €68.0

$58.0 €51.6

31.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.86 €14.11

$20.34 €18.09

-22.03%

Cinema Ticket

$10.20 €9.08

$11.48 €10.21

-11.15%

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

$366 €326

$278 €248

31.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K €9,912

$12.4K €11.0K

-9.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.5 €76.0

$58.0 €51.6

47.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.84 €36.33

$68.9 €61.3

-40.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 €90.0

$113 €101

-10.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$76.7 €68.2

$130 €116

-41.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,775 €1,579

$1,391 €1,238

27.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,220 €1,085

$1,114 €991

9.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,913 €2,591

$3,250 €2,891

-10.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,385 €2,122

$2,043 €1,817

16.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,353 €4,762

$5,247 €4,668

2.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,578 €3,183

$3,999 €3,557

-10.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,815 €1,614

$2,042 €1,816

-11.12%

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 Valletta: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sliema

$1.2K 50.9%

Valletta

$1.1K 49.3% 8.7% $106

Groceries & Markets

Sliema

$326 13.6%

Valletta

$340 15.1% 4.1% $13

Eating Out

Sliema

$286 11.9%

Valletta

$316 14% 10.7% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sliema

$172 7.2%

Valletta

$215 9.5% 25.4% $44

Getting Around

Sliema

$158 6.6%

Valletta

$24 * 1.1% 84.8% $134

Clothing & Footwear

Sliema

$137 5.7%

Valletta

$167 7.4% 21.8% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Sliema

$97 4%

Valletta

$81 3.6% 16.4% $16

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 $1,391 in Valletta. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Valletta pays 13% 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 Valletta for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $326 vs $340 per month, with Sliema cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇹 Sliema

🇲🇹 Valletta

🕒 Local time

14:39 2:39 PM

Same time as Sliema

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

16,854

5,700 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Sliema Valletta 2 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 Valletta: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sliema and Valletta differ by about 6% in total monthly costs ($2,396 vs $2,258 including rent). Valletta is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 13% lower in Valletta. 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 $1,391 in Valletta. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $366 in Sliema versus $278 in Valletta. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Valletta – a meal for two runs $88.0 versus $86.0 in Sliema. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,258 in Valletta versus $2,396 in Sliema, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Valletta but tight or insufficient in Sliema. The gap between the two cities makes Valletta 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 Valletta 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 Valletta gentler on the wallet – expenses run 6% less than in Sliema. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.