Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sliema and Xaghra

For one person, living is cheaper in Xaghra: $1,986 a month against $2,396 in Sliema, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 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 Xaghra
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Xaghra Living Index

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Sliema

🇲🇹 Malta

$2,396

/mo nomad

Xaghra

🇲🇹 Malta

$1,986

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sliema and in Xaghra

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,396 in Sliema versus $1,986 in Xaghra.

Sliema $2,396
Xaghra $1,986

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,794 in Sliema versus $2,970 in Xaghra.

Sliema $3,794
Xaghra $2,970

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,191 in Sliema versus $3,953 in Xaghra.

Sliema $5,191
Xaghra $3,953

Living in Sliema is roughly 21% more expensive than in Xaghra, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Sliema 77% above, Xaghra 47% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.81 €17.63

$10.07 €8.96

96.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.6 €76.2

$88.2 €78.5

-2.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.24 €11.77

$13.50 €12.01

-1.93%

Cappuccino

$2.77 €2.47

$3.19 €2.83

-13.17%

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

$3.02 €2.69

$2.39 €2.12

26.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.16 €1.92

$1.93 €1.72

11.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.60 €4.09

$5.46 €4.85

-15.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.24 €4.66

$6.50 €5.78

-19.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.35 €1.20

$1.36 €1.21

-0.74%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.44 €1.28

-4.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.24 €3.77

$3.38 €3.01

25.44%

Eggs

$4.30 €3.82

$2.07 €1.84

107.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.27 €7.35

$10.52 €9.35

-21.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.25 €9.12

$12.15 €10.81

-15.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.21 €16.20

$18.35 €16.32

-0.76%

Apples (1kg)

$4.24 €3.77

$3.83 €3.40

10.70%

Banana (1kg)

$2.81 €2.50

$2.77 €2.47

1.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.52 €3.13

$3.99 €3.55

-11.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.32 €2.95

$3.79 €3.37

-12.40%

Potato (1kg)

$2.42 €2.16

$1.86 €1.66

30.11%

Onion (1kg)

$2.05 €1.82

$3.27 €2.91

-37.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 €2.08

$2.18 €1.94

7.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 €1.16

$0.91 €0.81

42.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.83 €6.08

$6.41 €5.70

6.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.09 €7.19

$5.78 €5.14

39.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.68 €1.50

$2.40 €2.13

-30.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 €2.14

$2.35 €2.09

2.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.17 €1.93

$2.54 €2.26

-14.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$133 €118

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.64 €5.02

$3.86 €3.43

46.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.20 €1.96

$1.76 €1.57

25.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.09 €24.10

$32.86 €29.23

-17.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 €1.37

$1.48 €1.32

4.05%

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

$37.9K €33.7K

$27.8K €24.7K

36.39%

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

$39.6K €35.2K

$38.9K €34.6K

1.91%

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

$103 €91.9

$157 €140

-34.33%

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

$25.61 €22.78

$30.53 €27.15

-16.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.84 €38.10

$29.78 €26.49

43.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$76.4 €68.0

$64.8 €57.6

17.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.86 €14.11

Cinema Ticket

$10.20 €9.08

$11.12 €9.89

-8.27%

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

$366 €326

$278 €247

31.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K €9,912

$12.1K €10.7K

-7.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.5 €76.0

$56.8 €50.5

50.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.84 €36.33

$69.8 €62.1

-41.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 €90.0

$113 €101

-10.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$76.7 €68.2

$131 €116

-41.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,775 €1,579

$1,118 €994

58.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,220 €1,085

$947 €842

28.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,913 €2,591

$1,753 €1,559

66.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,385 €2,122

$1,475 €1,312

61.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,353 €4,762

$4,242 €3,773

26.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,578 €3,183

$2,915 €2,593

22.73%

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 Xaghra: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sliema

$1.2K 50.9%

Xaghra

$947 47.7% 22.4% $273

Groceries & Markets

Sliema

$326 13.6%

Xaghra

$328 16.5% 0.4% $1.4

Eating Out

Sliema

$286 11.9%

Xaghra

$217 10.9% 24.1% $69

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sliema

$172 7.2%

Xaghra

$218 11% 26.7% $46

Getting Around

Sliema

$158 6.6%

Xaghra

$23 * 1.2% 85.6% $136

Clothing & Footwear

Sliema

$137 5.7%

Xaghra

$167 8.4% 21.8% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Sliema

$97 4%

Xaghra

$87 4.4% 10.1% $9.8

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 $1,118 in Xaghra. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $86.0 in Sliema vs $88.0 in Xaghra for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $326 vs $328 per month, with Sliema cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇹 Sliema

🇲🇹 Xaghra

🕒 Local time

17:24 5:24 PM

Same time as Sliema

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

16,854

4,100

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Sliema Xaghra 26 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 Xaghra: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sliema and Xaghra differ by about 21% in total monthly costs ($2,396 vs $1,986 including rent). Xaghra is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $3,594 in Sliema and $2,979 in Xaghra 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 $1,118 in Xaghra. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

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

Dining out is cheaper in Xaghra – 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 $1,986 in Xaghra versus $2,396 in Sliema, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Xaghra but tight or insufficient in Sliema. The gap between the two cities makes Xaghra 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 Xaghra 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 Xaghra gentler on the wallet – expenses run 21% less than in Sliema. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.