Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sliema and Zabbar

For one person, living is cheaper in Zabbar: $1,820 a month against $2,416 in Sliema, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

115

Cost of Living Index in Sliema
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Sliema Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Zabbar
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Zabbar Living Index

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Sliema

🇲🇹 Malta

$2,416

/mo nomad

Zabbar

🇲🇹 Malta

$1,820

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sliema and in Zabbar

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,416 in Sliema versus $1,820 in Zabbar.

Sliema $2,416
Zabbar $1,820

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,868 in Sliema versus $2,669 in Zabbar.

Sliema $3,868
Zabbar $2,669

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,320 in Sliema versus $3,517 in Zabbar.

Sliema $5,320
Zabbar $3,517

Living in Sliema is roughly 33% more expensive than in Zabbar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Sliema 78% above, Zabbar 34% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.81 €17.80

$16.92 €15.20

17.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.4 €76.7

$38.62 €34.70

121.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.58 €12.20

$7.71 €6.93

76.13%

Cappuccino

$2.79 €2.50

$2.68 €2.41

4.10%

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

$3.16 €2.84

$2.29 €2.06

37.99%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 €1.98

$0.65 €0.58

240.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.60 €4.13

$2.22 €1.99

107.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.29 €4.75

$4.42 €3.97

19.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.10 €0.99

23.64%

White Bread (500g)

$1.34 €1.21

$0.58 €0.52

131.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.44 €3.99

$1.09 €0.98

307.34%

Eggs

$4.17 €3.75

$3.99 €3.58

4.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.08 €7.26

$5.50 €4.94

46.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.35 €9.30

$4.44 €3.99

133.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.36 €16.49

$10.17 €9.13

80.53%

Apples (1kg)

$4.28 €3.84

$4.16 €3.74

2.88%

Banana (1kg)

$2.80 €2.51

$2.82 €2.53

-0.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.64 €3.27

$3.65 €3.28

-0.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.41 €3.06

$3.37 €3.03

1.19%

Potato (1kg)

$2.22 €1.99

$2.30 €2.07

-3.48%

Onion (1kg)

$1.92 €1.72

$1.86 €1.67

3.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.35 €2.11

$2.27 €2.04

3.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 €1.16

$1.15 €1.04

12.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.78 €6.09

$6.58 €5.92

3.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.97 €7.16

$7.93 €7.13

0.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 €1.52

$1.62 €1.46

4.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 €2.12

$2.34 €2.11

0.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.22 €2.00

$2.52 €2.27

-11.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$136 €122

$16.80 €15.10

709.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.46 €4.90

$4.80 €4.31

13.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.30 €2.07

$2.26 €2.03

1.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.69 €23.98

$26.39 €23.71

1.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 €1.33

$1.49 €1.34

-1.34%

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

$37.4K €33.6K

$38.1K €34.3K

-1.80%

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

$38.4K €34.5K

$38.2K €34.4K

0.33%

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

$104 €93.5

$104 €93.6

-0.08%

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

$25.37 €22.79

$24.98 €22.44

1.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.68 €39.25

$43.67 €39.24

0.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 €67.1

$64.9 €58.4

15.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.09 €14.46

$11.35 €10.20

41.76%

Cinema Ticket

$10.04 €9.02

$10.22 €9.18

-1.76%

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

$370 €332

$373 €335

-0.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K €9,972

$2,245 €2,017

394.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.0 €79.1

$88.1 €79.2

-0.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.29 €36.20

$41.17 €36.99

-2.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 €90.5

$98.8 €88.8

1.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.5 €71.4

$78.2 €70.3

1.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,752 €1,574

$1,147 €1,030

52.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,233 €1,108

$921 €828

33.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,113 €2,797

$1,795 €1,613

73.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,504 €2,250

$1,528 €1,373

63.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,387 €4,840

$4,048 €3,637

33.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,499 €3,144

$4,152 €3,731

-15.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,841 €1,654

$1,095 €984

68.08%

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 27, 2026

Last update for Zabbar: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sliema

$1.2K 51%

Zabbar

$921 50.6% 25.3% $312

Groceries & Markets

Sliema

$327 13.5%

Zabbar

$238 13.1% 27.3% $89

Eating Out

Sliema

$288 11.9%

Zabbar

$222 12.2% 22.7% $65

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sliema

$173 7.2%

Zabbar

$173 9.5% 0.2% $0.3

Getting Around

Sliema

$162 6.7%

Zabbar

$43 2.4% 73.4% $119

Clothing & Footwear

Sliema

$139 5.8%

Zabbar

$138 7.6% 0.7% $1

Sport & Entertainment

Sliema

$95 3.9%

Zabbar

$85 4.7% 9.9% $9.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,752 in Sliema and $1,147 in Zabbar. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sliema pays 68% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $85 in Sliema vs $39 in Zabbar for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $327 vs $238 per month, with Zabbar cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇹 Sliema

🇲🇹 Zabbar

🕒 Local time

19:41 7:41 PM

Same time as Sliema

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

16,854

15,404

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Sliema Zabbar 5 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 Zabbar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sliema and Zabbar differ by about 33% in total monthly costs ($2,416 vs $1,820 including rent). Zabbar is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 68% 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 $1,147 in Zabbar. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 38% higher in Sliema. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Zabbar – a meal for two runs $39 versus $85 in Sliema. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Zabbar gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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 Zabbar 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 Zabbar gentler on the wallet – expenses run 25% less than in Sliema. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.