Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sliema and Zebbug

For one person, living is cheaper in Zebbug: $1,935 a month against $2,396 in Sliema, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

116

Cost of Living Index in Sliema
Learn more

Sliema Living Index
98

Cost of Living Index in Zebbug
Learn more

Zebbug Living Index

Jump to prices

Sliema

🇲🇹 Malta

$2,396

/mo nomad

Zebbug

🇲🇹 Malta

$1,935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sliema and in Zebbug

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,396 in Sliema versus $1,935 in Zebbug.

Sliema $2,396
Zebbug $1,935

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,794 in Sliema versus $3,072 in Zebbug.

Sliema $3,794
Zebbug $3,072

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,191 in Sliema versus $4,208 in Zebbug.

Sliema $5,191
Zebbug $4,208

Living in Sliema is roughly 24% more expensive than in Zebbug, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Sliema 77% above, Zebbug 43% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.81 €17.63

$19.75 €17.57

0.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.6 €76.2

$79.6 €70.8

7.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.24 €11.77

$7.23 €6.43

83.13%

Cappuccino

$2.77 €2.47

$3.08 €2.74

-10.06%

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

$3.02 €2.69

$2.26 €2.01

33.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.16 €1.92

$1.09 €0.97

98.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.60 €4.09

$4.59 €4.08

0.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.24 €4.66

$4.76 €4.24

10.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.35 €1.20

$1.30 €1.16

3.85%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.39 €1.24

-1.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.24 €3.77

$3.58 €3.18

18.44%

Eggs

$4.30 €3.82

$4.39 €3.91

-2.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.27 €7.35

$10.18 €9.06

-18.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.25 €9.12

$11.79 €10.49

-13.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.21 €16.20

$18.45 €16.41

-1.30%

Apples (1kg)

$4.24 €3.77

$3.66 €3.26

15.85%

Banana (1kg)

$2.81 €2.50

$2.79 €2.48

0.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.52 €3.13

$3.85 €3.43

-8.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.32 €2.95

$3.68 €3.27

-9.78%

Potato (1kg)

$2.42 €2.16

$1.93 €1.71

25.39%

Onion (1kg)

$2.05 €1.82

$3.44 €3.06

-40.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 €2.08

$2.27 €2.02

3.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.51 €1.34

-13.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.83 €6.08

$6.16 €5.48

10.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.09 €7.19

$5.77 €5.14

40.21%

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

$2.33 €2.07

3.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.17 €1.93

$2.39 €2.13

-9.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$133 €118

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.64 €5.02

$3.89 €3.46

44.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.20 €1.96

$1.82 €1.62

20.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.09 €24.10

$32.86 €29.23

-17.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 €1.37

$1.46 €1.30

5.48%

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

$37.9K €33.7K

$27.4K €24.4K

38.49%

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

$39.6K €35.2K

$38.5K €34.2K

2.93%

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

$103 €91.9

$158 €140

-34.55%

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

$25.61 €22.78

$31.32 €27.86

-18.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.84 €38.10

$29.42 €26.17

45.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$76.4 €68.0

$59.6 €53.0

28.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.86 €14.11

Cinema Ticket

$10.20 €9.08

$11.30 €10.05

-9.73%

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

$366 €326

$275 €245

33.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K €9,912

$12.5K €11.1K

-10.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.5 €76.0

$56.3 €50.1

51.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.84 €36.33

$67.6 €60.1

-39.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 €90.0

$110 €97.4

-7.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$76.7 €68.2

$130 €116

-40.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,775 €1,579

$1,232 €1,096

44.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,220 €1,085

$845 €752

44.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,913 €2,591

$1,763 €1,568

65.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,385 €2,122

$1,637 €1,456

45.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,353 €4,762

$3,894 €3,464

37.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,578 €3,183

$3,048 €2,711

17.40%

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 Zebbug: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sliema

$1.2K 50.9%

Zebbug

$845 43.7% 30.7% $375

Groceries & Markets

Sliema

$326 13.6%

Zebbug

$341 17.6% 4.4% $14

Eating Out

Sliema

$286 11.9%

Zebbug

$263 13.6% 8.1% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sliema

$172 7.2%

Zebbug

$219 11.3% 27.3% $47

Getting Around

Sliema

$158 6.6%

Zebbug

$23 * 1.2% 85.8% $136

Clothing & Footwear

Sliema

$137 5.7%

Zebbug

$163 8.5% 19.4% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Sliema

$97 4%

Zebbug

$82 4.3% 15.1% $15

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 $1,232 in Zebbug. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $86.0 in Sliema vs $80.0 in Zebbug. Groceries flip the comparison at $326 vs $341, with Sliema cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇹 Sliema

🇲🇹 Zebbug

🕒 Local time

18:44 6:44 PM

Same time as Sliema

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

16,854

1,770

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sliema Zebbug 30 km

From you

Sliema
Zebbug

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 Zebbug: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sliema and Zebbug differ by about 24% in total monthly costs ($2,396 vs $1,935 including rent). Zebbug 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 $2,903 in Zebbug 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 $1,232 in Zebbug. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $366 in Sliema versus $275 in Zebbug. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Zebbug – a meal for two runs $80.0 versus $86.0 in Sliema. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,935 in Zebbug versus $2,396 in Sliema, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Zebbug but tight or insufficient in Sliema. The gap between the two cities makes Zebbug 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 Zebbug 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 Zebbug gentler on the wallet – expenses run 24% less than in Sliema. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.