Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between the United States and Malta

Name: Malta
Address: MT

For one person, living is cheaper in Malta: $1,970 a month against $2,734 in the United States, rent and utilities included – about $9,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

131

Cost of Living Index in the United States
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United States Living Index
95

Cost of Living Index in Malta
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Malta Living Index

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🇺🇸 United States

$2,734

/mo nomad

🇲🇹 Malta

$1,970

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in the United States and in Malta

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in the United States and in Malta actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,734 in the United States versus $1,970 in Malta.

United States $2,734
Malta $1,970

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,985 in the United States versus $3,036 in Malta.

United States $3,985
Malta $3,036

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,235 in the United States versus $4,102 in Malta.

United States $5,235
Malta $4,102

Internal cost variation is higher in the United States: monthly costs span $979 to $5,160, compared to $1,657–$2,871 in Malta. City choice carries more weight in the United States.

Living in the United States is roughly 39% more expensive than in Malta on average.

Both countries sit above the global median: the United States 101% above, Malta 45% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.03 $20.03

$16.44 €14.76

21.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.0 $80.0

$82.7 €74.2

-3.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.80 $11.80

$11.69 €10.49

0.94%

Cappuccino

$5.55 $5.55

$2.75 €2.47

101.82%

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

$2.66 $2.66

$2.57 €2.30

3.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 $2.17

$1.68 €1.51

29.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.12 $6.12

$4.48 €4.02

36.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.94 $7.94

$4.43 €3.98

79.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.30 €1.17

-20.00%

White Bread (500g)

$3.59 $3.59

$1.30 €1.17

176.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.52 $4.52

$3.71 €3.33

21.83%

Eggs

$4.28 $4.28

$3.90 €3.50

9.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.22 $13.22

$10.47 €9.39

26.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.60 $12.60

$10.15 €9.11

24.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.60 $17.60

$16.73 €15.01

5.20%

Apples (1kg)

$5.30 $5.30

$3.08 €2.76

72.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 $1.69

$2.20 €1.98

-23.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.44 $4.44

$2.93 €2.63

51.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.77 $4.77

$3.24 €2.90

47.22%

Potato (1kg)

$2.97 $2.97

$1.94 €1.74

53.09%

Onion (1kg)

$3.15 $3.15

$2.09 €1.87

50.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.20 $2.20

$1.90 €1.70

15.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.35 $2.35

$0.93 €0.83

152.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.98 $10.98

$6.91 €6.20

58.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.05 $15.05

$8.18 €7.34

83.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.06 $2.06

$1.72 €1.54

19.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.79 $3.79

$2.33 €2.09

62.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.94 $1.94

$2.25 €2.02

-13.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.4 $59.4

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.58 $3.58

$5.72 €5.13

-37.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.88 $1.88

$2.23 €2.00

-15.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.84 $29.84

$33.06 €29.66

-9.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.48 €1.33

-31.08%

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

$28.8K $28.8K

$27.4K €24.6K

4.97%

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

$26.2K $26.2K

$39.5K €35.5K

-33.72%

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

$218 $218

$103 €92.3

111.92%

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

$62.5 $62.5

$26.16 €23.47

138.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$74.5 $74.5

$34.75 €31.18

114.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.86 $41.86

$67.0 €60.1

-37.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.81 $22.81

$22.27 €19.98

2.42%

Cinema Ticket

$14.70 $14.70

$11.01 €9.87

33.51%

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

$1,489 $1,489

$436 €391

241.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.3K $25.3K

$11.2K €10.1K

125.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.3 $54.3

$99.7 €89.5

-45.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.71 $42.71

$46.43 €41.66

-8.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.1 $94.1

$105 €93.9

-10.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 $114

$119 €107

-4.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,659 $1,659

$1,230 €1,104

34.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,348 $1,348

$974 €874

38.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,682 $2,682

$2,093 €1,878

28.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,169 $2,169

$1,660 €1,490

30.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,283 $3,283

$4,503 €4,041

-27.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,482 $2,482

$3,344 €3,000

-25.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,296 $4,296

$1,766 €1,585

143.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.55

4.06

61.33%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for the United States: October 25, 2026

Last update for Malta: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

United States

$1.3K 49.3%

Malta

$974 49.4% 27.8% $374

Groceries & Markets

United States

$415 15.2%

Malta

$304 15.4% 26.9% $112

Monthly Utilities & Internet

United States

$355 13%

Malta

$164 8.3% 53.9% $191

Eating Out

United States

$328 12%

Malta

$248 12.6% 24.4% $80

Clothing & Footwear

United States

$137 5%

Malta

$166 8.4% 21.4% $29

Getting Around

United States

$80 2.9%

Malta

$26 * 1.3% 67.7% $54

Sport & Entertainment

United States

$71 2.6%

Malta

$89 4.5% 24.9% $18

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $1,620 in the United States, $1,180 in Malta. Capital cities: $2,768 in Washington, DC vs $1,389 in Valletta.

National salary averages: $4,549 in the United States, $1,801 in Malta. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 37% higher in the United States.

Public transport is 110% more expensive in the United States.

Salaries are about 2.5 times higher in the United States, and purchasing power comes out stronger in the United States.

Good to know

🇺🇸 United States

🇲🇹 Malta

🕒 Local time

19:15 7:15 PM

00:15 12:15 AM

5 h ahead of the United States

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

340,110,988

553,214

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.897 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

United States Malta 8,660 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

United States
Malta

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

United States vs Malta: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $1,970 per month in Malta and $2,734 in the United States, Malta comes out about 28% cheaper. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $1,620 in the United States and $1,180 in Malta. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

In Malta, $3,000 covers most cities easily; in the United States it stretches only to regional areas and falls short in the capital – you’ll need to make trade-offs on housing or lifestyle.

It depends on what you’re after: Malta wins on affordability, while salaries, visas, language, and lifestyle can tip the balance either way.