Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Valletta and Athens

For one person, living is cheaper in Athens: $1,806 a month against $2,260 in Valletta, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

110

Cost of Living Index in Valletta
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Valletta Living Index
87

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index

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Valletta

🇲🇹 Malta

$2,260

/mo nomad

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,806

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Valletta and in Athens

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,260 in Valletta versus $1,806 in Athens.

Valletta $2,260
Athens $1,806

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,486 in Valletta versus $2,731 in Athens.

Valletta $3,486
Athens $2,731

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,711 in Valletta versus $3,656 in Athens.

Valletta $4,711
Athens $3,656

Living in Valletta is roughly 25% more expensive than in Athens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Valletta 69% above, Athens 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.88 €20.42

$16.66 €14.87

37.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.6 €80.0

$66.2 €59.1

35.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.64 €12.18

$11.06 €9.87

23.33%

Cappuccino

$3.17 €2.83

$4.14 €3.69

-23.43%

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

$2.34 €2.09

$2.80 €2.50

-16.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 €1.78

$0.57 €0.51

249.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.52 €4.92

$5.64 €5.03

-2.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.89 €6.15

$5.46 €4.87

26.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.96 €1.75

-30.10%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 €1.27

$1.41 €1.26

1.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.48 €3.10

$2.83 €2.53

22.97%

Eggs

$4.33 €3.86

$5.04 €4.50

-14.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.41 €9.29

$15.35 €13.70

-32.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.06 €10.76

$10.34 €9.23

16.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.93 €16.00

$18.97 €16.93

-5.48%

Apples (1kg)

$3.70 €3.30

$2.17 €1.93

70.51%

Banana (1kg)

$2.67 €2.38

$1.91 €1.70

39.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.87 €3.45

$1.38 €1.23

180.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.75 €3.35

$2.20 €1.96

70.45%

Potato (1kg)

$1.88 €1.68

$1.10 €0.98

70.91%

Onion (1kg)

$3.28 €2.93

$1.13 €1.00

190.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.29 €2.04

$1.10 €0.99

108.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 €1.35

$0.83 €0.74

81.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.35 €5.67

$5.60 €4.99

13.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.86 €5.23

$10.19 €9.09

-42.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.38 €2.13

$2.18 €1.95

9.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 €2.14

$2.45 €2.19

-2.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.88 €2.57

$1.38 €1.23

108.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.87 €27.55

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.88 €3.46

$4.37 €3.90

-11.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.85 €1.65

$1.04 €0.93

77.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.52 €29.02

$17.11 €15.27

90.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 €1.32

$2.31 €2.07

-36.36%

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

$28.3K €25.2K

$28.0K €25.0K

1.08%

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

$39.1K €34.9K

$28.0K €25.0K

39.48%

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

$154 €138

$210 €187

-26.50%

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

$31.14 €27.79

$26.70 €23.83

16.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.25 €26.10

$30.13 €26.89

-2.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$59.9 €53.4

$54.6 €48.72

9.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.39 €18.19

$26.03 €23.23

-21.67%

Cinema Ticket

$11.35 €10.13

$10.78 €9.62

5.29%

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

$276 €246

$575 €513

-52.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K €11.0K

$13.1K €11.7K

-6.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.1 €50.9

$93.2 €83.1

-38.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$69.6 €62.2

$40.68 €36.30

71.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 €100

$104 €92.9

7.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 €116

$128 €115

1.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,432 €1,278

$756 €674

89.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,096 €978

$652 €582

67.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,321 €2,964

$1,294 €1,154

156.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,052 €1,831

$1,163 €1,038

76.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,252 €4,687

$4,008 €3,577

31.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,997 €3,567

$3,452 €3,081

15.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,012 €1,796

$1,243 €1,110

61.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.05

4.48

-9.60%

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

Last update for Valletta: October 5, 2026

Last update for Athens: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Valletta

$1.1K 48.8%

Athens

$652 36.5% 40.5% $443

Groceries & Markets

Valletta

$341 15.2%

Athens

$315 17.6% 7.8% $27

Eating Out

Valletta

$321 14.3%

Athens

$269 15% 16.2% $52

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Valletta

$215 9.6%

Athens

$267 14.9% 24.3% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Valletta

$166 7.4%

Athens

$165 9.2% 0.8% $1.4

Sport & Entertainment

Valletta

$83 3.7%

Athens

$76 4.3% 7.8% $6.4

Getting Around

Valletta

$25 * 1.1%

Athens

$46 2.6% 86.3% $21

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 $1,432 in Valletta and $756 in Athens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Valletta pays 62% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $90.0 in Valletta vs $66.0 in Athens for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $341 vs $315 per month, with Athens cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇹 Valletta

🇬🇷 Athens

🕒 Local time

05:15 5:15 AM

06:15 6:15 AM

1 h ahead of Valletta

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,700 Capital

3,090,508 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Valletta Athens 850 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

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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

Valletta vs Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Athens wins on cost – living expenses run 25% lower than in Valletta. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Athens the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 62% higher in Valletta, 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: $1,432 in Valletta versus $756 in Athens. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $276 in Valletta versus $575 in Athens. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Athens – a meal for two runs $66.0 versus $90.0 in Valletta. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,806 in Athens versus $2,260 in Valletta, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Athens but tight or insufficient in Valletta. The gap between the two cities makes Athens the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Athens delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,806 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Athens hard to pass up.

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