Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Valletta and Birgu

For one person, living is cheaper in Birgu: $1,745 a month against $2,233 in Valletta, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

108

Cost of Living Index in Valletta
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Valletta Living Index
83

Cost of Living Index in Birgu
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Birgu Living Index

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Valletta

🇲🇹 Malta

$2,233

/mo nomad

Birgu

🇲🇹 Malta

$1,745

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Valletta and in Birgu

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,233 in Valletta versus $1,745 in Birgu.

Valletta $2,233
Birgu $1,745

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,611 in Valletta versus $2,807 in Birgu.

Valletta $3,611
Birgu $2,807

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,988 in Valletta versus $3,869 in Birgu.

Valletta $4,988
Birgu $3,869

Living in Valletta is roughly 28% more expensive than in Birgu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Valletta 65% above, Birgu 29% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.62 €20.14

$19.26 €17.15

17.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$88.5 €78.8

$85.6 €76.2

3.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.34 €11.88

$11.96 €10.65

11.54%

Cappuccino

$3.13 €2.79

$2.67 €2.38

17.23%

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

$2.41 €2.15

$2.23 €1.98

8.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 €1.73

$1.65 €1.47

18.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.63 €5.01

$4.66 €4.15

20.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.74 €6.00

$5.27 €4.70

27.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.41 €1.25

-2.84%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.28 €1.14

10.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.56 €3.17

$4.36 €3.88

-18.35%

Eggs

$4.25 €3.79

$4.13 €3.67

2.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.23 €9.11

$8.04 €7.15

27.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.87 €10.57

$8.39 €7.47

41.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.42 €16.40

$15.73 €14.01

17.10%

Apples (1kg)

$3.75 €3.34

$2.72 €2.42

37.87%

Banana (1kg)

$2.69 €2.39

$1.26 €1.12

113.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.79 €3.37

$2.82 €2.51

34.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.62 €3.22

$2.86 €2.54

26.57%

Potato (1kg)

$1.92 €1.71

$2.26 €2.02

-15.04%

Onion (1kg)

$3.45 €3.07

$1.73 €1.54

99.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.22 €1.97

$2.25 €2.01

-1.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.53 €1.37

$0.87 €0.77

75.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.31 €5.61

$6.66 €5.93

-5.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.03 €5.37

$8.00 €7.12

-24.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.41 €2.15

$1.53 €1.37

57.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 €2.14

$2.45 €2.18

-2.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.22 €1.98

$2.28 €2.03

-2.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$14.08 €12.54

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 €3.42

$5.65 €5.03

-32.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.10 €0.98

65.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.95 €29.33

$27.13 €24.16

21.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 €1.33

$1.46 €1.30

2.05%

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

$27.9K €24.9K

$26.9K €23.9K

3.95%

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

$39.7K €35.3K

$33.6K €29.9K

18.05%

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

$153 €137

$101 €89.9

51.82%

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

$30.97 €27.57

$25.37 €22.59

22.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.51 €26.27

$33.62 €29.93

-12.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.0 €50.8

$43.60 €38.82

30.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.86 €18.57

$25.56 €22.76

-18.39%

Cinema Ticket

$11.15 €9.93

$9.87 €8.79

12.97%

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

$272 €242

$368 €327

-26.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K €11.2K

$1,983 €1,766

533.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.2 €51.0

$25.18 €22.42

127.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$68.6 €61.1

$34.02 €30.29

101.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 €99.1

$98.6 €87.8

12.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 €115

$111 €99.0

16.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,414 €1,259

$989 €880

43.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,094 €974

$816 €726

34.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,409 €3,036

$3,682 €3,279

-7.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,254 €2,007

$1,559 €1,389

44.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,203 €4,633

$4,014 €3,574

29.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,937 €3,506

$2,873 €2,558

37.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,008 €1,788

$1,879 €1,673

6.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.05

2.9

39.66%

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

Last update for Valletta: November 2, 2026

Last update for Birgu: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Valletta

$1.1K 49%

Birgu

$816 46.8% 25.5% $279

Groceries & Markets

Valletta

$341 15.3%

Birgu

$279 16% 18.3% $62

Eating Out

Valletta

$318 14.2%

Birgu

$271 15.6% 14.6% $46

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Valletta

$214 9.6%

Birgu

$160 9.2% 25.2% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Valletta

$165 7.4%

Birgu

$121 6.9% 26.7% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Valletta

$79 3.6%

Birgu

$63 3.6% 20.1% $16

Getting Around

Valletta

$22 * 1%

Birgu

$34 2% 57.2% $13

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 $1,414 in Valletta and $989 in Birgu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Valletta pays 7% 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: $88 in Valletta vs $86 in Birgu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $341 vs $279 per month, with Birgu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇹 Valletta

🇲🇹 Birgu

🕒 Local time

02:59 2:59 AM

Same time as Valletta

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,700 Capital

2,500

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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 Birgu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Birgu wins on cost – living expenses run 22% lower than in Valletta. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Birgu the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 7% 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: $1,414 in Valletta versus $989 in Birgu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $2,233 per month in Valletta versus $1,745 in Birgu – Birgu is about 22% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Supermarket bills run roughly 22% higher in Valletta. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,745 in Birgu versus $2,233 in Valletta, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Birgu but tight or insufficient in Valletta. The gap between the two cities makes Birgu 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, Valletta and Birgu are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Birgu wins on affordability, Valletta on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.