Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Valletta and Birkirkara

For one person, living is cheaper in Birkirkara: $2,024 a month against $2,258 in Valletta, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 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
99

Cost of Living Index in Birkirkara
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Birkirkara Living Index

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Valletta

🇲🇹 Malta

$2,258

/mo nomad

Birkirkara

🇲🇹 Malta

$2,024

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Valletta and in Birkirkara

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

A single person spends $2,258 per month in Valletta vs $2,024 in Birkirkara, rent included.

Valletta $2,258
Birkirkara $2,024

A couple spends around $3,519 per month in Valletta vs $3,003 in Birkirkara, rent included.

Valletta $3,519
Birkirkara $3,003

A family of three spends $4,780 per month in Valletta vs $3,981 in Birkirkara, rent included.

Valletta $4,780
Birkirkara $3,981

Valletta costs about 12% more than Birkirkara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Valletta and Birkirkara sit above the global median – Valletta by 67%, Birkirkara by 50%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.42 €19.95

$10.96 €9.75

104.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$87.6 €78.0

$77.7 €69.1

12.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.23 €11.76

$13.64 €12.14

-3.01%

Cappuccino

$3.20 €2.85

$3.07 €2.73

4.23%

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

$2.42 €2.15

$2.24 €2.00

8.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.91 €1.69

$1.60 €1.42

19.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.65 €5.02

$3.31 €2.94

70.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.59 €5.86

$3.40 €3.03

93.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 €1.17

$1.28 €1.14

3.13%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.28 €1.14

13.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.44 €3.06

$3.60 €3.20

-4.44%

Eggs

$4.28 €3.81

$3.38 €3.00

26.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.20 €9.07

$13.26 €11.79

-23.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.86 €10.55

$12.47 €11.09

-4.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.94 €15.96

$18.25 €16.23

-1.70%

Apples (1kg)

$3.79 €3.37

$2.62 €2.33

44.66%

Banana (1kg)

$2.72 €2.42

$2.03 €1.80

33.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.85 €3.42

$2.14 €1.90

79.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.70 €3.29

$2.81 €2.50

31.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.38 €1.23

34.78%

Onion (1kg)

$3.27 €2.91

$1.99 €1.77

64.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.20 €1.95

$1.92 €1.70

14.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.57 €1.39

$1.07 €0.95

46.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.22 €5.53

$6.38 €5.67

-2.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.86 €5.21

$10.01 €8.90

-41.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.46 €2.19

$2.26 €2.01

8.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 €2.12

$3.75 €3.33

-36.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.78 €2.47

$2.20 €1.95

26.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.75 €24.68

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 €3.39

$5.42 €4.82

-29.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.84 €1.63

$2.88 €2.56

-36.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.08 €28.53

$70.9 €63.1

-54.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 €1.37

$1.46 €1.30

5.48%

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

$27.9K €24.8K

$32.3K €28.7K

-13.52%

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

$39.4K €35.0K

$41.1K €36.5K

-4.13%

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

$155 €138

$116 €103

33.78%

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

$31.40 €27.93

$29.28 €26.05

7.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.93 €25.73

$31.12 €27.68

-7.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.0 €51.6

$65.4 €58.2

-11.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.34 €18.09

$28.71 €25.54

-29.15%

Cinema Ticket

$11.48 €10.21

$13.57 €12.07

-15.40%

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

$278 €248

$415 €369

-32.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.4K €11.0K

$6,689 €5,950

85.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.0 €51.6

$141 €126

-59.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$68.9 €61.3

$58.4 €52.0

18.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 €101

$106 €94.2

7.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 €116

$161 €143

-18.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,391 €1,238

$1,150 €1,023

21.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,114 €991

$959 €853

16.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,250 €2,891

$1,698 €1,511

91.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,043 €1,817

$1,432 €1,274

42.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,247 €4,668

$3,906 €3,474

34.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,999 €3,557

$2,684 €2,388

48.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,042 €1,816

$1,847 €1,643

10.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.05

4.79

-15.45%

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

Last update for Valletta: October 10, 2026

Last update for Birkirkara: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Valletta

$1.1K 49.3%

Birkirkara

$959 47.4% 13.9% $155

Groceries & Markets

Valletta

$340 15.1%

Birkirkara

$326 16.1% 4.2% $14

Eating Out

Valletta

$316 14%

Birkirkara

$204 10.1% 35.5% $112

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Valletta

$215 9.5%

Birkirkara

$176 8.7% 18.1% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Valletta

$167 7.4%

Birkirkara

$210 10.4% 25.8% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Valletta

$81 3.6%

Birkirkara

$93 4.6% 14.3% $12

Getting Around

Valletta

$24 * 1.1%

Birkirkara

$56 2.8% 134% $32

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,391 in Valletta versus $1,150 in Birkirkara. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 11% higher in Valletta, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $88.0 in Valletta versus $78.0 in Birkirkara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $340 vs $326 – making Birkirkara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇹 Valletta

🇲🇹 Birkirkara

🕒 Local time

06:26 6:26 AM

Same time as Valletta

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,700 Capital

22,247

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Valletta Birkirkara 4 km

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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

Valletta vs Birkirkara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Valletta costs about 12% more than Birkirkara, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,386 per month in Valletta and $3,037 in Birkirkara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Birkirkara, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $88.0 in Valletta and $78.0 in Birkirkara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 4% more in Valletta, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Birkirkara, where all-in costs run around $2,024, than in Valletta at $2,258. In Birkirkara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Valletta it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Birkirkara costs $2,024 versus $2,258 in Valletta. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Birkirkara. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Valletta makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.