Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Valletta and Dubai

For one person, living is cheaper in Valletta: $2,260 a month against $2,854 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $7,100 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
139

Cost of Living Index in Dubai
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Dubai Living Index

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Valletta

🇲🇹 Malta

$2,260

/mo nomad

Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,854

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Valletta and in Dubai

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,260 in Valletta versus $2,854 in Dubai.

Valletta $2,260
Dubai $2,854

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,486 in Valletta versus $4,321 in Dubai.

Valletta $3,486
Dubai $4,321

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,711 in Valletta versus $5,788 in Dubai.

Valletta $4,711
Dubai $5,788

Living in Valletta costs roughly 21% less than in Dubai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Valletta 69% above, Dubai 113% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.88 €20.42

$13.04 AED 47.89

75.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.6 €80.0

$81.4 AED 299

10.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.64 €12.18

$9.32 AED 34.25

46.35%

Cappuccino

$3.17 €2.83

$5.97 AED 21.93

-46.90%

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

$2.34 €2.09

$1.63 AED 5.98

43.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 €1.78

$0.81 AED 2.99

145.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.52 €4.92

$13.65 AED 50.1

-59.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.89 €6.15

$13.38 AED 49.15

-48.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.81 AED 6.64

-24.31%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 €1.27

$1.57 AED 5.78

-8.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.48 €3.10

$2.49 AED 9.16

39.76%

Eggs

$4.33 €3.86

$3.28 AED 12.04

32.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.41 €9.29

$12.67 AED 46.53

-17.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.06 €10.76

$9.75 AED 35.80

23.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.93 €16.00

$13.18 AED 48.40

36.04%

Apples (1kg)

$3.70 €3.30

$2.61 AED 9.57

41.76%

Banana (1kg)

$2.67 €2.38

$1.93 AED 7.09

38.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.87 €3.45

$1.92 AED 7.05

101.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.75 €3.35

$1.36 AED 5.00

175.74%

Potato (1kg)

$1.88 €1.68

$1.17 AED 4.29

60.68%

Onion (1kg)

$3.28 €2.93

$1.01 AED 3.71

224.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.29 €2.04

$1.51 AED 5.56

51.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 €1.35

$0.62 AED 2.29

143.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.35 €5.67

$5.85 AED 21.50

8.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.86 €5.23

$16.14 AED 59.3

-63.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.38 €2.13

$2.65 AED 9.74

-10.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 €2.14

$2.95 AED 10.82

-18.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.88 €2.57

$1.64 AED 6.03

75.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.6 AED 270

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.88 €3.46

$3.17 AED 11.66

22.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.85 €1.65

$0.71 AED 2.63

160.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.52 €29.02

$7.96 AED 29.23

308.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 €1.32

$0.99 AED 3.64

48.48%

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

$28.3K €25.2K

$27.4K AED 100.5K

3.34%

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

$39.1K €34.9K

$22.5K AED 82.8K

73.37%

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

$154 €138

$250 AED 920

-38.43%

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

$31.14 €27.79

$54.2 AED 199

-42.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.25 €26.10

$91.8 AED 337

-68.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$59.9 €53.4

$98.6 AED 362

-39.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.39 €18.19

$42.61 AED 156

-52.15%

Cinema Ticket

$11.35 €10.13

$16.03 AED 58.9

-29.20%

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

$276 €246

$843 AED 3,098

-67.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K €11.0K

$18.3K AED 67.1K

-32.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.1 €50.9

$68.0 AED 250

-16.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$69.6 €62.2

$57.9 AED 213

20.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 €100

$101 AED 370

11.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 €116

$101 AED 371

28.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,432 €1,278

$2,380 AED 8,741

-39.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,096 €978

$1,506 AED 5,531

-27.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,321 €2,964

$4,437 AED 16.3K

-25.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,052 €1,831

$3,010 AED 11.1K

-31.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,252 €4,687

$7,121 AED 26.2K

-26.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,997 €3,567

$4,135 AED 15.2K

-3.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,012 €1,796

$3,391 AED 12.5K

-40.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.05

4.54

-10.79%

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

Last update for Valletta: October 5, 2026

Last update for Dubai: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Valletta

$1.1K 48.8%

Dubai

$1.5K 52.5% 37.4% $410

Groceries & Markets

Valletta

$341 15.2%

Dubai

$293 10.2% 14.2% $48

Eating Out

Valletta

$321 14.3%

Dubai

$309 10.8% 3.7% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Valletta

$215 9.6%

Dubai

$396 13.8% 84.8% $182

Clothing & Footwear

Valletta

$166 7.4%

Dubai

$147 5.1% 11.3% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Valletta

$83 3.7%

Dubai

$131 4.6% 58.2% $48

Getting Around

Valletta

$25 * 1.1%

Dubai

$87 3% 253% $62

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 $2,380 in Dubai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dubai pays 68% 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 $81.0 in Dubai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $341 vs $293 per month, with Dubai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇹 Valletta

🇦🇪 Dubai

🕒 Local time

09:52 9:52 AM

11:52 11:52 AM

2 h ahead of Valletta

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,700 Capital

3,790,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.243 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Valletta Dubai 4,050 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Valletta
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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 Dubai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Valletta is cheaper overall, especially in leisure, utilities, and transport. The 26% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 68% lower in Dubai. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,432 in Valletta versus $2,380 in Dubai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Dubai pay roughly 17% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $2,260 per month in Valletta versus $2,854 in Dubai – a 26% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,260 in Valletta versus $2,854 in Dubai, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Valletta but tight or insufficient in Dubai. The gap between the two cities makes Valletta the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Valletta is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Dubai, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Valletta and Dubai 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 Valletta gentler on the wallet – expenses run 26% less than in Dubai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.