Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Valletta and Luqa

For one person, living is cheaper in Luqa: $1,845 a month against $2,243 in Valletta, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

109

Cost of Living Index in Valletta
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Valletta Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Luqa
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Luqa Living Index

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Valletta

🇲🇹 Malta

$2,243

/mo nomad

Luqa

🇲🇹 Malta

$1,845

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Valletta and in Luqa

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,243 in Valletta versus $1,845 in Luqa.

Valletta $2,243
Luqa $1,845

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,657 in Valletta versus $2,902 in Luqa.

Valletta $3,657
Luqa $2,902

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,071 in Valletta versus $3,960 in Luqa.

Valletta $5,071
Luqa $3,960

Living in Valletta is roughly 22% more expensive than in Luqa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Valletta 65% above, Luqa 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.53 €20.10

$19.96 €17.81

12.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$91.1 €81.3

$99.9 €89.1

-8.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.37 €11.93

$10.81 €9.65

23.68%

Cappuccino

$3.08 €2.75

$3.40 €3.03

-9.41%

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

$2.35 €2.09

$2.89 €2.58

-18.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 €1.80

$1.97 €1.76

2.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.67 €5.06

$4.54 €4.05

24.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.88 €6.13

$4.27 €3.81

61.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.37 €1.23

$1.14 €1.02

20.18%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.16 €1.03

21.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.47 €3.09

$3.17 €2.83

9.46%

Eggs

$4.24 €3.78

$3.93 €3.51

7.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.39 €9.27

$13.31 €11.87

-21.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.21 €10.89

$9.92 €8.85

23.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.98 €16.04

$15.81 €14.10

13.73%

Apples (1kg)

$3.88 €3.46

$2.74 €2.44

41.61%

Banana (1kg)

$2.75 €2.45

$1.97 €1.76

39.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.91 €3.49

$2.99 €2.66

30.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.74 €3.34

$3.72 €3.32

0.54%

Potato (1kg)

$1.90 €1.70

$1.79 €1.60

6.15%

Onion (1kg)

$3.33 €2.97

$1.97 €1.76

69.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.27 €2.03

$1.93 €1.72

17.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.49 €1.33

$0.89 €0.80

67.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.23 €5.56

$6.84 €6.10

-8.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.09 €5.43

$7.17 €6.40

-15.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.47 €2.20

$1.50 €1.34

64.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.35 €2.09

$2.25 €2.00

4.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.21 €1.97

$2.19 €1.95

0.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$14.44 €12.89

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.99 €3.56

$4.52 €4.03

-11.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.74 €1.55

$1.64 €1.46

6.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.29 €28.81

$39.01 €34.81

-17.23%

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

$24.9K €22.2K

11.87%

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

$39.0K €34.8K

$39.5K €35.2K

-1.25%

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

$156 €139

$74.9 €66.8

108.44%

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

$31.08 €27.73

$35.83 €31.96

-13.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.31 €26.15

$33.44 €29.83

-12.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.7 €55.0

$53.2 €47.49

15.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.63 €18.41

$55.2 €49.23

-62.61%

Cinema Ticket

$11.18 €9.98

$11.10 €9.91

0.72%

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

$275 €245

$611 €545

-55.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K €11.0K

$13.6K €12.1K

-9.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.4 €51.2

$145 €129

-60.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$68.2 €60.8

$55.0 €49.04

24.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 €99.0

$85.1 €76.0

30.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 €114

$135 €121

-5.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,389 €1,239

$811 €724

71.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,096 €978

$819 €731

33.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,390 €3,025

$1,284 €1,146

164.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,312 €2,063

$1,298 €1,158

78.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,400 €4,818

$2,945 €2,627

83.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,943 €3,518

$3,120 €2,784

26.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,031 €1,812

$1,456 €1,299

39.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.05

3.22

25.78%

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

Last update for Valletta: October 25, 2026

Last update for Luqa: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Valletta

$1.1K 48.9%

Luqa

$819 44.4% 25.3% $277

Groceries & Markets

Valletta

$344 15.3%

Luqa

$299 16.2% 13.1% $45

Eating Out

Valletta

$317 14.1%

Luqa

$284 15.4% 10.5% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Valletta

$216 9.7%

Luqa

$144 7.8% 33.4% $72

Clothing & Footwear

Valletta

$164 7.3%

Luqa

$189 10.2% 15.3% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Valletta

$84 3.8%

Luqa

$75 4.1% 10.3% $8.6

Getting Around

Valletta

$22 * 1%

Luqa

$36 2% 66.7% $14

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 $1,389 in Valletta and $811 in Luqa. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Valletta pays 39% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $91 in Valletta vs $100 in Luqa. Groceries flip the comparison at $344 vs $299, with Luqa cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇹 Valletta

🇲🇹 Luqa

🕒 Local time

20:02 8:02 PM

Same time as Valletta

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,700 Capital

5,900

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Valletta Luqa 5 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 Luqa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Luqa wins on cost – living expenses run 18% lower than in Valletta. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Luqa the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 39% 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: $1,389 in Valletta versus $811 in Luqa. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 15% higher in Valletta. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $2,243 per month in Valletta versus $1,845 in Luqa – Luqa is about 18% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both work as nomad bases, but Luqa delivers better value at $1,845 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Luqa hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Valletta and Luqa are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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