Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Valletta and Mdina

For one person, living is cheaper in Mdina: $2,080 a month against $2,258 in Valletta, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 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
95

Cost of Living Index in Mdina
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Mdina Living Index

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Valletta

🇲🇹 Malta

$2,258

/mo nomad

Mdina

🇲🇹 Malta

$2,080

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Valletta and in Mdina

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,258 in Valletta versus $2,080 in Mdina.

Valletta $2,258
Mdina $2,080

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,519 in Valletta versus $3,064 in Mdina.

Valletta $3,519
Mdina $3,064

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,780 in Valletta versus $4,048 in Mdina.

Valletta $4,780
Mdina $4,048

Living in Valletta is roughly 9% more expensive than in Mdina, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Valletta 67% above, Mdina 54% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.42 €19.95

$19.17 €17.05

16.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$87.6 €78.0

$85.3 €75.9

2.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.23 €11.76

$13.38 €11.90

-1.12%

Cappuccino

$3.20 €2.85

$2.78 €2.47

15.11%

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

$2.42 €2.15

$3.15 €2.80

-23.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.91 €1.69

$2.18 €1.94

-12.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.65 €5.02

$4.42 €3.93

27.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.59 €5.86

$5.06 €4.50

30.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 €1.17

$1.33 €1.18

-0.75%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.36 €1.21

6.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.44 €3.06

$4.31 €3.83

-20.19%

Eggs

$4.28 €3.81

$4.25 €3.78

0.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.20 €9.07

$8.34 €7.42

22.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.86 €10.55

$10.26 €9.13

15.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.94 €15.96

$18.48 €16.44

-2.92%

Apples (1kg)

$3.79 €3.37

$4.05 €3.60

-6.42%

Banana (1kg)

$2.72 €2.42

$2.78 €2.48

-2.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.85 €3.42

$3.63 €3.23

6.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.70 €3.29

$3.38 €3.01

9.47%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 €1.65

$2.43 €2.16

-23.46%

Onion (1kg)

$3.27 €2.91

$2.04 €1.82

60.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.20 €1.95

$2.27 €2.02

-3.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.57 €1.39

$1.34 €1.19

17.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.22 €5.53

$6.82 €6.06

-8.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.86 €5.21

$8.23 €7.32

-28.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.46 €2.19

$1.78 €1.58

38.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 €2.12

$2.36 €2.10

0.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.78 €2.47

$2.55 €2.27

9.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 €3.39

$5.45 €4.85

-30.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.84 €1.63

$2.21 €1.96

-16.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.08 €28.53

$26.64 €23.70

20.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 €1.37

$1.47 €1.31

4.76%

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

$27.9K €24.8K

$37.6K €33.4K

-25.76%

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

$39.4K €35.0K

$38.9K €34.6K

1.31%

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

$155 €138

$104 €92.5

49.24%

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

$31.40 €27.93

$25.81 €22.96

21.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.93 €25.73

$42.04 €37.39

-31.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.0 €51.6

$70.5 €62.7

-17.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.34 €18.09

Cinema Ticket

$11.48 €10.21

$9.90 €8.80

15.96%

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

$278 €248

$370 €329

-24.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.4K €11.0K

$11.0K €9,820

12.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.0 €51.6

$87.3 €77.6

-33.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$68.9 €61.3

$40.22 €35.78

71.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 €101

$98.4 €87.5

15.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 €116

$79.1 €70.4

64.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,391 €1,238

$1,170 €1,040

18.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,114 €991

$1,045 €930

6.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,250 €2,891

$1,554 €1,383

109.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,043 €1,817

$1,544 €1,374

32.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,247 €4,668

$3,557 €3,164

47.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,999 €3,557

$3,055 €2,717

30.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,042 €1,816

$1,467 €1,305

39.19%

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: October 10, 2026

Last update for Mdina: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Valletta

$1.1K 49.3%

Mdina

$1K 50.3% 6.2% $69

Groceries & Markets

Valletta

$340 15.1%

Mdina

$328 15.8% 3.5% $12

Eating Out

Valletta

$316 14%

Mdina

$280 13.5% 11.3% $36

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Valletta

$215 9.5%

Mdina

$172 8.3% 20.3% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Valletta

$167 7.4%

Mdina

$137 6.6% 17.7% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Valletta

$81 3.6%

Mdina

$90 4.3% 11.6% $9.4

Getting Around

Valletta

$24 * 1.1%

Mdina

$27 * 1.3% 10.8% $2.6

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 $1,391 in Valletta and $1,170 in Mdina. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Valletta pays 39% 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: $88.0 in Valletta vs $85.0 in Mdina for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $340 vs $328 per month, with Mdina cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇹 Valletta

🇲🇹 Mdina

🕒 Local time

17:24 5:24 PM

Same time as Valletta

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,700 Capital

193

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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 Mdina: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Valletta and Mdina differ by about 9% in total monthly costs ($2,258 vs $2,080 including rent). Mdina is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

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: $1,391 in Valletta versus $1,170 in Mdina. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 4% higher in Valletta. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,258 per month in Valletta versus $2,080 in Mdina – a 9% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,080 in Mdina versus $2,258 in Valletta, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Mdina but tight or insufficient in Valletta. The gap between the two cities makes Mdina 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 Mdina 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 Mdina gentler on the wallet – expenses run 9% less than in Valletta. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.