Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Valletta and Mgarr

For one person, living is cheaper in Mgarr: $2,090 a month against $2,258 in Valletta, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Valletta outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

110

Cost of Living Index in Valletta
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Valletta Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in Mgarr
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Mgarr Living Index

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Valletta

🇲🇹 Malta

$2,258

/mo nomad

Mgarr

🇲🇹 Malta

$2,090

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Valletta and in Mgarr

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,258 in Valletta versus $2,090 in Mgarr.

Valletta $2,258
Mgarr $2,090

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,519 in Valletta versus $3,175 in Mgarr.

Valletta $3,519
Mgarr $3,175

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,780 in Valletta versus $4,260 in Mgarr.

Valletta $4,780
Mgarr $4,260

Living in Valletta is roughly 8% more expensive than in Mgarr, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Valletta 67% above, Mgarr 55% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.42 €19.95

$22.19 €19.74

1.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$87.6 €78.0

$88.8 €79.0

-1.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.23 €11.76

$13.23 €11.77

Cappuccino

$3.20 €2.85

$3.19 €2.84

0.31%

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

$2.42 €2.15

$2.31 €2.06

4.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.91 €1.69

$2.00 €1.78

-4.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.65 €5.02

$5.49 €4.89

2.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.59 €5.86

$6.72 €5.97

-1.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 €1.17

$1.31 €1.17

0.76%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.40 €1.25

3.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.44 €3.06

$3.40 €3.02

1.18%

Eggs

$4.28 €3.81

$4.48 €3.98

-4.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.20 €9.07

$10.27 €9.14

-0.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.86 €10.55

$11.74 €10.44

1.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.94 €15.96

$18.26 €16.24

-1.75%

Apples (1kg)

$3.79 €3.37

$3.66 €3.25

3.55%

Banana (1kg)

$2.72 €2.42

Oranges (1kg)

$3.85 €3.42

$3.79 €3.37

1.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.70 €3.29

$3.83 €3.41

-3.39%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 €1.65

Onion (1kg)

$3.27 €2.91

$3.34 €2.97

-2.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.20 €1.95

$2.17 €1.93

1.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.57 €1.39

$1.56 €1.39

0.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.22 €5.53

$6.13 €5.45

1.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.86 €5.21

$6.07 €5.40

-3.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.46 €2.19

$2.51 €2.23

-1.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 €2.12

$2.37 €2.11

0.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.78 €2.47

$2.47 €2.20

12.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 €3.39

$3.85 €3.43

-1.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.84 €1.63

$1.75 €1.56

5.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.08 €28.53

$32.05 €28.51

0.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 €1.37

$1.47 €1.30

4.76%

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

$27.9K €24.8K

$27.5K €24.4K

1.56%

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

$39.4K €35.0K

$39.7K €35.3K

-0.72%

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

$155 €138

$154 €137

0.89%

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

$31.40 €27.93

$31.46 €27.98

-0.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.93 €25.73

$29.71 €26.43

-2.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.0 €51.6

$67.9 €60.4

-14.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.34 €18.09

Cinema Ticket

$11.48 €10.21

$11.38 €10.13

0.88%

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

$278 €248

$281 €250

-0.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.4K €11.0K

$12.2K €10.9K

1.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.0 €51.6

$56.3 €50.1

2.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$68.9 €61.3

$69.2 €61.5

-0.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 €101

$114 €101

-0.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 €116

$131 €116

-0.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,391 €1,238

$1,126 €1,002

23.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,114 €991

$941 €837

18.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,250 €2,891

$1,785 €1,588

82.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,043 €1,817

$1,525 €1,357

33.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,247 €4,668

$4,469 €3,975

17.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,999 €3,557

$2,453 €2,182

63.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,042 €1,816

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.05

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

Last update for Valletta: October 10, 2026

Last update for Mgarr: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Valletta

$1.1K 49.3%

Mgarr

$941 45% 15.5% $173

Groceries & Markets

Valletta

$340 15.1%

Mgarr

$341 16.3% 0.3% $1

Eating Out

Valletta

$316 14%

Mgarr

$314 15% 0.8% $2.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Valletta

$215 9.5%

Mgarr

$215 10.3% 0.3% $0.5

Clothing & Footwear

Valletta

$167 7.4%

Mgarr

$167 8% 0.1% $0.2

Sport & Entertainment

Valletta

$81 3.6%

Mgarr

$91 4.3% 12.1% $9.8

Getting Around

Valletta

$24 * 1.1%

Mgarr

$23 * 1.1% 6.6% $1.6

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 $1,126 in Mgarr. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $88.0 in Valletta vs $89.0 in Mgarr for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $340 vs $341 per month, with Valletta cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇹 Valletta

🇲🇹 Mgarr

🕒 Local time

17:24 5:24 PM

Same time as Valletta

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,700 Capital

3,600

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Valletta Mgarr 13 km

From you

Valletta
Mgarr

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 Mgarr: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mgarr wins on cost – living expenses run 8% lower than in Valletta. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Mgarr the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $3,386 in Valletta and $3,136 in Mgarr to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,391 in Valletta versus $1,126 in Mgarr. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $278 in Valletta versus $281 in Mgarr. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Mgarr – a meal for two runs $89.0 versus $88.0 in Valletta. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,090 in Mgarr versus $2,258 in Valletta, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Mgarr but tight or insufficient in Valletta. The gap between the two cities makes Mgarr the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Mgarr delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $2,090 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Mgarr hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Valletta and Mgarr 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 Mgarr gentler on the wallet – expenses run 8% less than in Valletta. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.