Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Valletta and Paola

For one person, living is cheaper in Paola: $1,975 a month against $2,243 in Valletta, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 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
94

Cost of Living Index in Paola
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Paola Living Index

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Valletta

🇲🇹 Malta

$2,243

/mo nomad

Paola

🇲🇹 Malta

$1,975

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Valletta and in Paola

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,243 in Valletta versus $1,975 in Paola.

Valletta $2,243
Paola $1,975

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,657 in Valletta versus $3,102 in Paola.

Valletta $3,657
Paola $3,102

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,071 in Valletta versus $4,230 in Paola.

Valletta $5,071
Paola $4,230

Living in Valletta is roughly 14% more expensive than in Paola, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Valletta 65% above, Paola 45% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.53 €20.23

$19.64 €17.64

14.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$91.1 €81.9

$86.4 €77.6

5.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.37 €12.01

$13.67 €12.28

-2.19%

Cappuccino

$3.08 €2.77

$2.77 €2.49

11.19%

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

$2.35 €2.11

$3.03 €2.72

-22.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 €1.81

$2.25 €2.02

-10.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.67 €5.09

$4.56 €4.10

24.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.88 €6.18

$5.23 €4.70

31.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.37 €1.23

$1.35 €1.21

1.48%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 €1.27

$1.31 €1.17

7.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.47 €3.11

$4.38 €3.94

-20.78%

Eggs

$4.24 €3.81

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.39 €9.34

$8.23 €7.39

26.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.21 €10.96

$10.57 €9.50

15.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.98 €16.15

$18.33 €16.47

-1.91%

Apples (1kg)

$3.88 €3.48

$4.08 €3.66

-4.90%

Banana (1kg)

$2.75 €2.47

$2.69 €2.42

2.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.91 €3.51

$3.71 €3.33

5.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.74 €3.36

$3.32 €2.98

12.65%

Potato (1kg)

$1.90 €1.71

$2.28 €2.05

-16.67%

Onion (1kg)

$3.33 €2.99

$1.93 €1.73

72.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.27 €2.04

$2.36 €2.12

-3.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.49 €1.34

$1.28 €1.15

16.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.23 €5.59

$6.61 €5.94

-5.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.09 €5.47

$8.09 €7.27

-24.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.47 €2.22

$1.70 €1.53

45.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.35 €2.11

$2.43 €2.19

-3.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.21 €1.99

$2.10 €1.89

5.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.99 €3.58

$5.63 €5.06

-29.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.74 €1.56

$2.28 €2.05

-23.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.29 €29.01

$26.30 €23.63

22.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 €1.33

$1.52 €1.37

-1.97%

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

$27.9K €25.0K

$37.7K €33.9K

-26.13%

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

$39.0K €35.0K

$39.4K €35.4K

-1.15%

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

$156 €140

$103 €92.7

51.26%

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

$31.08 €27.92

$25.76 €23.14

20.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.31 €26.33

$42.10 €37.82

-30.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.7 €55.4

$68.0 €61.1

-9.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.63 €18.54

Cinema Ticket

$11.18 €10.04

$9.92 €8.91

12.70%

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

$275 €247

$367 €330

-25.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K €11.0K

$11.2K €10.1K

9.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.4 €51.6

$87.8 €78.9

-34.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$68.2 €61.2

$41.31 €37.11

64.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 €99.7

$99.6 €89.5

11.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 €115

$77.2 €69.4

65.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,389 €1,248

$981 €881

41.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,096 €985

$941 €845

16.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,390 €3,046

$1,812 €1,628

87.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,312 €2,077

$1,720 €1,545

34.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,400 €4,851

$3,912 €3,514

38.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,943 €3,542

$2,789 €2,505

41.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,031 €1,824

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 25, 2026

Last update for Paola: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Valletta

$1.1K 48.9%

Paola

$941 47.6% 14.2% $156

Groceries & Markets

Valletta

$344 15.3%

Paola

$327 16.5% 4.9% $17

Eating Out

Valletta

$317 14.1%

Paola

$286 14.5% 9.8% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Valletta

$216 9.7%

Paola

$171 8.7% 21% $45

Clothing & Footwear

Valletta

$164 7.3%

Paola

$138 7% 16.1% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Valletta

$84 3.8%

Paola

$88 4.5% 4.6% $3.8

Getting Around

Valletta

$22 * 1%

Paola

$25 * 1.3% 18.1% $3.9

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 $981 in Paola. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $91 in Valletta vs $86 in Paola for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $344 vs $327 per month, with Paola cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇹 Valletta

🇲🇹 Paola

🕒 Local time

20:59 8:59 PM

Same time as Valletta

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,700 Capital

8,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Valletta Paola 3 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 Paola: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Paola wins on cost – living expenses run 12% lower than in Valletta. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Paola the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $3,364 in Valletta and $2,962 in Paola 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: $1,389 in Valletta versus $981 in Paola. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $275 in Valletta versus $367 in Paola. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Paola – a meal for two runs $86 versus $91 in Valletta. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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 Paola are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.