Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Valletta and Zabbar

For one person, living is cheaper in Zabbar: $1,820 a month against $2,243 in Valletta, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

109

Cost of Living Index in Valletta
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Valletta Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Zabbar
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Zabbar Living Index

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Valletta

🇲🇹 Malta

$2,243

/mo nomad

Zabbar

🇲🇹 Malta

$1,820

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Valletta and in Zabbar

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,243 in Valletta versus $1,820 in Zabbar.

Valletta $2,243
Zabbar $1,820

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,657 in Valletta versus $2,669 in Zabbar.

Valletta $3,657
Zabbar $2,669

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,071 in Valletta versus $3,517 in Zabbar.

Valletta $5,071
Zabbar $3,517

Living in Valletta is roughly 23% more expensive than in Zabbar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Valletta 65% above, Zabbar 34% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.53 €20.23

$16.92 €15.20

33.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$91.1 €81.9

$38.62 €34.69

135.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.37 €12.01

$7.71 €6.93

73.41%

Cappuccino

$3.08 €2.77

$2.68 €2.41

14.93%

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

$2.35 €2.11

$2.29 €2.06

2.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 €1.81

$0.65 €0.58

210.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.67 €5.09

$2.22 €1.99

155.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.88 €6.18

$4.42 €3.97

55.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.37 €1.23

$1.10 €0.99

24.55%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 €1.27

$0.58 €0.52

143.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.47 €3.11

$1.09 €0.98

218.35%

Eggs

$4.24 €3.81

$3.99 €3.58

6.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.39 €9.34

$5.50 €4.94

88.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.21 €10.96

$4.44 €3.99

175.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.98 €16.15

$10.17 €9.13

76.79%

Apples (1kg)

$3.88 €3.48

$4.16 €3.74

-6.73%

Banana (1kg)

$2.75 €2.47

$2.82 €2.53

-2.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.91 €3.51

$3.65 €3.28

7.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.74 €3.36

$3.37 €3.03

10.98%

Potato (1kg)

$1.90 €1.71

$2.30 €2.07

-17.39%

Onion (1kg)

$3.33 €2.99

$1.86 €1.67

79.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.27 €2.04

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.49 €1.34

$1.15 €1.04

29.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.23 €5.59

$6.58 €5.91

-5.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.09 €5.47

$7.93 €7.13

-23.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.47 €2.22

$1.62 €1.46

52.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.35 €2.11

$2.34 €2.11

0.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.21 €1.99

$2.52 €2.27

-12.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.80 €15.09

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.99 €3.58

$4.80 €4.31

-16.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.74 €1.56

$2.26 €2.03

-23.01%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.29 €29.01

$26.39 €23.70

22.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 €1.33

$1.49 €1.34

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

$27.9K €25.0K

$38.1K €34.3K

-26.88%

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

$39.0K €35.0K

$38.2K €34.4K

1.91%

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

$156 €140

$104 €93.6

49.76%

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

$31.08 €27.92

$24.98 €22.44

24.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.31 €26.33

$43.67 €39.23

-32.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.7 €55.4

$64.9 €58.3

-5.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.63 €18.54

$11.35 €10.19

81.76%

Cinema Ticket

$11.18 €10.04

$10.22 €9.18

9.39%

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

$275 €247

$373 €335

-26.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K €11.0K

$2,245 €2,017

447.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.4 €51.6

$88.1 €79.2

-34.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$68.2 €61.2

$41.17 €36.98

65.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 €99.7

$98.8 €88.7

12.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 €115

$78.2 €70.3

63.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,389 €1,248

$1,147 €1,030

21.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,096 €985

$921 €827

18.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,390 €3,046

$1,795 €1,613

88.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,312 €2,077

$1,528 €1,372

51.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,400 €4,851

$4,048 €3,636

33.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,943 €3,542

$4,152 €3,730

-5.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,031 €1,824

$1,095 €984

85.38%

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 Zabbar: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Valletta

$1.1K 48.9%

Zabbar

$921 50.6% 16% $175

Groceries & Markets

Valletta

$344 15.3%

Zabbar

$238 13.1% 30.9% $106

Eating Out

Valletta

$317 14.1%

Zabbar

$222 12.2% 29.8% $94

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Valletta

$216 9.7%

Zabbar

$173 9.5% 20.1% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Valletta

$164 7.3%

Zabbar

$138 7.6% 16% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Valletta

$84 3.8%

Zabbar

$85 4.7% 1.6% $1.3

Getting Around

Valletta

$22 * 1%

Zabbar

$43 2.4% 99.8% $21

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 $1,147 in Zabbar. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Valletta pays 85% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $91 in Valletta vs $39 in Zabbar for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $344 vs $238 per month, with Zabbar cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇹 Valletta

🇲🇹 Zabbar

🕒 Local time

19:41 7:41 PM

Same time as Valletta

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,700 Capital

15,404

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Valletta Zabbar 3 km

From you

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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 Zabbar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zabbar wins on cost – living expenses run 19% lower than in Valletta. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Zabbar the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 85% 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 $1,147 in Zabbar. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 45% 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 $1,820 in Zabbar – a 23% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Zabbar gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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 Zabbar are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

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