Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zabbar and Sliema

For one person, living is cheaper in Zabbar: $1,820 a month against $2,416 in Sliema, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

88

Cost of Living Index in Zabbar
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Zabbar Living Index
115

Cost of Living Index in Sliema
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Sliema Living Index

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Zabbar

🇲🇹 Malta

$1,820

/mo nomad

Sliema

🇲🇹 Malta

$2,416

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Zabbar and in Sliema

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Zabbar and in Sliema actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,820 in Zabbar versus $2,416 in Sliema.

Zabbar $1,820
Sliema $2,416

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,669 in Zabbar versus $3,868 in Sliema.

Zabbar $2,669
Sliema $3,868

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,517 in Zabbar versus $5,320 in Sliema.

Zabbar $3,517
Sliema $5,320

Living in Zabbar costs roughly 25% less than in Sliema, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Zabbar 34% above, Sliema 78% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.92 €15.20

$19.81 €17.80

-14.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.62 €34.69

$85.4 €76.7

-54.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.71 €6.93

$13.58 €12.20

-43.23%

Cappuccino

$2.68 €2.41

$2.79 €2.50

-3.94%

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

$2.29 €2.06

$3.16 €2.84

-27.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.65 €0.58

$2.21 €1.98

-70.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.22 €1.99

$4.60 €4.13

-51.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.42 €3.97

$5.29 €4.75

-16.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.10 €0.99

$1.36 €1.22

-19.12%

White Bread (500g)

$0.58 €0.52

$1.34 €1.21

-56.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.09 €0.98

$4.44 €3.99

-75.45%

Eggs

$3.99 €3.58

$4.17 €3.75

-4.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.50 €4.94

$8.08 €7.26

-31.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.44 €3.99

$10.35 €9.30

-57.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.17 €9.13

$18.36 €16.49

-44.61%

Apples (1kg)

$4.16 €3.74

$4.28 €3.84

-2.80%

Banana (1kg)

$2.82 €2.53

$2.80 €2.51

0.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.65 €3.28

$3.64 €3.27

0.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.37 €3.03

$3.41 €3.06

-1.17%

Potato (1kg)

$2.30 €2.07

$2.22 €1.99

3.60%

Onion (1kg)

$1.86 €1.67

$1.92 €1.72

-3.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.27 €2.04

$2.35 €2.11

-3.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 €1.04

$1.29 €1.16

-10.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.91

$6.78 €6.09

-2.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.93 €7.13

$7.97 €7.16

-0.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 €1.46

$1.69 €1.52

-4.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.34 €2.11

$2.36 €2.12

-0.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.52 €2.27

$2.22 €2.00

13.51%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.80 €15.09

$136 €122

-87.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.80 €4.31

$5.46 €4.90

-12.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.26 €2.03

$2.30 €2.07

-1.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.39 €23.70

$26.69 €23.97

-1.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 €1.34

$1.47 €1.32

1.36%

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

$38.1K €34.3K

$37.4K €33.6K

1.84%

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

$38.2K €34.4K

$38.4K €34.5K

-0.33%

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

$104 €93.6

$104 €93.5

0.08%

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

$24.98 €22.44

$25.37 €22.79

-1.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.67 €39.23

$43.68 €39.24

-0.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.9 €58.3

$74.7 €67.1

-13.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.35 €10.19

$16.09 €14.45

-29.46%

Cinema Ticket

$10.22 €9.18

$10.04 €9.02

1.79%

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

$373 €335

$370 €332

0.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,245 €2,017

$11.1K €9,969

-79.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.1 €79.2

$88.0 €79.1

0.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.17 €36.98

$40.29 €36.19

2.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.8 €88.7

$101 €90.5

-1.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.2 €70.3

$79.5 €71.4

-1.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,147 €1,030

$1,752 €1,574

-34.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$921 €827

$1,233 €1,108

-25.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,795 €1,613

$3,113 €2,796

-42.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,528 €1,372

$2,504 €2,249

-38.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,048 €3,636

$5,387 €4,839

-24.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,152 €3,730

$3,499 €3,143

18.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,095 €984

$1,841 €1,654

-40.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.9

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

Last update for Zabbar: October 26, 2026

Last update for Sliema: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Zabbar

$921 50.6%

Sliema

$1.2K 51% 33.9% $312

Groceries & Markets

Zabbar

$238 13.1%

Sliema

$327 13.5% 37.5% $89

Eating Out

Zabbar

$222 12.2%

Sliema

$288 11.9% 29.4% $65

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zabbar

$173 9.5%

Sliema

$173 7.2% 0.2% $0.3

Clothing & Footwear

Zabbar

$138 7.6%

Sliema

$139 5.8% 0.7% $1

Sport & Entertainment

Zabbar

$85 4.7%

Sliema

$95 3.9% 11% $9.4

Getting Around

Zabbar

$43 2.4%

Sliema

$162 6.7% 276% $119

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,147 in Zabbar and $1,752 in Sliema. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sliema pays 68% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $39 in Zabbar vs $85 in Sliema for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $238 vs $327 per month, with Zabbar cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇹 Zabbar

🇲🇹 Sliema

🕒 Local time

18:44 6:44 PM

Same time as Zabbar

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,404

16,854

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Zabbar Sliema 5 km

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Zabbar
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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

Zabbar vs Sliema: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zabbar and Sliema differ by about 33% in total monthly costs ($1,820 vs $2,416 including rent). Zabbar is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 41% lower in Zabbar. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,147 in Zabbar versus $1,752 in Sliema. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 38% higher in Sliema. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Zabbar – a meal for two runs $39 versus $85 in Sliema. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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, Zabbar and Sliema 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 Zabbar gentler on the wallet – expenses run 25% less than in Sliema. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.