Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zebbug and Sliema

For one person, living is cheaper in Zebbug: $1,935 a month against $2,396 in Sliema, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

98

Cost of Living Index in Zebbug
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Zebbug Living Index
116

Cost of Living Index in Sliema
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Sliema Living Index

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Zebbug

🇲🇹 Malta

$1,935

/mo nomad

Sliema

🇲🇹 Malta

$2,396

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Zebbug 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 Zebbug and in Sliema actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,935 in Zebbug versus $2,396 in Sliema.

Zebbug $1,935
Sliema $2,396

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,072 in Zebbug versus $3,794 in Sliema.

Zebbug $3,072
Sliema $3,794

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,208 in Zebbug versus $5,191 in Sliema.

Zebbug $4,208
Sliema $5,191

Living in Zebbug costs roughly 19% less than in Sliema, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Zebbug 43% above, Sliema 77% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.75 €17.57

$19.81 €17.63

-0.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.6 €70.8

$85.6 €76.2

-7.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.23 €6.43

$13.24 €11.77

-45.39%

Cappuccino

$3.08 €2.74

$2.77 €2.47

11.19%

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

$2.26 €2.01

$3.02 €2.69

-25.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.09 €0.97

$2.16 €1.92

-49.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.59 €4.08

$4.60 €4.09

-0.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.76 €4.24

$5.24 €4.66

-9.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.35 €1.20

-3.70%

White Bread (500g)

$1.39 €1.24

$1.37 €1.22

1.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.58 €3.18

$4.24 €3.77

-15.57%

Eggs

$4.39 €3.91

$4.30 €3.82

2.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.18 €9.06

$8.27 €7.35

23.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.79 €10.49

$10.25 €9.12

15.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.45 €16.41

$18.21 €16.20

1.32%

Apples (1kg)

$3.66 €3.26

$4.24 €3.77

-13.68%

Banana (1kg)

$2.79 €2.48

$2.81 €2.50

-0.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.85 €3.43

$3.52 €3.13

9.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.68 €3.27

$3.32 €2.95

10.84%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 €1.71

$2.42 €2.16

-20.25%

Onion (1kg)

$3.44 €3.06

$2.05 €1.82

67.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.27 €2.02

$2.34 €2.08

-2.99%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 €1.34

$1.30 €1.16

16.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.16 €5.48

$6.83 €6.08

-9.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.77 €5.14

$8.09 €7.19

-28.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.46 €2.19

$1.68 €1.50

46.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 €2.07

$2.40 €2.14

-2.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.39 €2.13

$2.17 €1.93

10.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$133 €118

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.89 €3.46

$5.64 €5.02

-31.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.82 €1.62

$2.20 €1.96

-17.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.86 €29.23

$27.09 €24.10

21.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 €1.30

$1.54 €1.37

-5.19%

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

$27.4K €24.4K

$37.9K €33.7K

-27.79%

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

$38.5K €34.2K

$39.6K €35.2K

-2.85%

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

$158 €140

$103 €91.9

52.79%

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

$31.32 €27.86

$25.61 €22.78

22.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.42 €26.17

$42.84 €38.10

-31.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$59.6 €53.0

$76.4 €68.0

-21.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.86 €14.11

Cinema Ticket

$11.30 €10.05

$10.20 €9.08

10.78%

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

$275 €245

$366 €326

-24.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.5K €11.1K

$11.1K €9,912

11.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.3 €50.1

$85.5 €76.0

-34.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$67.6 €60.1

$40.84 €36.33

65.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 €97.4

$101 €90.0

8.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 €116

$76.7 €68.2

69.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,232 €1,096

$1,775 €1,579

-30.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$845 €752

$1,220 €1,085

-30.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,763 €1,568

$2,913 €2,591

-39.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,637 €1,456

$2,385 €2,122

-31.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,894 €3,464

$5,353 €4,762

-27.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,048 €2,711

$3,578 €3,183

-14.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,815 €1,614

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 Zebbug: October 10, 2026

Last update for Sliema: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Zebbug

$845 43.7%

Sliema

$1.2K 50.9% 44.4% $375

Groceries & Markets

Zebbug

$341 17.6%

Sliema

$326 13.6% 4.2% $14

Eating Out

Zebbug

$263 13.6%

Sliema

$286 11.9% 8.8% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zebbug

$219 11.3%

Sliema

$172 7.2% 21.4% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Zebbug

$163 8.5%

Sliema

$137 5.7% 16.2% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Zebbug

$82 4.3%

Sliema

$97 4% 17.7% $15

Getting Around

Zebbug

$23 * 1.2%

Sliema

$158 6.6% 602% $136

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 $1,232 in Zebbug and $1,775 in Sliema. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $80.0 in Zebbug vs $86.0 in Sliema. Groceries flip the comparison at $341 vs $326, with Sliema cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇹 Zebbug

🇲🇹 Sliema

🕒 Local time

17:51 5:51 PM

Same time as Zebbug

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,770

16,854

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Zebbug Sliema 30 km

From you

Zebbug
Sliema

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

Zebbug vs Sliema: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zebbug and Sliema differ by about 24% in total monthly costs ($1,935 vs $2,396 including rent). Zebbug is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,903 in Zebbug and $3,594 in Sliema 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: $1,232 in Zebbug versus $1,775 in Sliema. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $275 in Zebbug versus $366 in Sliema. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Zebbug – a meal for two runs $80.0 versus $86.0 in Sliema. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,935 in Zebbug versus $2,396 in Sliema, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Zebbug but tight or insufficient in Sliema. The gap between the two cities makes Zebbug 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, Zebbug 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 Zebbug gentler on the wallet – expenses run 24% less than in Sliema. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.