Malta sits in the middle of the European range. It is cheaper than most of northern Europe on almost everything. There are two exceptions: housing, which has risen sharply, and summer electricity, which costs more than most people expect.
Everything else, particularly eating and drinking, costs noticeably less than it would further north.
Where the money goes
Rent has risen sharply
Housing is the largest item in most budgets here. It has risen fast over the last decade, especially in the central and northern towns.
Moving one town inland changes the figure more than almost any other decision you can make.
Renting here
August electricity
Air conditioning through a Maltese summer produces a bill that catches almost every newcomer in their first year.
It is worth understanding how the tariff and the residence registration work before the hot months rather than after.
Utilities and ARMS
Food, drink and transport
Eating out inland, buying at Ta’ Qali, and using the buses all cost a fraction of the northern European equivalent.
The gap between eating on the seafront and eating three streets back is larger here than almost anywhere.
Eating well for less
What drives a monthly budget here
In rough order of size
- Rent
- The dominant cost and the one that varies most. Sliema, St Julian’s and Valletta command a substantial premium; the south and Gozo are markedly cheaper. Winter lets cost a fraction of summer rates.
- Electricity in summer
- Air conditioning in an uninsulated stone building through July and August is the bill that surprises people. Registering everyone in the household on the residential tariff materially reduces it.
- Food
- Eating Maltese is cheap; eating imported is not. A large share of supermarket stock is imported and priced accordingly, while local produce from Ta’ Qali and village greengrocers is inexpensive.
- Transport
- Low. Buses are free for residents holding a personalised tallinja card, which removes the largest recurring transport cost outright.
- Healthcare
- Free at the point of use if you are entitled, which most working residents are. Private insurance on top is common but optional.
- Schooling
- State schools are free, church schools run on donation, independent schools charge fees. This is a large swing depending on which route a family takes.
Prices move, and a number typed into a page a year ago is worse than no number at all. We would rather leave a figure out than print one we cannot stand behind. This page explains the shape of the spending rather than pretending to a precision it cannot keep.
Register everyone on the ARMS account for the residential tariff and eco-reduction. Get a tallinja card and stop paying for transport. Buy produce at Ta’ Qali rather than the supermarket. None of the three costs anything to do and together they change a monthly budget noticeably.