Country topic
Cost of living in Malta
Prices overall in Malta were about 0.66 of United States prices in 2025 at market exchange rates (World Bank price level index 66.34, with the United States at 100; 62.83 in 2024). That is a whole-economy comparison, not a household budget, and it does not show how rents differ between towns. [Cost of living C1] The Housing Authority says that among long-term whole-dwelling leases registered in the second half of 2025, about half had a monthly rent between €800 and €1,300, 29% were above €1,300 and about 20% were below €800. It counted 72,754 active registered rental contracts at December 2025. The figures are national and do not split by locality or bedroom count. [C2]
What we found
The research, with its sources.
Research information, not advice. Rules change, so check the source before you act on one.
- Prices overall in Malta were about 0.66 of United States prices in 2025 at market exchange rates (World Bank price level index 66.34, with the United States at 100; 62.83 in 2024). That is a whole-economy comparison, not a household budget, and it does not show how rents differ between towns. [Cost of living C1]
- The Housing Authority says that among long-term whole-dwelling leases registered in the second half of 2025, about half had a monthly rent between €800 and €1,300, 29% were above €1,300 and about 20% were below €800. It counted 72,754 active registered rental contracts at December 2025. The figures are national and do not split by locality or bedroom count. [C2]
- Of the long-term leases registered in 2025, 69.4% ran at least one year but under two, 20.7% two to under three years and 9.9% three years or more. The Authority says a lease renews automatically for a year if the landlord gives no written notice three months before it ends; about 81% of 2025 renewals were automatic. What deposits and agency fees cost is unknown here. [C2]
- For contracts that started in the first half of 2024, the Housing Authority’s median monthly rent in Sliema was €1,300 for a two-bedroom and €1,600 for a three-bedroom apartment, against €800 and €900 in St Paul’s Bay. It names Sliema, St. Julian’s and Swieqi as the most expensive localities, and says the roughly 3% of contracts above €2,000 a month are mostly there. One-bedroom figures and later periods are unknown. [C3]
- Malta Public Transport lists a bus single at €2.00 on day routes in winter and €2.50 in summer, €3.00 on night routes, valid for two hours with free transfers, paid in cash or by contactless card on the bus. Its page words the winter fare for 19 October 2025 to 13 June 2026, so check the current season’s fare. Riding without a valid ticket carries a €50 fine. [C4]
- The personalised tallinja card gives free travel on day routes, night routes, select special services and the Sliema–Valletta–Three Cities ferry under a government scheme; tallinja Direct routes are not free. The adult card costs €25 to register. The page does not say which residents qualify, so whether a new permit holder can get one is unknown here. [C5]
- Eurostat puts Malta’s annual consumer price inflation (HICP, all items) at 2.4% in September 2026, between 2.0% and 2.5% in each month from January, against 3.8% for the euro area in September. A later month may differ, and a national rate does not show what any one household pays. [C6]
- Legal Notice 290 of 2025 raised the wages of whole-time employees by €4.66 a week from 1 January 2026, as a cost-of-living increase. The national minimum wage level and wages in particular trades are not stated in the sources we read, so they are unknown here. [C7]
- The Residency Malta Agency requires each nomad permit applicant to hold a health insurance policy with at least €100,000 cover for the EU and UK, prepaid for a full year; monthly instalments and travel insurance are not accepted. It says permit holders are not entitled to free health care, free education or social benefits. What a policy costs is unknown here. [C8]
The Fernshore Index
How the Index grades the cost of living.
Each grade is against a published measure, with its source and the date we checked it. It is research information, not advice. Where we have no figure, the row says Unknown.
Cost of living
45 of 100Mixed
Price level 0.663 of United States prices (2025).
Source: Price level index (GDP), Malta. Checked 15 October 2026.
The country
More on Malta.
Topics
More about Malta.
Questions about Cost of living in Malta.
How do prices in Malta compare with the United States?
Prices overall in Malta are about 0.66 of United States prices at market exchange rates (World Bank price level index, 2025). That is an economy-wide average, not a budget for one household, and it does not show what rent, food or any single item costs.
How much does it cost to rent a home in Malta?
Among long-term whole-dwelling leases registered in the second half of 2025, about half were €800 to €1,300 a month, 29% were above €1,300 and about 20% below €800 (Housing Authority, national). Most leases run one to two years and renew automatically unless a party gives notice. Deposits are unknown.
What do buses cost in Malta?
Malta Public Transport lists €2.00 on day routes in winter, €2.50 in summer and €3.00 at night, valid for two hours. A personalised tallinja card gives free travel on most routes under a government scheme; who qualifies is not stated, so check before you count on it.
How fast are prices rising in Malta?
Eurostat puts annual consumer price inflation in Malta at 2.4% in September 2026, and between 2.0% and 2.5% in each month since January, against 3.8% for the euro area. Whole-time wages rose by €4.66 a week from 1 January 2026 under a cost-of-living order. A national rate does not show your own costs.
What health insurance must a nomad permit holder buy in Malta?
A policy for each applicant with at least €100,000 cover for the EU and UK, prepaid for a full year; instalments and travel insurance are not accepted. Permit holders are not entitled to free health care. What a qualifying policy costs is unknown here; the Agency publishes a table of minimum benefits.
Sources
Where each figure comes from.
Every figure on this page links to the page we read, with the date we checked it.
- [MT C1] Price level index (GDP), Malta, World Bank. Checked 15 October 2026. 2025: 66.34 (United States = 100), read from the World Bank API on 15 October 2026; 62.83 in 2024.
- [Cost of living C1] Price level index (GDP), Malta, World Bank. Checked 15 October 2026. 2025: 66.34 (United States = 100), read from the World Bank API on 15 October 2026; 62.83 in 2024.
- [C2] Housing Authority 2025 Annual Report, Rent Registration, Housing Authority (Government of Malta). Checked 16 October 2026. Pages 71 to 78. Long-term whole-dwelling leases registered in the second half of 2025: about half between EUR 800 and EUR 1,300 a month, 29% above EUR 1,300, about 20% below EUR 800; 72,754 active registered contracts at December 2025.
- [C3] Registered rental contracts in Malta, 2024 H1 update, Housing Authority (Government of Malta). Checked 16 October 2026. Publication dated October 2024, cut-off 30 June 2024. Median monthly rent for contracts that started in the first half of 2024: Sliema EUR 1,300 (two-bedroom) and EUR 1,600 (three-bedroom); St Paul's Bay EUR 800 and EUR 900. Excludes shared spaces and leases under EUR 400.
- [C4] Fares and Tickets, Malta Public Transport. Checked 16 October 2026. Fare table: day routes EUR 2.00 (winter) and EUR 2.50 (summer), night routes EUR 3.00; tickets valid for two hours with free transfers; a EUR 50 fine applies without a valid ticket. The page words its winter fare for 19 October 2025 to 13 June 2026.
- [C5] Personalised tallinja card, Malta Public Transport. Checked 16 October 2026. Free Government Travel Scheme: free travel on day routes, night routes and select special services, and on the ferry between Sliema, Valletta and the Three Cities; tallinja Direct routes are not free; card registration fee EUR 25 for adult cards. Who is eligible is not stated on the page.
- [C6] HICP: monthly data, annual rate of change (prc_hicp_minr), Eurostat. Checked 16 October 2026. All-items annual rate of change read through the Eurostat API on 16 October 2026: Malta 2.4% in September 2026 (2.0% to 2.5% from January to September), euro area 3.8%.
- [C7] Wage Increase (Employees) National Standard Order, 2025 (L.N. 290 of 2025), Government of Malta, Legislation Malta (legislation.mt). Checked 16 October 2026. In force 1 January 2026: the wages of whole-time employees rise by EUR 4.66 a week.
- [C8] Nomad Residence Permit: FAQs (version 14.1, updated 17 April 2026), Residency Malta Agency (nomad.residencymalta.gov.mt). Checked 16 October 2026. Read on 16 October 2026. Dependants, fees, renewals, health insurance, tax, work and card pages of the Agency's FAQs.