City in Malta
Sliema and St. Julian's
Sliema and St. Julian's are two neighbouring coastal localities on the north-east coast of Malta, north of Valletta, with 31,308 residents together at the 2021 census. The NSO's end-2024 estimates put the foreign-citizen share of the two at 55.7%. The area takes the country's climate, from the Luqa station (6 comfortable months a year). [N1] [N2] [B1] [Sliema and St. Julian's W1]
- Country
- Malta
- Region
- Northern Harbour District
- Population
- 31,308 in 2021. Two localities (local councils) added together, population enumerated at the 2021 census (21 November 2021): Sliema 19,655 and St. Julian's 11,653. Neither is a city in its own right. The Northern Harbour District, which also holds Birkirkara, Qormi and Msida, is 157,297 and is not the figure used. [N1]
- Settings
- By the sea [B1]
- Weather
- Four seasons [Sliema and St. Julian's W1]
Why it is here
Why Sliema and St. Julian's is on the list.
A city is listed when there is evidence that people move there. This is the evidence.
- The NSO's end-2024 population estimates (read through citypopulation.de) count 21,144 residents with a citizenship other than Maltese out of 37,938 in the two localities (55.7%): Sliema 12,446 of 22,730 and St. Julian's 8,698 of 15,208. The national share is 29.4% (168,938 of 574,250). Gzira (7,206 of 12,054) and Msida (10,655 of 16,609), next door, are similar. The estimates count citizenship, not how long someone has lived there or why they came. [N2]
- Verdala International School, an IB school teaching Middle Years, Diploma and Career-related programmes, is in Fort Pembroke, Pembroke, the next locality along the coast from St. Julian's; its website says 56 student nationalities (the school's own figure). It is in the same urban area but not inside either locality. [I1]
- InterNations lists a Malta community group of 20,826 members from 184 nationalities (a private network's own count for the whole country), and its Malta guide names Sliema among the popular areas for expats. It gives no figure for the area itself. [E1]
The Fernshore Index
How it grades, factor by factor.
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 100MixedCountry figure
Price level 0.663 of United States prices (2025).
Source: Price level index (GDP), Malta. Checked 15 October 2026.
Climate
42 of 100MixedCountry figure
Luqa (Malta's only climatological station, 1991-2020): 6 comfortable months a year (April, May, June, September, October and November). March (17.4 C) and December (17.1 C) are under the 18 C line, and July and August (31.7 and 32.0 C) are over 30 C. Rain is under 150 mm in every month.
Source: The State of the Climate 2022, Table 1.1: monthly average climate variables for Malta, 1991-2020. Checked 15 October 2026.
Safety
UnknownCountry figure
Not covered by the Global Peace Index 2026
Healthcare
73 of 100StrongCountry figure
WHO UHC service coverage index 82 (2023).
Source: UHC service coverage index (SDG 3.8.1). Checked 15 October 2026.
Schools
UnknownCountry figure
Our research doesn't cover schools yet.
Community
UnknownCountry figure
Not covered by Expat Insider 2026
Lifestyle
UnknownCountry figure
Not covered by Expat Insider 2026
Work and career
85 of 100StrongCountry figure
Strong: a residence route for remote workers exists (the Nomad Residence Permit, EUR 42,000 gross a year, 1 year, renewable to 4 in total) and fixed broadband is 44.5 per 100 people (2024), over the 30 line.
Source: Nomad Residence Permit: eligibility and FAQs; Fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people, Malta. Checked 15 October 2026.
Retirement
50 of 100MixedCountry figure
Mixed. The Malta Retirement Programme (a special tax status for people on a pension, no age minimum, no deposit) is renewable only: its residence permit is temporary and no permanent residence step is stated. From 1 January 2027 it becomes the Individual Tax Programme (5-year terms, renewable, minimum tax EUR 15,000 a year). The Malta Permanent Residence Programme does grant permanent residence, but costs EUR 97,000 in non-refundable payments plus a property of at least EUR 375,000 or rent of at least EUR 14,000 a year, over the US$100,000 line.
Source: Malta Retirement Programme Guidelines, version 4.0 (2020); Individual Tax Programme Rules, 2026 (L.N. 195 of 2026); Malta Permanent Residence Programme (MPRP); Non-Employment Permits: Economic Self-Sufficient. Checked 15 October 2026.
Internet
100 of 100StrongCountry figure
44.51 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people (2024), over the 30 line.
Source: Fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people, Malta. Checked 15 October 2026.
English
100 of 100StrongCountry figure
English is an official language of Malta under Article 5 of the Constitution of Malta. EF EPI doesn't cover Malta, so the official-language rule applies.
Source: Constitution of Malta, Article 5 (language). Checked 16 October 2026.
Visa, United States passport
85 of 100StrongCountry figure
Strong: the Nomad Residence Permit is open to US passport holders who work remotely for an employer or clients outside Malta, with no Maltese job offer. It lasts 1 year and can be renewed three times, up to 4 years in all (renewal needs at least 5 months living in Malta in the previous 12). The only age rule is that applicants are adults (18 or over), and there is no deposit or investment. The income test is a gross income of more than €42,000 a year (about US$47,100 at the ECB rate of 15 October 2026), guaranteed for at least 5 months. The fee is €300 per person plus €100 for the residence card. The permit does not cover work for Maltese companies or clients, and it needs a rental or purchase agreement and health insurance.
Source: Nomad Residence Permit: eligibility and FAQs; Nomad Residence Permit: FAQs. Checked 16 October 2026.
Visa, Canada passport
UnknownCountry figure
Research for Canadian passports is being checked
Visa, Australia passport
UnknownCountry figure
Research for Australian passports is being checked
Visa, New Zealand passport
UnknownCountry figure
Research for New Zealand passports is being checked
The country
More on Malta.
Questions about Sliema and St. Julian's.
How many people live in Sliema and St. Julian’s, and how many are foreign citizens?
At the 2021 census Sliema had 19,655 residents and St. Julian’s 11,653: 31,308 together. NSO estimates for the end of 2024 put 55.7% of the 37,938 residents of the two at a non-Maltese citizenship, against 29.4% nationally. That counts citizenship, not how long someone has lived there.
How much is rent in Sliema?
The Housing Authority’s median rent for contracts that started in the first half of 2024 was €1,300 a month for a two-bedroom and €1,600 for a three-bedroom apartment in Sliema, against €800 and €900 in St Paul’s Bay. It names Sliema, St. Julian’s and Swieqi as the dearest. Later figures are unknown.
Where do I apply for a residence permit if I live in Sliema?
Nomad permits are applied for online through the Residency Malta Agency, whose offices are in Qormi. Other non-EU residence documents go to Identità’s Expatriates Unit in Msida; its Gozo unit is in Victoria. Whether either office has a counter in Sliema or St. Julian’s is not stated.
What is the weather like in Sliema and St. Julian’s?
The area has no station of its own. Luqa, about 6 km south and Malta’s only one, gives highs from 15.7 °C in January and February to 32.0 °C in August (1991–2020) and 6 comfortable months a year. Whether the north-east coast differs from Luqa is unknown.
Are there international schools and expat groups near Sliema and St. Julian’s?
Verdala International School, an IB school in Pembroke, the next locality along the coast, says it has 56 student nationalities. InterNations lists a Malta group of 20,826 members from 184 nationalities, a national count, and names Sliema as a popular area. Fees, places and area-level numbers are unknown.
Sources
Where each figure comes from.
Every figure on this page links to the page we read, with the date we checked it.
- [N1] Malta: Division (Statistical Districts and Localities): census results and estimates, National Statistics Office, Malta, as reproduced by citypopulation.de (secondary). Checked 15 October 2026. Read on 15 October 2026. Census of 21 November 2021: Sliema 19,655, San Giljan (St. Julian's) 11,653, Northern Harbour District 157,297, Malta 519,562. The NSO's own census report refused automated access (HTTP 403), so the figures come from this secondary site, which names the NSO as its source.
- [N2] Sliema, San Giljan (St. Julian's), Gzira and Msida: population structure, citizenship (estimate 31 December 2024), National Statistics Office, Malta, as reproduced by citypopulation.de (secondary). Checked 15 October 2026. Read on 15 October 2026 from each locality's page: Sliema Malta 10,284 and foreign 12,446; St. Julian's Malta 6,510 and foreign 8,698; Gzira 4,848 and 7,206; Msida 5,954 and 10,655; Malta as a whole 405,312 and 168,938. These are estimates for 31 December 2024, not census counts; the St. Julian's page is https://www.citypopulation.de/en/malta/admin/northern_harbour/01252__san_%C4%A1iljan/.
- [B1] Sliema, Wikipedia (secondary). Checked 15 October 2026. Sliema is 'a town located on the northeast coast of Malta in the Northern Harbour District'; coordinates 35.912 N, 14.504 E. St. Julian's (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Julian%27s,_Malta) is 'situated along the coast, north of the country's capital, Valletta', 35.919 N, 14.490 E. The record's point is between the two.
- [Sliema and St. Julian's W1] The State of the Climate 2022, Table 1.1: monthly average climate variables for Malta, 1991-2020, National Statistics Office, Malta (Galdies C, 2022), data from the Malta International Airport Meteorological Office (Luqa). Checked 15 October 2026. Read from the University of Malta repository copy (PDF page 17) on 15 October 2026; Malta's only climatological station is Luqa. Average temperature 12.6 C (February) to 27.5 C (August); average maximum 15.7 to 32.0 C. Used for the weather type only: the range is over 12 degrees, so 'seasons'.
- [I1] Verdala International School, Verdala International School (the school's own website). Checked 15 October 2026. Read on 15 October 2026. IB Middle Years, Diploma and Career-related programmes; 'Student Nationalities 56' in the school's at-a-glance panel (the unit on the page is garbled, so read as 56 nationalities); address Fort Pembroke, Pembroke PBK1641, Malta; founded 1976. No roll or fee figure used.
- [E1] Expats in Malta, InterNations (private network). Checked 15 October 2026. Read on 15 October 2026. Malta Community Group: 20,826 members, 184 nationalities (the network's own count, national). Its FAQ lists Valletta, Sliema, Marsaskala and Mellieha as popular areas for expats.
- [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.
- [Malta W1] The State of the Climate 2022, Table 1.1: monthly average climate variables for Malta, 1991-2020, National Statistics Office, Malta (Galdies C, 2022), data from the Malta International Airport Meteorological Office (Luqa). Checked 15 October 2026. The NSO publication (nso.gov.mt, which refuses automated access, HTTP 403) was read from the University of Malta repository copy (PDF page 17, read on 15 October 2026). Table 1.1, 'Source: Malta International Airport Meteorological Office', 30-year period 1991-2020, Malta's only climatological station (Luqa). Average maximum temperature (C): Jan 15.7, Feb 15.7, Mar 17.4, Apr 20.1, May 24.3, Jun 28.8, Jul 31.7, Aug 32.0, Sep 28.6, Oct 25.0, Nov 20.8, Dec 17.1. Average temperature runs 12.6 (February) to 27.5 (August). Rainfall (mm): 79.4, 68.9, 39.7, 18.7, 11.0, 7.3, 0.2, 11.2, 59.2, 77.6, 89.1, 84.8. The report says the 1991-2020 normal was not yet officiated by the WMO when it was written, and keeps 1961-1990 as its reference.
- [H1] UHC service coverage index (SDG 3.8.1), World Health Organization. Checked 15 October 2026. Malta: 82 out of 100 (2023), read from the WHO Global Health Observatory data service (indicator UHC_INDEX_REPORTED, spatial code MLT) on 15 October 2026; 82 also in 2021 and 2022, 81 in 2020.
- [K1] Nomad Residence Permit: eligibility and FAQs, Residency Malta Agency (nomad.residencymalta.gov.mt). Checked 15 October 2026. Eligibility page (updated 23 September 2026) and FAQs (version 14.1, updated 17 April 2026), read on 15 October 2026. Open to non-EU, non-EEA and non-Swiss nationals aged 18 or over who work remotely for an employer registered abroad, for a foreign company they own a share of, or as freelancers for clients abroad; not for people serving Maltese companies or clients. Minimum gross income EUR 42,000 a year (EUR 32,400 for applications before 1 April 2024), guaranteed for at least 5 months from the day of application. Fee EUR 300 per person plus EUR 100 for the residence card; about 30 working days. The permit lasts 1 year and may be renewed three times, for a stay of at most 4 years, at the Agency's discretion; renewal needs at least 5 months' residence in Malta in the previous 12. Nationals of some countries (including Russia, Belarus, Iran, North Korea and Venezuela) are not eligible. The permit does not lead to permanent residence in the Agency's text.
- [K2] Fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people, Malta, International Telecommunication Union, via the World Bank. Checked 15 October 2026. 2024: 44.51 per 100 people, read from the World Bank API on 15 October 2026 (no 2025 figure yet).
- [R1] Malta Retirement Programme Guidelines, version 4.0 (2020), Commissioner for Revenue (now Commissioner for Tax and Customs), Malta. Checked 15 October 2026. cfr.gov.mt refused automated access (HTTP 403), so the guidelines (16 pages) were read from an Internet Archive copy (the nearest capture to 2025; the Archive's catalogue lists one of 6 August 2024). Under LN 317 of 2012: a special tax status for people whose pension, received in Malta, is at least 75% of chargeable income; no age minimum; property owned (EUR 275,000, or EUR 220,000 in Gozo or the south) or rented (EUR 9,600 a year, EUR 8,750 in Gozo or the south) as principal residence; 15% tax on foreign income received in Malta, minimum tax EUR 7,500 plus EUR 500 per dependant; administrative fee EUR 2,500; no right to employment in Malta beyond a non-executive board post. It is a tax status, not a permanent residence right.
- [R2] Individual Tax Programme Rules, 2026 (L.N. 195 of 2026), Government of Malta, Legislation Malta (legislation.mt). Checked 15 October 2026. The official text (PDF) read on 15 October 2026. In force 1 January 2027; special tax status in four categories including 'retired pensioner status'; status lasts 5 years and may be renewed for further 5-year periods (renewal fee EUR 2,500); application fee EUR 8,500; 15% on foreign income received in Malta; minimum tax EUR 15,000 a year for retired pensioners (EUR 35,000 for global and EU, EEA, Swiss residents); a qualifying property is one bought for at least EUR 700,000 or rented for at least EUR 14,000 a year; a retired pensioner's pension must be at least 75% of chargeable income, received in Malta. Status granted, or applications received, up to 31 December 2026 continue until 31 December 2031.
- [R3] Malta Permanent Residence Programme (MPRP), Residency Malta Agency (residencymalta.gov.mt). Checked 15 October 2026. Page modified 12 August 2026, read on 15 October 2026. For non-EU, non-EEA and non-Swiss nationals; grants permanent residence. Capital assets of at least EUR 500,000 (of which EUR 150,000 financial) or EUR 650,000 (of which EUR 75,000 financial); non-refundable administrative fee EUR 60,000 and Government contribution EUR 37,000 (EUR 97,000 together); a property bought for at least EUR 375,000 or rented for at least EUR 14,000 a year, kept at least five years; a EUR 2,000 donation to a local NGO; health insurance; applications only through a licensed agent.
- [R4] Non-Employment Permits: Economic Self-Sufficient, Identità (Expatriates Unit, Government of Malta). Checked 15 October 2026. Read on 15 October 2026. Beneficiaries of the Global Residence Programme, the Malta Permanent Residence Programme and the Malta Retirement Programme can apply for a temporary residence permit on the basis of economic self-sufficiency (fee EUR 100 for new and renewal applications). The page describes a temporary permit and states no permanent residence step.
- [L1] Constitution of Malta, Article 5 (language), Government of Malta, Laws of Malta (legislation.mt). Checked 16 October 2026. Article 5(2): the Maltese and the English languages, and any other language Parliament prescribes by a two-thirds law, 'shall be the official languages of Malta'. Read from the consolidated text on legislation.mt on 16 October 2026.
- [K3] Nomad Residence Permit: FAQs, Residency Malta Agency (nomad.residencymalta.gov.mt). Checked 16 October 2026. FAQs version 14.1 (last updated 17 April 2026), read on 16 October 2026. Eligible: 18 or over, able to work remotely, and a non-EU, non-EEA, non-Swiss national; applicants from Afghanistan, North Korea, Iran, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Yemen and Venezuela, and from Russia and Belarus, are currently not eligible (the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand are not on the list). Employed by an employer registered abroad, a partner or shareholder of a company registered abroad, or a freelancer with contracts with clients established abroad; anyone providing services to Malta-based companies or individuals is ineligible. Minimum gross yearly income EUR 42,000, guaranteed for at least 5 months from the day of application. Application fee EUR 300 per person and EUR 100 for the residence card. The permit is valid for 1 year and may be renewed three times, for a maximum of 4 years, at the Agency's discretion. The FAQs list no deposit or investment, only the fees above.