Cost of Living in Malta
Eurostat puts Maltese consumer prices at 95.8 in 2025, where the EU average is 100, so about 4.2% below average. Housing, water, electricity and gas stand at 73.0, while food stands at 112.9. RPI inflation was 2.9% in September 2026.
What does it cost to live in Malta? This page uses official figures only: registered leases from the Housing Authority, consumer prices and spending weights from the National Statistics Office (NSO), rent estimates from the Central Bank of Malta, and price levels and housing cost burden from Eurostat. Where no official national figure exists, we leave the item out.
Rent and housing costs in Malta
Price levels in Malta against the EU average, 2023 to 2025
Rent in Malta
Every private lease in Malta must be registered with the Housing Authority. Active registered contracts rose from around 27,000 at the end of 2020 to over 71,000 at the beginning of October 2025, about 2.6 times as many. In the first half of 2024, average rents were 6.8% higher than a year earlier. Of new long lets that started then, 41% cost more than €1,000 a month and 31% cost from €700 to €999. About 91% of the 14,766 renewals in that half year kept the same rent.
Rents differ a lot by locality. The median new 2-bedroom apartment cost €1,300 a month in Sliema and €800 in St Paul's Bay in the first half of 2024. For 3 bedrooms, the medians were €1,600 and €900. Rents are still rising. The Central Bank of Malta estimates that advertised rents grew between 4.9% and 5.3% a year in the first quarter of 2026, and rent in the Retail Price Index was 3.4% higher in September 2026 than a year earlier. The Housing Authority does not publish a single national average rent, so we do not show one.
Consumer prices and inflation
Inflation measured by the Retail Price Index (RPI) was 2.9% in September 2026, up from 2.6% in August, according to the National Statistics Office (NSO). Housing rose fastest, at 7.3%, driven by house maintenance services (8.7%) and materials (7.2%). Food, which includes restaurants and take-aways, rose 3.4%. The Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices (HICP) rose 2.4% in Malta in September 2026, against 3.8% in the euro area.
Eurostat puts the Maltese price level for household consumption at 95.8 in 2025, where the EU average is 100. That means prices about 4.2% below the EU average. The gap is not even. Food and non-alcoholic drinks stand at 112.9, about 12.9% above average, while housing, water, electricity and gas stand at 73.0, about 27.0% below.
What households spend
The RPI weights show how private households in Malta split their spending. They are reviewed in line with the NSO Household Budget Survey. Transport and communication (22.10) and food, including restaurants and take-aways (21.49), take the largest shares. Housing and utilities together weigh 11.21. The NSO ran a new Household Budget Survey from November 2024 to November 2025; its results are not published yet, so we do not show a spending total in euros.
| Spending group in the Retail Price Index | Weight, out of 100 |
|---|---|
| Transport and communication | 22.10 |
| Food, including restaurant services and take-aways | 21.49 |
| Recreation and culture, including education | 9.90 |
| Personal care and health | 8.81 |
| Housing | 7.90 |
| Other goods and services | 7.34 |
| Furnishings and household equipment | 6.97 |
| Clothing and footwear | 6.62 |
| Beverages and tobacco | 5.56 |
| Water, electricity, gas and fuels | 3.31 |
| All items | 100.00 |
Transport
Since 1 October 2022, buses in Malta and Gozo are free for all citizens and residents who hold a personalised Tallinja Card. Eurostat puts the Maltese price level for transport at 84.6 in 2025, below the EU average of 100. Transport prices in the HICP rose 2.9% in the year to September 2026, against 9.8% in the euro area.
Energy and utilities
Household prices for water, electricity, gas and fuels in the RPI were unchanged in September 2026 on a year earlier, a change of 0.0%. The Central Bank of Malta links this to continued government subsidies on retail utility prices. In the HICP, electricity, gas and other fuels were also unchanged in Malta, while they rose 9.4% in the euro area. Housing costs weigh less on Maltese households than the EU average: 6.0% of people lived in a household spending more than 40% of disposable income on housing in 2025, against 7.6% in the EU.
What it means for pay and hiring
Employees in Malta earned an average basic salary of €2,282 a month from April to June 2026, according to the NSO. The national minimum wage is €229.44 a week in 2026. A rent of €1,000 a month is about 43.8% of that average salary. The median new 2-bedroom apartment in Sliema took about 57% of it, and in St Paul's Bay about 35%, at first half 2024 rents. Where the person lives in Malta matters for the salary you offer. See average salary in Malta and Malta minimum wage.
Employers also pay 10% social security and 0.3% to the Maternity Leave Fund on top of basic pay, plus €512.52 a year in statutory bonuses and weekly allowances, as our guide to hiring in Malta explains. Hiring in Malta? We do placement. We source, screen and interview remote professionals across Europe, then deliver a shortlist of 3 candidates within 21 days for a flat $6,500, or your deposit back. Prefer to run the search yourself? Post a job for $299. See how placement works or browse remote jobs in Malta.
This is general information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change and collective agreements can set different terms. Confirm with a local accountant or lawyer before you hire.
Frequently asked questions
Is Malta expensive compared with the rest of the EU?
Overall, prices are a little below the EU average. Eurostat puts the Maltese price level for household consumption at 95.8 in 2025, where the EU average is 100. Food is above average at 112.9, while housing and utilities are well below at 73.0.
How much is rent in Malta?
The Housing Authority does not publish a national average. Of new long lets that started in the first half of 2024, 41% cost more than €1,000 a month. The median new 2-bedroom apartment cost €1,300 in Sliema and €800 in St Paul's Bay.
What is the inflation rate in Malta?
RPI inflation was 2.9% in September 2026, and HICP inflation was 2.4%, according to the NSO and Eurostat. Housing rose 7.3% in the RPI.
Are electricity and gas prices rising in Malta?
No. Household prices for water, electricity, gas and fuels were unchanged in September 2026 on a year earlier. The Central Bank of Malta links this to government subsidies on retail utility prices.
Is public transport free in Malta?
Yes, for residents. Since 1 October 2022, buses are free for all citizens and residents in Malta and Gozo who hold a personalised Tallinja Card.
Sources
- Eurostat, Price level indices, prc_ppp_ind_1. Checked 5 Nov 2026.
- Housing Authority, Registered rental contracts in Malta 2024H1. Checked 5 Nov 2026.
- Housing Authority, Rental Contracts More Than Double in Five Years, 29 Oct 2025. Checked 5 Nov 2026.
- Central Bank of Malta, Quarterly Review 2026:3, Chapter 3, Prices, costs and competitiveness. Checked 5 Nov 2026.
- NSO, Retail Price Index (RPI): September 2026, NR 184/2026. Checked 5 Nov 2026.
- Eurostat, HICP annual rates of change, prc_hicp_minr. Checked 5 Nov 2026.
- Eurostat, Housing cost overburden rate, ilc_lvho07a. Checked 5 Nov 2026.
- NSO, Household Budget Survey. Checked 5 Nov 2026.
- Ministry for Transport, Infrastructure and Public Works, Free public transport. Checked 5 Nov 2026.
