There is no single best place to live in Malta – the official rent register shows a price ladder instead. New two-bedroom leases in the first half of 2024 had a median rent of €1,300 a month in Sliema against €800 in St Paul's Bay, Malta's most rented locality, and less again in most of Gozo, according to the Housing Authority. Decide what you need nearby; let the budget pick the town.
Where do most expats live in Malta?
Malta's rent register does not record tenants' nationality, but it shows where renters live. The Housing Authority counted 64,856 active registered leases at the end of June 2024: 93% in Malta and 7% in Gozo, with 43% in the Northern Harbour region and 24% in the Northern region.
St Paul's Bay is the single most rented locality, with about 9,400 leases – 15% of the register. Sixteen other localities pass 1,000 active leases: Sliema, Msida, Gżira, St Julian's, Marsaskala, Birkirkara, Swieqi, Mosta, Mellieħa, San Ġwann, Ħamrun, Birżebbuġa, Naxxar, Qormi, Pietà and Żebbuġ in Gozo.
The table puts the main ones side by side, using the Authority's medians for leases that started in January–June 2024 (published October 2024, shared rooms excluded) – the most recent locality figures it has published.
| Locality | Median monthly rent, approx. – 2 bedrooms | Median monthly rent, approx. – 3 bedrooms | Editorial note |
|---|---|---|---|
| St Julian's | about €1,350 | about €1,500 | Named by the Authority among the three most expensive |
| Sliema | €1,300 | €1,600 | Named among the three most expensive; over 1,000 active leases |
| Swieqi | about €1,250 | about €1,500 | Named among the three most expensive |
| Gżira | about €1,100 | about €1,200 | The harbour belt, a step below Sliema |
| San Ġwann | about €1,100 | about €1,300 | In Gżira's band for a two-bedroom |
| Msida | about €950 | about €1,100 | Home of the University of Malta's main campus |
| Birkirkara | about €950 | about €1,150 | Over 1,000 active leases, a step below the harbour belt |
| Mosta | about €950 | about €1,100 | Over 1,000 active leases, in the centre of the island |
| Mellieħa | about €850 | about €950 | Close to the St Paul's Bay level |
| St Paul's Bay | €800 | €900 | Malta's most rented locality – about 15% of all registered leases |
| Marsaskala | about €800 | about €950 | Over 1,000 active leases, at the St Paul's Bay level |
| Gozo (Victoria, Xagħra, Nadur, Għajnsielem, Żebbuġ, Munxar …) | about €650–850 | about €600–750 | 7% of all leases; the lowest medians on the register |
Figures for Sliema and St Paul's Bay are stated in the Authority's text; the others are read from its charts and rounded to the nearest €50.
What are the most expensive and cheapest areas to live in Malta?
The Housing Authority names Sliema, St Julian's and Swieqi as the most expensive localities to rent in, and says rents in most Gozo localities are lower than in Malta. On its charts, the lowest two-bedroom medians are in Gozitan localities such as Żebbuġ and Munxar, and on the main island in places such as Marsa and Birżebbuġa.
Three caveats keep these numbers honest. They are registered rents for new leases, not asking prices in today's listings. The charts leave out leases under €400 a month and localities with fewer than 20 new leases in the period. And the Authority measured rents rising 6.8% a year in mid-2024, so use the table for the gaps between areas, not as today's price.
Across all new long lets in early 2024, 31% cost €700–999 a month and 41% more than €1,000. If you share, the picture changes completely. Shared spaces made up 9.5% of active leases, and about 70% of shared-room leases starting in early 2024 cost €100–299 a month, according to the same report.
Full monthly budgets – bills, food and transport on top of rent – are in our cost of living in Malta breakdown.
Which area suits a young professional or remote worker?
The harbour belt – Sliema, St Julian's, Gżira, Swieqi and Msida – is where the register is busiest after St Paul's Bay and the rents are highest: all five have more than 1,000 active leases. Paying the premium buys location, not space: the same two-bedroom had a median of €1,300 in Sliema against €800 in St Paul's Bay, and every locality in the table outside St Julian's, Sliema and Swieqi charts lower.
Our Sliema and St Julian's guide shows that area at street level.
If the budget is tighter, the data points one ring inland. Msida, San Ġwann and Birkirkara sit a clear step below Sliema on the Authority's charts, and Msida is home to the University of Malta's main campus. A shared flat anywhere in that ring is the cheapest way to live near the harbour.
Remote workers with no daily commute have the widest choice. At the stated medians, a two-bedroom in St Paul's Bay cost €6,000 a year less than one in Sliema (€800 against €1,300 a month).
Which area is best for families with children?
For a family the three-bedroom column matters, and the gaps widen. A three-bedroom in Sliema had a median of €1,600 a month, against €900 in St Paul's Bay – a difference of €8,400 a year.
The charts show two belts below the harbour prices: Mosta and Birkirkara in the centre of the island, and St Paul's Bay, Mellieħa and Marsaskala, which sit at or near the St Paul's Bay level.
Space, schools and commute decide the rest, and those the rent register cannot show. Visit at school-run time before you sign, and check the bus routes from the door to the school and to work.
Is Gozo a good place to live?
For a quiet life at the lowest rents, yes – with one condition: Gozo depends on the sea crossing. The Gozo Channel ferry from Ċirkewwa to Mġarr takes about 25 minutes and runs around the clock, as our Malta to Gozo ferry guide explains.
Gozo holds 7% of Malta's registered leases. Its most rented localities are Żebbuġ (which includes Marsalforn), Victoria, Munxar (which includes Xlendi), Xagħra and Għajnsielem, and the Housing Authority finds rents in most Gozo localities lower than in Malta.
It suits people who work remotely, are retired or have a job on Gozo itself. Anyone commuting to the harbour area every day adds the crossing and the drive to Ċirkewwa to every working day.
Do you need a car to live in Malta?
Not necessarily. Residents with a personalised Tallinja card have ridden scheduled buses free since 1 October 2022, so a flat near a main bus route can replace a car for many commutes.
That may change. The Budget speech of 26 October 2026 says that from January 2027 free public transport will remain only for Maltese and Gozitan citizens, resident EU citizens and long-term residents. Other non-EU residents would fall outside it, so check the card terms before you plan around free buses.
Gozo is where a car helps most: the ferry carries cars, and village-to-village trips are longer there.
How do you choose – and what comes next?
Start with what you need near you – an office, a university, a school, the ferry – and pick the cheapest locality on the table that keeps that within reach. Then visit at the hour you would commute.
Once you choose, the landlord must register the lease with the Housing Authority within 30 days – extended from 10 days by Act XX of 2024 from 1 September 2024 – and a permit application usually needs it. The full first-month order is in our guide to moving to Malta.
Renewals rarely raise the rent: of 14,766 lease renewals in the first half of 2024, about 91% kept the same rent, the Authority reports.
Which figures change, and where do you check them?
Rents rise most years, so use the table above for the gaps between areas rather than as today's prices.
- Rents by locality: the Housing Authority publishes newer registers of rental contracts on its website.
- Lease registration and tenancy rules: the Private Residential Leases Act, Cap. 604.
- Free public transport: the current Tallinja card terms from Malta Public Transport, because eligibility changes from January 2027.
The short version: pay for the harbour belt only if you will use it every day; otherwise the centre, the north and Gozo give you the same island for hundreds of euros less a month.
If you plan to buy rather than rent, read buying property in Malta first; if you are moving on a pension, start with retiring in Malta.
This page explains how the system works; it is not legal, tax or financial advice. Rules change – check your own case with the authority or a licensed adviser.
01What are the best areas to live in Malta?
It depends on budget and routine. Malta's Housing Authority names Sliema, St Julian's and Swieqi as the most expensive places to rent, with a median of €1,300 a month for a two-bedroom flat in Sliema on leases starting in early 2024. St Paul's Bay, Malta's most rented locality, had a median of €800, and rents in most of Gozo were lower still.
02Where do most expats live in Malta?
Malta's rent register does not record nationality, but it shows where renters live. At the end of June 2024, 43% of the 64,856 active registered leases were in the Northern Harbour region, 24% were in the Northern region, and St Paul's Bay alone had about 9,400 leases, 15% of the total.
03What is the cheapest area to live in Malta?
Gozo has the lowest registered rents: Malta's Housing Authority reports that rents in most Gozo localities are lower than in Malta, with Żebbuġ and Munxar at the bottom of its early-2024 charts. On the main island, Marsa and Birżebbuġa are among the cheapest. A room in a shared flat, at €100–299 a month for most shared leases, costs less still.
04Is Gozo a good place to live?
Gozo suits remote workers, retirees and people with jobs on the island. Malta's Housing Authority finds rents in most Gozo localities lower than in Malta, and Gozo holds 7% of registered leases. Every trip to Malta, though, depends on the roughly 25-minute Gozo Channel ferry between Mġarr and Ċirkewwa, which runs around the clock.
05Can a US citizen live in Malta?
Yes, with a residence permit. US citizens can visit Malta visa-free for 90 days in any 180, but living there needs a permit such as a Single Permit through a Maltese employer or the Nomad Residence Permit for remote workers. Where you live is then a question of budget, like for any other resident.
06Do you need a car to live in Malta?
Not necessarily. Residents with a personalised Tallinja card have ridden scheduled buses free since 1 October 2022, although Budget 2027 announced limits on who qualifies from January 2027. A car helps most in Gozo and for commutes between villages that a single bus route does not connect.
Featured image: Frank Vincentz / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0
