Thinking of moving to Malta

Stephen,

that is a very good wage for Malta.

Obviously you will ge taxed on this and have social security to pay ...

Budget
€300+ for an apartment
€60-80 a month for Electric and Water
€25 a month for broadband and telephone
€25 a month for Bus (If your not using a car)

Food depending on what you buy but €200 a month about.

That should give you a decent sort of thinking.... obviously an estimate but a pretty decent sort of one...

In my opinion and only from what I have done .... I would highly recommend it..

Have a good read on here about the different ways etc... ST Julians is loud and VERY busy in the Summer...

to give you an example of travel from St Julians to Kalkara by bus will take about 1hr .... look at the map of malta... it really isnt that much of a distance anywhere but its a real headache on buses...

I live in the South, Birzebbuga, and I work in Naxxar, this is about 12 miles... at the moment with the rain.... by car .... it takes anythign from 35 minutes to 1hr 40 mins last week.

Car is a good way to go but will add to your expenses..

Also think about some of the closer towns even like Valletta or floriana, Tarxien, Zabbar etc.

Hope this is of some assistance

Julian

Thanks for that!

I am under the impression 1800 is after all my tax is paid..
But it would have to support all 3 of us!
I have been looking at Marsascala also in the South, and at 3 bedroom apartments for around 500..
Id need somewhere with childcare and enough going on for my wife to get part time work to keep her sane! haha

Id probably bus it to work unless a Scooter was an option!

Hi Stephen,

welcome to the forum.

300 + rent for appartment in the St. Julians area won't be .... look at 500 +.

200 € /month on food for a family of 3 is also a very low quote !

Finding part-time work for your wife will depend on her qualifications. It could prove difficult. Her salary will probably just cover the cost of childcare while she is away .

And don't forget the cost for TV and mobile phone usage in Malta.

Cheers
Ricky

Ricky,

Thats why I put €300+ because you can get a 2 bedroom apartment for that in St Julians.... not saying that it will be a nice apartment but you can.....

and Really you can certainly get shopping for €200 but you do have to look around... by the right things from the right places... again this goes back to the North South divide in Malta...

an example of this is that I paid €1.70 for a Pint of cisk in Birze but pay over €2 in Paceville.

Sorry forgot about the TV and Mobile... again there are alternatives...

I agree with the Part time work ... sorry didnt see that bit. My Wife has been looking for work for a while and has only just got it ... unfortunatley it was Full time but its a great Salary for Administration/accounts post .... IT Industry is certainly the way to look

Julian

Thanks for the info,

My wife is a beautician just now but has done many admin jobs and others before hand, it may be she gets a job throughout the summer when its tourist season. I will have to look into that further i guess as its quite important.
Its looking like it may be worthwhile tho, i think if possible i'll try to squeeze the pay up to 2000 euros a month after tax and that should make things more comfortable.
The company may have a better idea of where i should live etc.

stephen27 wrote:

i think if possible i'll try to squeeze the pay up to 2000 euros a month after tax .

Is the quote you gave after tax then ?? €1800 ??

She should be able to get a job during the summer season no problem... but it will be the normal Waitressing, Bar Work, Animation etc..

The Animation etc jobs are being advertised now

Hope you find what you are looking for ... and Ricky has Awesome Parties...

Julian

Scooter in the Summer would be fine... the driving is fun but keeping a straight head and reading in advance the road is a must.

Marsaskala is nice but again the Bus will be about an hour.

Actually I really like Marsaskala and a €500 euro apartment there will be a really nice apartment as they can be a bit cheaper... lots of nice resturants and bars there to.

Julian

yes its after tax.. its less than my current wage but im thinking of quality of life for myself, wife and daughter...

i take it the traffic is a complete nightmare, it tells me on routefinder that its 6k between them, i take it its not possible to run it?? haha, trying to think of all options to save forking out for a car, and wanting to settle somewhere i like and decent digs aswell!

I seem to be the frontrunner for the job so the weekend will be spent researching i think!

If I was working in the Uk doing what I am then I would probrably be on double what I am here but it really is about quality of life.... the traffic is only bad on certain types of days ... for instance that trip to work this morning 35 mins brilliant....

I would not go back now at all... love the people, the way of life and even thought its the coldest winter for ages .... its beautiful..

Then again its all about opinion .... you may hate it

Hope you dont mind me asking but is the job in SmartCity ??


Julian

ditto scubaboy...its definetely all about quality of life.

Hi guys,

I've read about the quality of life statistics, that was recently published, stating that Malta is #3 in the world measured by the "quality of life" index. Also, the slow pace of Mediterranean lifestyle etc. Could you please tell me then, why do corporates here work you endless hours with the lunch break at your desk? So far, I've seen several examples, so just wondering if it is a normal habit?

Otherwise, it looks like it's warming up here finally

its the normal malti psyche.....

Yeah actually it would be on the new Smart City project.
I doubt i'd hate it, its my ideal, we'r both in out mid 20's but prefer a more relaxed lifestyle with nice foods, etc.
Its difficult for myself to find a job in such a good med location, but having never been to Malta it is also quite a daunting proposition!

Yep - quality of life...that's why we left Malta and returned to the UK and haven't looked back (apart from the occasional check back to this forum)...so it's all down to personal circumstances/attitudes.

Tim

Hey Tim.... Nice to see you on here again...

You are totally right ... its each persons view of how they feel quality of life is...of course individual circumstances make a difference...

Thats why when people ask on here ... wheres the best place to live in malta.... ???

easy where you feel is better for your circumstance.. are you young, Single, does you job pay above average, do you like night life, do you prefer quiet scenic locality... all different for different people..

I still love the place, but i think thats from being here every summer since 1979..

And Irina... is it not better working the standard long hours here and then having a nice glass of wine looking out on a warm night ... than working long hours, getting a tube full of sweaty people, then getting home... having a nice glass of wine looking out over a dull cloudy grey night (and thats in the summer) lol ...

Julian

Haha, Julian, you are right, everything is so relative! All depends on what you compare it to.

Hi Julian,

I'm sure we agree and the only reason I commented was that although this is a great forum with some terrific people posting on it and providing a lot of great information - my only concern for people who come here wanting to know what Malta's like is that for the most part the people that have had an unfortunate time in Malta and have moved on have also stopped posting and so it's a pretty self-selecting group of generally happy-with-and-enthusiastic-about-Malta people who post...it's absolutely no criticism of anyone just a reality that means even though you guys try to be fair and honest, people coming to the forum are not getting the full depth and breadth of opinions about what it's like to live in Malta, because a very important voice is missing - those that have tried and failed to make a success of it.

Having said all that - it's a great adventure moving to any new country and in Stephen's situation (as far as I know it from what he's said) I would be very tempted to try it out too.

Cheers
Tim

hi Tim - i take issue (LOL) with you and your comment of "those who have tried and failed to make it work" not a good choice of words i think....i dont think that fits with everyone who returns to their homeland either as some do try (really hard) and i dont see it as failure - its simply circumstances dictating your future here or not...and its not easy as they will attest...although overall I agree with you. I do wish at times that ex expats continue to comment and contribute to maintain fair balance...but suspect the interest in doing so soon dissappears...hope you guys are all fit and well..

Hi Tim, I for one would be interested to hear some of your pros and cons for living in Malta, and maybe, if it's not too personal, the reason you relocated back to the UK. Having read posts over the past year I realise that living in Malta is not a bed of roses but most expats seem to make the best of their new cicumstances.

I'm a 65 yr old self-employed chemical engineer living in Wellington, South Africa, not happy with the way things are developing in SA, and considering relocating to a safe, accessible, affordable country with reasonable climate.  Looked at Oz, NZ, Canada, Mauritius, even Malaysia, but currently keen to give Malta a try.  Keen cyclist and golfer (and pilot, sailor & diver when I was younger).  Sorry to see the adverse comment abt golf on Malta.  I'm an expert in potable alcohol distillation, and intend doing some export business from Malta because of its favourable tax regime.  Will be visiting in June.  Just wanted to introduce myself to the forum.

Schalk Pienaar

Hi Schalk,

welcome to the forum.

We have quite a few South African's or former residents of SA here on the forum or/and in our Expat group.

Cycling and golfing are not the best things to do in Malta but otherwise there are many options to be active.

Expert in potable alcohol distllation sounds really interesting - if you need someone to taste and judge your products - I'm waiting -))) and we can try some of the local products.

Stay in touch and see you in June.

Cheers
Ricky

Schalkpnr wrote:

I'm an expert in potable alcohol distillation, and intend doing some export business from Malta because of its favourable tax regime.

fancy exporting to Gozo ?

Let's strike a deal George!

I do the quality control and testing and you import !

How about it ?

Cheers and Prost
Ricky

Thanks for the interest expressed guys!

Actually, I have a very open mind on what I might get involved in if I do decide to spend some time on Malta.  I believe there are 4 wineries on the island.  Maybe we can make some brandy from their waste material.  Grappa is another option. But that will be for fun rather than serious business because of the limited supply.

My main business is designing and building equipment for the potable spirits industry, and since Malta is in the EU, it may be easier doing business in the EU wine growing countries from Malta than from SA.

There may be other opportunities unrelated to alcohol.  I understand Malta has limited water, and all drinking water comes from desalination.  I presume this may be a reason the golf club got such poor ratings in this forum.  Is any waste water recycled on Malta?

Schalk

My Husband is Scotish and I am Canadian.  the cost of living is low, but the "cultural differences" will shock you. Although generally speaking Maltese are quite lovely kind people, it is very hard to live here. If it is short them give it a try April - June is fantastic as it Sept - Nov, but in the long term if you plan to school your child here, even in the private schools, you will find it shockingly savage compared to Scotland and for us north America.  About 25% of the kids in our school are foreigners and of everyone I have talked to no one "loves" living her and non have been happy with the quality of the school or teachers.  Its rather that is the best they can do here and "its not forever" Keep in mind that they are 83 in the gender gap for equality and that they are opening discriminatory abut non-Catholics. Even though the economy relies heavily on foreign activity/investment/tourism, they are the 10th most xenophobic country in europe.  Dr.s and estate agents tend to be ones to look out for asking for everything in cash and keeping no records. Also keep  in mind there health and safety regulations are not the same.

From my perspective as a former serial 'expat' (now returned to my UK homeland) the pro's and con's of Malta are (in my opinion) very much a personal issue... Malta is after all globally known as the marmite isle... you either love it or you hate it! but I think that is far too much of a generalisation. From my time on Malta, I absolutely loved the Country and the majority of local people I met but I loathed the political and administrative nonsense necessary to undertake even the simplest of things, and that is aside from the absolute disorganisation, the selective costing and of course the 'you lose scenario's' should you not be Maltese or speak maltese!

As a place to visit (outside of the horrendous August / September heat and the January / February cold houses)it is a great place to visit and I absolutely loved my time on Malta but now having returned to the UK South Coast after many years away... do you know what, it's not so bad ... The weather is not as bad as I recall in fact it really has been a nice winter and living in a centrally heated property with carpets and insulation is most agreeable after nearly ten years of freezing during the cold periods around the Med...

As for living long-term in Malta without a car... honestly, forget it unless you have the proverbial patience of Jobe in waiting for buses that (unless things have changed dramatically over the past three months) cannot be relied upon and equally, you need your own wheels to really get about and see the 'real Malta'

So my personal question is... would I return to live in Malta full time... No, but I would love to be selective in spending months at a time there as it is such a lovely place...

and that folks is my personal opinion! (he says jumping off the soap-box)

Hi CdninMalta,

Welcome to the forum and for your comments.. although I still do have to say that there is a huge culture difference between the north and south... I find people in the south are much more freindly, much more willing to help and definetley not out to rip you off like they are in the North.

Also that website is slightly dated now... 2003 ??

Julian

Mikea,

You have hit the nail right on its head... It has always will be individuals that chose what the country is like for their own needs....

Seriously I have just read some of that website which is seriously out of date... but my God how Biased are the views...

Yes there is bad in Malta, but there is Badness EVERYWHERE. Yes there are AHoles in Malta... but again they are everywhere..

The only way to know if you will like somewhere is visit it... not just once.. or twice but different times during differnet seasons... AND VISIT IT ALL not just the touristy loud and dirty areas... Mdina and the Valleys around it are beautiful.. The walk along the coast from Birzebbuga to Marsaxlokk is amazing..

There are lots more to the countries you visit apart from Loud Bars, and Noisy neighbours..

Julian
(Again)

I just wanted to welcome CdninMalta as it is their first post.

Also as similarly one half of a North American/British couple with kids in Malta schools, we experienced it pretty much the same way as CdninMalta expressed it and hence we finally left.

Like Mikea - having returned to the UK it is fine back here(despite the economy) and I too wouldn't go back to live in Malta but would be happy to visit from time to time, and will do so. Maybe when retirement comes along we'll pack a couple of bags and return to Malta for longer...who knows.

And as ever I agree with Julian it is all down to individual experiences both before and during Malta. Don't know about the North/South divide though - really on such a small island?, but perhaps...nothing surprises me where Malta is concerned any more.

Cheers!
Tim

An interesting post CdninMalta, it's strikingly obvious that expats with children in schools in Malta seem to have the biggest issues. But - I find it annoying that the 'bench-mark' used by unhappy expats on this forum is always based on Europe, USA, UK. 'Cultural differences'/health and safety regulations' you speak of might not be that unpleasant to people that are not arriving from your 'perfect' world.
When we came to live here in the UK (ex SA) we found the cultural/health safety differences enormous - and not necessarily pleasing, in fact a pain in the butt a lot of the time. Remember Malta is a small country, has only been in the EU for about 8 years - if you visit SA you would find the Malta norms to be very similar to there and quite frankly very relaxed living!
A new country is what you make of it, accept that it doesn't have to be just like your country,and maybe don't set such high expectations. I would imagine the local Maltese inhabitants probably find some of the expats extremely annoying - when we were in SA we often wanted to swat the whinging poms and superior USA and EU expats - our oft repeated comment was - 'If you don't like it, why don't you go home. you came for the sunny, laid back lifestyle and now it's not good enough for you!

Hey Tim...

Great to hear all is well with you... You are sorely missed on here with your comments and wisdom

And yes remember this is Malta and nothing SHOULD ever surprise you...

Hope to see you back on a visit all the best to the Family


Roo..... What can i say ... Beer ?? See you in Sunny Malta Soon

Julian.

Scuba
       

Thanks Julian - we'll definitely seek the South out next time we are over and look you up.

Rooikat - we can't help but look at life through the lens of our own experiences and I don't think any of us claim that where we have lived in the past is perfect - I know I definitely don't. I've lived in several countries and they have all had things I've loved and things I've hated.

But this is a thread for people thinking of moving to Malta and I think it's perfectly valid for people of all opinions to post their thoughts on that subject here. After all it is a huge move for most people to go and live in another country and they should have opprtunity to hear about the bad as well as the good. This is an English language forum after all and a lot of the people posting on it that they are thinking about moving to Malta are from the UK (inc the OP is in Scotland) so I think it's relevant to give experiences of people moving from similar socio-econimic country conditions like UK/USA/Canada. Perhaps there's a similar SA forum where there are less negative comments?

Rooikat - Your profile syas you're in London - maybe we can get together for a beer and discuss further in person!

OK - I'm going back into exile again now!

Tim

Tim, I'm sure you weren't meaning to be insulting  and I won't take it that way, but SA is English speaking and our socio-economic conditions are very well thank you - we were colonised by everyone and his brother! This forum is not for British expats it's general expats and in this particular thread  two other S Africans have asked questions about Malta - thanks but we don't need our own forum:lol:

Rooikat, the if you don't like it go home is fine, but my point was that we did a lot of research and visited 3 times before moving.  We thought we made an informed decision based on what we read and what the schools told us.  In fact we were sold a bill of goods.  We are leaving , but agree with another blogger that Malta still remains a fantastic vacation destination for short term and I don't deny it is rich in history.  We have met a SA couple here as well and they are stuck due to not being able to emigrate to the US or UK and their favorite quote is "The Maltese are a 3rd world nation who pretend to be a 1st world nation"  So its not just us Canadians living in a bubble. Yes I understand that we are fortunate to have what we have in Canada and did not expect the same here.  However Since here we have travelled a lot and found that other Med. countries seem to manage to have higher standards while enjoying the relaxed lifestyle.  If we were not a family with children. the experience would have been different all together.  Even the Maltese feel they fall short.  It was a Maltese family that warned me of the poor state of the water system and how we would find we would be constantly up charged for goods and service by the locals.  If water truck normally 50€ was €65 for our UK friends, an apartment we went to view the landlord told us €1250.  Then we had a Maltese friend go look and low and behold it was €850. I took my daughter to the doctor just to inquire about a fever. 5 min he charged me €25.  Later a neighbor told me same Dr. only charges them €10.  So it is not completely a matter of our naive and superiority complex that I am suggesting people from similar backgrounds take a serious look before choosing Malta as a permanent residence.  Yes the link I posted is old, but much of it still rings true.  the Scottish fellow says his wife wanted to find work well.  the gender gap on wages etc here in Malta is one of the worst in Europe. Malta is 85th  on the gender gap ranking.

Well said Rooikat. One's ability to accept the norms of a foreign country will depend on one's experiences and expectations

[Moderated]

Maybe interesting but many statements are wrong or not accurate!

Just the last sentence says it all:

Premium property is available from 120.000 GBP ! Where is that supposed to be in Malta or what is the exact definition of premium property ? From what I see offered that is just about the cheapest you can expect in a small village away from any prime area !

Cheers
Ricky

Hi Ricky!

Truth be told I think you might be right about that!  Anyway, what's wrong with a bit of village life?!!

Take care
Amii.

ricky wrote:

Maybe interesting but many statements are wrong or not accurate!

Just the last sentence says it all:

Premium property is available from 120.000 GBP ! Where is that supposed to be in Malta or what is the exact definition of premium property ? From what I see offered that is just about the cheapest you can expect in a small village away from any prime area !

Cheers
Ricky