Moving to Malta in 2013 - Costs of living?

Hi Robin,

welcome to the forum.

The figures you quote are the utmost minimum for an austere lifestyle in Malta with many if's and when's.

With appartments you get what you pay -200 to 300 € is very low. Maybe you should consider sharing an appartment.

There are offers on our website under 'Housing' otherwise you can check out the usual real estate agents when it gets closer, the rental market moves fast here although there are enough places available.

One thing I miss in your equation is health care which amounts to about 50 €/month depending.

The figures you quote as your income in the near future are more or less tax free here in Malta (which shows how low they are even for Maltese standards).

I wish you luck with your future plans.
Ricky

Thank you Rick for the answers!

Yeah i guessed that amount of money would be a very tight budget, but i feel like, why not go there and the first 6 months live really cheap and just work with my websites and enjoy the beautiful island. That is one thing we are missing here in Sweden, that beautiful weather. Where i live almost the whole summer rains away.

About the apartments, i don't mind if they are not in top quality. I lived in worse conditions in Sweden so i don't mind But maybe i will check in to your suggestion about sharing the apartment with someone.

I have this card that we get in Sweden called "European health insurance card". That card shall give me the same medical care as in Sweden. But if i stay longer than 6 months or 12 months i have to sign me out from Sweden then i might look into buying a health insurance. Anyway thanks for the tips!

How much can i earn each year to be tax free?

Thanks for your answers Ricky, always nice to hear from someone with experience.

the EHIC only allows emergency cover here as a tourist, but once you have been here 3 months (you will then need to register your existence here as a resident) that means the EHIC cover ceases. But if you are working officially and paying tax and national insurance contributions then you would qualify for the same heatlth cover as locals.

as a single person the tax free allowances are currently 8500euros.

Thanks you for answers, i have two more questions.

I been looking on apartments just to see where its cheap to live and how the towns looks like, i see allot of apartments are available in Gozo and the prices are a bit cheaper than on Malta. Is that island something you can recommend.

What are the prices by boat between Malta & Gozo?

Robin

Gozo is very small but lovely and very very quiet, it is cheaper to rent and many things are much cheaper than here in Malta. the thing you may need to consider is travel times as you must always use the ferry and that adds between 30-50 mins on to any journey to malta and airports each way. ferry prices are 4.95e for foot passeneger or if driving its 15e for car and driver or foc if you have kartanzjan.

we were recently over there and were talking to a barman who lives there and he was saying you can rent a one bed apartment for about 120e per month, a penthouse for about 260-300e per month and a fully kitted farmhouse with pool etc for about 500e....maybe george can clarify these rates.

Can someone explain the ID card please. Are there different types?

Hi Groto,

the ID is a small plastic card that is issued to residents of Malta. For foreigners it has a number folled by an 'A', Maltese get one with a 'M' or one of several other letters. By applying for the ID card a foreigner is declaring himself a resident of Malta although the actual Residence Document has to be applied for in a separate procedure from the DCEA (Department for Citizenship and Expatriate Affairs) in Valletta.

You apply for the ID card at the passport office at the lower end of Valletta in the Evans Building and can collect after about one week when you receive a notification by mail.

Cheers
Ricky

Thanks for that!
Cheers

toonarmy9752 wrote:

Gozo is very small but lovely and very very quiet, it is cheaper to rent and many things are much cheaper than here in Malta. the thing you may need to consider is travel times as you must always use the ferry and that adds between 30-50 mins on to any journey to malta and airports each way. ferry prices are 4.95e for foot passeneger or if driving its 15e for car and driver or foc if you have kartanzjan.

we were recently over there and were talking to a barman who lives there and he was saying you can rent a one bed apartment for about 120e per month, a penthouse for about 260-300e per month and a fully kitted farmhouse with pool etc for about 500e....maybe george can clarify these rates.

I have some other questions about Gozo as i think the rental prices will fit me in the beginning, when my company have more income i can quit the apartment after 6 months or something and move on to a better apartment.

But the question, is it as simple as on Malta island to get Internet and stuff like that?

I seen some small apartments with €175 each month in rent.
In Sweden we have to pay like €500 for a small apartment.

€200 each month would be a great start apartment for me.

And i dont mind in the beginning not living in the big town, i can take the ferry like once a week to see town. But i guess Gozo have something also to offer?

And how much is cost of the tv-license in Malta? i read somewhere €34.40, is that per year i hope?

One more thing

Lets say i find a nice apartment and i want to rent it, i say i start with 6 months sign contract and so on.

What cost should i expect more? I read 50% ti the real estate firm guy that helped me is that correct. Shall i pay some kind of deposit to the landlord?

Many thanks, sorry for asking so much but i am really gonna do this. 2013 i will leave Sweden for beautiful Malta and start my new life.

georgeingozo is better positioned to answer questions on Gozo really. but in general a one month deposit to the landlord plus a months rent up front plus if you gain your apartment thru an agent it is usual to pay at least 50% to them as a finders fee - some have been known to charge 100% as a fee.each month allow for between 30-40 euros for water and electricity bills. you can get a three month contract but for leng et it is usual to have to sign 6 months.

yes the tv licence is about that sort of price - however i think it was meant to have been abolished this year and now not many people pay it. there does seem to be a lot of confusion over whether it is still in place or not.

Hi all,  just to add my input. If you want a realistic impression of what you monthly ammountbin will be, I dd this and researched via family etc this year:
Rent: 500
Cellphone 50
Elec 200
Groceries 400
Gas 30
Internet 50
Personal 400
Bus 28

So a minimum really of about 1658 to 1700. Much less than that and I think you will be living a very austere life and it won't be much fun.

Also rent is normally, 1 month, plus 1 month deposit, plus 50% (rent) brokers fee with VAT of 18% on that brokers fee.. E.g if your rent was 500 you would pay 500 + 500 + 250 + ( 18% of 250)

Hope this helps

pauljd70 wrote:

Hi all,  just to add my input. If you want a realistic impression of what you monthly ammountbin will be, I dd this and researched via family etc this year:
Rent: 500
Cellphone 50
Elec 200
Groceries 400
Gas 30
Internet 50
Personal 400
Bus 28

So a minimum really of about 1658 to 1700. Much less than that and I think you will be living a very austere life and it won't be much fun.

Also rent is normally, 1 month, plus 1 month deposit, plus 50% (rent) brokers fee with VAT of 18% on that brokers fee.. E.g if your rent was 500 you would pay 500 + 500 + 250 + ( 18% of 250)

Hope this helps

id say you were heavy on the mobile,and electric/water internet and gas but then it depends on the service and usage that you expect and what you have used to calculate it on.

we are a family of three.....and  we live well on less than that

Interesting... Mobile s based on sing a smartphone with data and is based on 2 people nw I think of it do maybe 25 for 1. The electricity is based on an average. Using ac in the summer ratchets up the cost alot, and gas in the winter too. I tend to work on worst case scenario because you can always deal with over budgeting but assuming to little leads too disaster.  On the rent side you can get less than 500 but you will not be in a reasonable area.  I guess it all depends on how little you can do with to get set up. Even so 1500 is right on the cusp of living badly

DEPENDS ON HOW BIG THE FAMILY IS AND YOUR EXPECTED STANDARD OF LIVING I THINK

Hi paul,

I agree with you. Many underestimate the cost of living on Malta. If you are a student cost-sharing with others you might get away with less but the average Expat with family will certainly need around or more than 1500€/month.

And I miss all the school related costs when you are talking about a family with kids .

Cheers
Ricky

I will live on my own there in the beginning i talked with the real estate firms and they can give me an apartment for around €250/month.

This is my thoughts per month:
Rent: €250
Cellphone: €20 (I will use Skype allot, and its free)
Elec+Water: €80 I wont use AC at all.
Groceries €200
Gas: €0 (No car)
Internet: €25 ( http://www.melita.com/personal/internet … r-25-euro/ )
Personal: €100 (I have to live cheap in the beginning)
Bus & Ferry: €50
Savings: €50
Taxes: €150

I think i can live on €1000 pretty fine.
I work as an affiliate and i am sure i can boost my income with %50 extra after 6 months.

You may need to rethink that 'I won't use AC at all' pledge. That's what I said when I first arrived but after a month of 33-35 degree heat and high humity I've cracked. It's put my bills up but saved on the cost of washing multiple outfits per day.

The other thing is Gas probably doesn't mean petrol, it means a gas canister to power your oven and I don't know if this is a Malta-wide practice but my landlord charges €100 on top of rent every month for utilities then refunds me the difference when the meter readings are taken every quarter. So I have to pay a higher flat rate in the first instance.

much depends on whether you are getting the eco discounts or not - as a resident with id card and residency or can prove your paying tax and NI - the bills become upto 25% cheaper

Hi,

could you please tell me, what is the salary avarage for a customer service representative in Malta? I speak french and english ...

Many thanks in advance

it will largely depend an who it is your working for but would expect anywhere between 10k-16k euros but the average would likely be nearer 12-14k euros.

for example - customer services in the likes of hsbc and northwway brokers who primarily deal with british clients pay about 14-16K euros

but then if its customer services in hotels then its very likely to be a lot less - 8-10k euros

Hi toonarmy9752,

Thank you for your contribution

Maximilien
Expat-blog Team

Some honest advice that will save you $$$££££EEEEE's.  In Malta just remember that whatever you are buying (flat, house, car, renting, anything second hand etc) the real price that you need to paying for things is actually 60% of the price they are asking.  Maltese people, bless them, think that everything they are selling is gold and will try to over charge you.  If they will not drop the asking price significantly then walk away or you will get ripped off.  The negotiation process in Malta is very different to any other country, be prepared to stand there and haggle for half an hour, and be firm on your price and dont budge.  Dont be a foreigner and get ripped off.  I learnt the hard way. Hope it helps.

Hi,

I recently got shortlisted for one of the gaming positions in Malta and we are thinking about moving if everything goes well. We are a family of four with two boys aged 3 and 6. We do not have high expectations or anything similar - we only want to live a normal life. The job is paying me approximately 1500 per month and on top of that I will be receiving about 500 in misc income for the first period. So we can calculate with around 2000. We are planning to get a small apartment for a maximum of 500 and I guess utility bills would add up to 100 with everything included.

Now to the question, is 1400 per month OK to live on for a family of 4? We are talking about food, insurance, everyday necessities and so on. The kids would go in state schools, not private.

Edit: My wife will start working as soon as everything is sorted, so this is only for a shorter period of time hopefully.

1500 / month,  regardless of whether it's gross or net, will be quite a struggle to survive on if you're 4 ppl. Once your wife starts working you should be ok though.

lambada wrote:

1500 / month,  regardless of whether it's gross or net, will be quite a struggle to survive on if you're 4 ppl. Once your wife starts working you should be ok though.

Ahh yea, it is 1500 net, forgot to write that. Is that with the apartment covered and everything taken into consideration? I have read somewhere that if I work and pay taxes/social security/etc then both me and my wife would be covered by health insurance, that leaves only the kids. We do not own a car either, so that is one less thing to worry about.

Also, checking the salaries and I did see that 22 000 euro yearly is considered a fairly good income compared to Maltese average salaries? Or am I looking at old data?

Hi, I am a family of four, me and 3 children. Expats in Malta seem to fall into 2 categories, those that earns loads, way above the normal Maltese wage and then the rest of us.
I would/am striving to earn less than what you will earn by going back to uni. At present, I live on a third of your wage. We survive, it's not great and is hard sometimes, so to hear that 2000 euro a month is going to be a struggle, begs me to wonder, what the heck people spend their money on!!!

coxf0001 wrote:

Hi, I am a family of four, me and 3 children. Expats in Malta seem to fall into 2 categories, those that earns loads, way above the normal Maltese wage and then the rest of us.
I would/am striving to earn less than what you will earn by going back to uni. At present, I live on a third of your wage. We survive, it's not great and is hard sometimes, so to hear that 2000 euro a month is going to be a struggle, begs me to wonder, what the heck people spend their money on!!!

I love a thrifty woman.......   But seriously, I think you've hit the nail on the head with this.It is the most oft asked question on all expat forums and the one with the most ambiguous answers as well. We know it's Horses for Courses', however, it would be quite simple for someone to put the 'basics' together (with a spread for different tastes) and leave the balance of income entitled 'personal'. For example:

Rent: 300 - 600
Elec/Water: 80 - 100
Gas:  60 - 80
Internet: 25-30
1 Mobile: 20 - 40
Health: 50 - 80
Groceries: equivalent spend in UK
Personal:  Whatever is left (cut your cloth)
Questions about specifics, ie Schooling etc can then be addressed separately and added to any calculation.

Of course I have just taken these figures from the top of my head and are not given as advice to anyone reading this - a more comprehensive and up-to-date generalisation could be made by anyone willing to put some figures together bearing in mind current Maltese market rates.

You sure are made of hardy stuff cox0001 and regardless of circumstances I bet your children are having a wonderful time. Buy them some socks for Christmas to show them how much you love them..........

Lol, yes the socks and I must make sure they are not offensive!!

I've been here a few years now and live more like the Maltese do. We live on pasta and the sauces are home made, I make home made pies, in fact, most things are from scratch.

I moved here to keep things simple and to give the kids a better life and you can't beat taking the kids to the beach with some tasty hobz bizjet, some iced water (and a couple of lagers for me!)

As you said Mike, economics should be based on the essentials. Rent, water/electric and rates (not here.) What is left is your choice to do what you want with and I think most people would agree over here, you have money left at the end of the month. That's rare. In the UK you're hard pushed to have money spare at the end of the month, so it doesn't matter if you can buy t-shirts for a pound in Tesco, if you don't have the money left at the end of the month to buy it!

I have one more year left of my degree....Then I will have loads to spend on socks!

coxf0001 wrote:

Lol, yes the socks and I must make sure they are not offensive!!

I've been here a few years now and live more like the Maltese do. We live on pasta and the sauces are home made, I make home made pies, in fact, most things are from scratch.

I moved here to keep things simple and to give the kids a better life and you can't beat taking the kids to the beach with some tasty hobz bizjet, some iced water (and a couple of lagers for me!)

As you said Mike, economics should be based on the essentials. Rent, water/electric and rates (not here.) What is left is your choice to do what you want with and I think most people would agree over here, you have money left at the end of the month. That's rare. In the UK you're hard pushed to have money spare at the end of the month, so it doesn't matter if you can buy t-shirts for a pound in Tesco, if you don't have the money left at the end of the month to buy it!

I have one more year left of my degree....Then I will have loads to spend on socks!

and more lagers for the beach.................bugger the essentials.

its weird , i havent worn socks since i have been here .. lol ...
too hot

You know the thing I go on about the most (as I look out of my window at the rain) to any one that'll listen is that from August 25th I'll never have to wear socks again!!    (perhaps an exaggeration?)

glad your not planning to be a socks and sandals man ... (shudders)

MovingToTheMed wrote:

You know the thing I go on about the most (as I look out of my window at the rain) to any one that'll listen is that from August 25th I'll never have to wear socks again!!    (perhaps an exaggeration?)

lol, you'll be wearing socks to bed in winter!

Someone (Maltese) once told me years ago, that because my nose was cold (in winter) I should wear socks...I've never looked back!

coxf0001 wrote:

lol, you'll be wearing socks to bed in winter!

Someone (Maltese) once told me years ago, that because my nose was cold (in winter) I should wear socks...I've never looked back!

Sage advice, if not a little depressing - socks to bed! Very romantic 

You will probably be needing to wear more than one pair of socks too