Cost of living for family of 4

Hi Amanda,

We too are a family of 4 (14 yo daughter and 9 yo son). We find the cost of living here quite high tbh - though most "couples only" seem to find it quite affordable. I think the main reason for this perceived discrepancy is that having kids means you probably need a bigger place to live and may be a bit more picky about where etc, and then there are after-school activities for the kids, all the extra clothing (which they grow out of fast), extra food and utility costs and of course the big one - education costs! There are forum posts covering most of this already. Please research them further and if you have specific questions feel free to ask.

I think most people would advise you not to rush into buying a property here - renting is a better option until you decide you really want to live, and even then some will say it's financially better to rent.

There is no council tax - but costs of imported goods, price of cars, education costs (if you choose that route) etc. may more than make up for anything you save in that regard - it all depends on your personal circumstances and choices.

Good luck with your research.

Regards
Tim

Hi Tim,

Thanks for your reply. i think regardless of where you live as soon as you have children your living expenses somewhat double! Even though we cut back on nights out and fancy clothes for ourselves you still can't seem to keep that tenner in your pocket for long! ha.

I guess the answer i'm looking for is what income do we need between us to have a relatively comfortable life for the 4 of us.

Do you privately educate your children?

thanks

Amanda. x

Yes we do privately educate our children - they go to one of the Independent schools. We do this solely because they are guaranteed to be taught in English (we had never considered private educatoin before moving to Malta). The State schools are free and supposed to teach in English if there are foreign students in the class, but apparently that is a bit patchy.

We have 1 child in Senior School and 1 in Junior School (both are separate parts of the same school) - the fees are approx. 2000 euros a term for the two of them, x 3 terms so 6000 a year. That does not include uniforms (which is a racket!), text books or transportation. There is also a (supposedly!) refundable bond of 1500 euros that you get back when the youngest leaves school. Most of the Independent Schools are in this ballpark - but there is also the Verdala International School which follows USA syllabus/terms etc - but that is about 3 times the cost of the other Independents and is often over-subscribed.

I can't answer what income you need to be relatively comfortable as it all depends on your definiton of comfortable and what habits etc you have. I can say that I am well paid by Maltese standards (I am in I.T. and earning about the same as I would in the UK, except the City), live modestly and we have barely saved a panny in the 15 months we've been here :-(

However, on days like today when the weather is beautiful - none of the bad stuff seems to matter....come Monday morning rush hour though and it'll be a different story.

Tim

Thank you Tim,

The info you gave me is greatly appreciated.  I'm in accounts and looking to earn above the average salary so i think all may well turn out nice! bit like your weather today.  So cost of living sorted i guess it's time to move to my next subject....see you in schools hopefully.

Thank you for everything

Amanda x

Forgot to say, i lived in Malta 15 years ago so i have an decent understanding of seasons, everyone knows about the fabulous summers but not many realise they have a rainy season too which brings misery with damp issues and flooding and the most amazing thunder and lightening storms. x

Hi, I read with interest that you lived in Malta 15 years ago so I wonder if you could help me.  I am looking at long term rental somewhere quiet, out of the way would be wonderful.  I like peace and quiet and nature!  I am intending to come to Malta during September and spend two weeks backpacking around.  All I am being offered by estate agents are:  very expensive apartments, tucked away up a small alleywall in the middle of a town - yuck, I can think of nothing worse.  Worse still are the photos of the interior of the apartments, they all have the lights on so are obviously very dark.  I would like to rent somewhere "cheap" (less than 100 euros per week if possible - or just a room with no food somewhere so that I can use it as a base to scout around.  If you have the time to help I would be very grateful.  Georgeingozo has been so much of a help too.

Kind regards.,    uktrucker

Hi uktrucker,

Welcome to the forum.

You are talking about ' long-term' rental in September and 2 weeks backpacking around. How long are you going to be in Malta?

Long-term usually refers to more than 6 months stay !

Regards
Ricky

Sorry uk trucker but i'd be no help at all!  Malta has changed so much over the last decade, when i lived there there was 2 set of traffic lights on the whole island, everyone drove in the shade and i think i remember there was no drink drive laws either! The only thing i can say is that Malta is like Marmite, you either love it or hate it!  There is no in between bits trust me. the people are the most welcoming anywhere in the world (in my opinion) family is key to them and they are very private people but when your welcomed into there homes they treat you as one of their own. I had Christmas dinner with with a Maltese family back in 94 and it was amazing, there must have been 30 people round the table and i was right in the midst of it!  OMG i'm rambling again!!!!! sorry all I love Malta. x

sorry to confuse you - I intend to come and live permanently in Malta so that will be long term. 

To better understand the rental opportunities there I intend to come over in September (I am currently in Thailand but am British)
and backpack around to get the lay of the land, find the quiet spots (if any) and take a look at all the estate agents, they seem
to think that I want a posh apartment for over 100,000 to buy or
can afford over 500 euros a month to rent.  Wish I was lucky
enough to be able to afford either - just a poor retired person
looking for a final resting place.