Renting in Malta in 2026: rents, timing and how it compares with the rest of Europe

Our figures come from the properties for rent on our website on 1 November 2026:

• 1 bedroom: median rent €1,200 a month. Only 18% are under €1,000.
• 1 bedroom in Sliema, St Julian’s, Gzira, Msida, Swieqi or Pieta: median €1,200, and just 11% under €1,000.
• 2 bedrooms: median €1,450. Almost none are left under €1,000 (2%).
• Studio: median €1,000.

Public data points the same way. In July 2026 the average asking rent for an apartment was €1,350 across the island and €1,600 in Sliema and St Julian’s (Expatax, based on 17,649 listings). According to a KPMG study for the Malta Developers Association, 60% of rental listings were above €1,200 a month in 2025, up from 55% a year earlier.

For 2027, a 1-bedroom at €750 in Sliema or St Julian’s is gone. At that price you will find a room in a shared flat, or a studio far from the centre, if you are lucky. For a place of your own in the central areas, plan on €1,000 to €1,100 and up.

Numbeo, which is fed by residents, gives the average price of a 1-bedroom flat in the city centre. The Malta figures are based on fewer contributions, but the picture is clear.

A 1-bedroom in central Sliema costs as much as in Paris or Madrid, or more, and twice as much as in Lyon. If you are coming from a mid-size city in France or Spain, plan a much bigger housing budget than at home.

Rents went up fast. According to Eurostat, rents in Malta rose 53% between 2015 and 2025, against 20% on average in the European Union, 10% in France and 14% in Spain. 2023 alone added 15%. These official figures include existing leases, whose increases are capped by law at 5% a year. On new lets, the ones you are looking for, prices move faster.

In Malta, a flat that is free in the morning can be reserved by the afternoon. We see it every week: when a well-located place comes out at the right price, the first enquiries arrive within the hour.

Demand explains the pace. Malta had 588,254 residents at the end of 2025, 2.4% more than a year before, and 31% of residents are foreign. In Msida, Gzira and St Julian’s it is around 60%. The number of leases registered with the Housing Authority went from 27,700 in 2020 to more than 70,500 by mid-2025.

Spain sees the same thing in its big cities: at the end of 2025, 36% of rentals in Barcelona were let in under 24 hours (idealista). In the UK, by comparison, it takes 17 days on average to let a property (Zoopla).

The right window is 2 to 3 weeks before you arrive.

Looking four months ahead gets you nowhere, and not because we don’t want to help. In Malta most leases last a year, and the current tenant can leave with one month’s notice (Cap. 604). So a flat is only known to be available about a month ahead. No owner will keep it empty for three months for someone who isn’t here yet.

What we suggest:

1. Set your real budget using the figures above.
2. Send us what you need 3 to 4 weeks before: area, budget, bedrooms, arrival date.
3. Be ready to decide quickly: a viewing in person or by video, and an answer the same day.

That is how most of our clients find a place within a few days.

In Malta the usual practice is:

• Agency fee: half a month’s rent + VAT for the tenant, paid once when you sign.
• Deposit: usually one month’s rent, returned at the end of the lease.
• First month: paid in advance.

Elsewhere the rules are different. In France, tenant fees are capped per square metre by the ALUR law and the deposit is one month for an unfurnished flat, two for a furnished one. In Spain, since 2023, agency fees are paid by the landlord. In the UK, tenant fees have been banned since 2019, but the deposit can go up to five weeks’ rent. In Germany, the deposit can be up to three months.

In Malta, plan on about 2.6 months of rent on signing day.

We speak English, French and Spanish, and we show you the flat in person or on a video call if you are not in Malta yet. Send us your budget and dates on WhatsApp at +356 7909 9541, or browse the homes available today.

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