Country
What's the budget for a trip to Malta?
A trip to Malta starts around €101/day on the ground, roughly €1666 for 7 nights per person excluding flights. Full budget breakdown by category across 1 city, with flights and the best month to visit.
At a glance
- Cities covered
- 1
- Min. budget per day
- €101
- Index vs London
- 90%
At a glance
Plan €95 per person per day in Malta travelling cheap, or around €224 mid-range. From London the flight runs €30 return in October to €87 in December, so the ticket is never the line that decides. What decides is that the shoulder months hold their weather: October still averages 22°C, warmer than a British August, at half the airfare of the peak. A week comes to around €1,726 per person, flight included.
- Budget / day
- €95 to €224
- Flight from London
- €30 to €87
- Hotel night
- €45 to €187
- Cost index
- 117% of London
- Dry summer
- 0.1 to 0.7 rainy days
- Currency
- Euro
per person, excluding flights
cheapest in October, priciest in December
measured on site
in July and August
no exchange fee
Budget
What actually costs
The flight is not the line to watch. From London our readings run €30 return in October to €87 in December, against €60 in August. That €57 spread is real but small next to the €300 that one hotel category moves over six nights.
Lodging is where the money goes. €45 a night at entry level, €95 mid-range, €187 upmarket. Each step roughly doubles the bill, without the abrupt jump seen elsewhere. Dropping one category saves €300 over six nights, five times what the best flight date is worth.
The shoulder months are the genuine saving. October costs €30 to fly and still averages 22°C, warmer than a British summer. August costs twice that for five degrees more. Paying peak fare buys heat you may not want, on an island with very little shade.
The rest holds no surprises. The cost index sits at 117% of London, so expect prices a little above home, and the island is crossed by bus without ever requiring a rental.
Price geography
Where to go, at what price
Our comparator treats Malta as a single base, which matches reality: the archipelago is covered by bus from any point, and most sites are reachable as day trips.
La Valette et les Trois Cités
95-224 €The smallest capital in the European Union, and St John's Co-Cathedral holding two Caravaggio canvases. Everything on foot, ferry included to reach the Three Cities opposite.
Best for : First visit, short stays, travellers without a car
Les sites préhistoriques
95-224 €The Ħal Saflieni Hypogeum, the Tarxien Temples and Għar Dalam form a set older than the pyramids. The Hypogeum requires booking and caps daily visitors: the one site on the island that must be planned ahead.
Best for : Four nights and up, archaeology enthusiasts
Mdina et l'intérieur
95-224 €The old fortified capital and its St Paul's Cathedral, half an hour by bus from Valletta. The interior is best visited outside the hottest hours, which matters from June to September.
Best for : Week-long stays, walkers
Seasonality
When to go
October is the best measured month from London. Airfare hits its low at €30 return, half the August fare, and the mean still holds 22°C. For a British visitor that is warmer than home in high summer, at off-peak prices.
September is the other good call. €34 return, temperatures still at 24.7°C, but rain returns: 4.3 days against 0.7 in August. It is the best ratio if you accept a few showers.
The Maltese summer is genuinely dry. From May to September the 1991-2020 normals give between 0.1 and 4.3 rainy days a month. This is not a misleading average: July counts one tenth of a day of rainfall out of thirty-one.
Winter stays mild but wet. From November to February the mean runs 13 to 18°C with 8 to 10 rainy days a month. December is the priciest fare we recorded from London, €87 return, for the least appealing weather of the year.
Itineraries
What each trip costs
Per-person budgets covering lodging, food and local transport, excluding flights.
4 days
310 à 700 €
Valletta and the prehistoric sites
Three nights based in town, the capital and Three Cities on day one, the Hypogeum and Tarxien on day two, Mdina on day three. Bus throughout, no rental.
7 days
690 à 1 620 €
The full week
Six nights alternating archaeological sites, the capital and the coast. This is the format our measurements cover, at around €1,618 per person mid-range, flight included.
On the ground
Eating, moving, visiting
English is an official language alongside Maltese, which removes any practical barrier for a visitor.
The euro removes any exchange fee, as in Ireland and unlike Iceland or the UAE.
Buses serve the whole archipelago, which explains the small transport line in our measurements. Car rental is not needed for a classic stay and is not in our figures.
The Ħal Saflieni Hypogeum must be booked ahead. The site caps daily visitors, making it the island's only real planning constraint. Everything else can be improvised.
From June to September, build days around the heat. With means of 22.8 to 26.6°C, the interior and open-air sites are best visited early or late.
Savings
Cutting the bill
Dropping one hotel category is worth €300 over six nights. The gap between €45 and €95 a night is by far the biggest lever, five times what the flight date can move.
Going in October rather than August halves the airfare, €30 against €60, and still gives you a 22°C mean. The shoulder season keeps the weather and drops the price.
September is the alternative, €34 of airfare and 24.7°C, at the cost of 4.3 rainy days against 0.7 in August.
Do not rent a car. Buses serve the whole archipelago, and rental is a line our measurements do not track.
Book the Hypogeum as soon as your dates are set. The site caps daily visitors: turning up without a booking means paying for the trip and missing the island's most singular site.
Avoid December if your dates are flexible. At €87 return it is the priciest month we recorded from London, for a 15°C mean and the year's wettest weather.
Practical
Good to know before you go
Currency: euro. Languages: Maltese and English, both official. Flight from London: €30 to €87 return depending on month. Time difference: one hour ahead of the UK. Climate normals period: 1991-2020.
Seasonality
Climate and prices, month by month
The most temperate month across the country is October, averaging 22°C. Across the 60+ InstantTripCost destinations, this is also the window where median flight prices stay the most stable outside peak tourist season.
Jan
14°
Feb
13°
Mar
14°
Apr
16°
May
19°
Jun
23°
Jul
26°
Aug
27°
Sep
25°
Oct
22°
Nov
19°
Dec
15°
Selection
Cities worth exploring in Malta
Each card shows the lowest daily budget, the cost index versus London, and July weather.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
- How much does a week in Malta cost?
- Around €1,618 per person all in at mid-range, of which €1,571 on the ground and €47 for a typical flight from London. Flying in October rather than December takes €57 off the ticket.
- Is Malta expensive?
- Moderately: the cost index sits at 117% of London, essentially level with Ireland. An entry-level night is €45, and prices sit a little above home rather than below.
- What is the best month to visit Malta?
- October, on the figures: a €30 return from London, half the August fare, and a 22°C mean that still beats a British summer. September follows with a €34 flight, 24.7°C and 4.3 rainy days.
- Do you need a car in Malta?
- No. Buses serve the whole archipelago from any base, and our estimates assume that. Rental, fuel and parking are not counted: add them if you choose the car.
- How many days do you need in Malta?
- Four are enough for the capital, the Three Cities, the main prehistoric sites and Mdina. A week adds the coast without rushing, for around €900 more per person at mid-range.
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