Suitable Net Income for living in Malta

Yes it is enough.

More than enough to lead a better than average life even if you use the AC a lot .

Cheers
Ricky

Thanks guys for answering so fast

So it is doable to do what we want. Have an upper middle class life after 20 years of hard work.

Would depend a lot on what you mean by "upper middle class".

Do you have kids?

A yacht?

Hi slanted,
No yacht and by 2 adults I forgot to mention it's myself and my daughter without counting education costs

What i mean by upper middle class is for example:
buying high end grocery products (of course not based on self-image superficial thinking as all i care about is a good product not it's brand name), eating out at mid range to high range restaurants, having high speed 8 Mbps internet, using A/C in summer whenever we're home, etc...

In brief, have a "relaxed" life without worries if this amount would vanish before the end of the month.
This is a steady NET income I'd be getting regularly from a secured investment.

What do you think ? would it work out ? Remember, no rent, no education costs.

I would appreciate your input very much as it's a big step as you surely know.

Thanks a lot.

duplicate post

OK, well, if no rent or education costs then should be fine. Depends what you're comparing it to, though. Wouldn't be anything like an "upper middle class" lifestyle in London, for example (which would obviously cost a lot more than 3000 net a month). Clothes, too, can be expensive, if you want imported stuff.

If that amount is your disposable income, then yes, you will be much more well off than most people on the island. But bear in mind that certain things cost a lot - electrical goods cost a great deal more than in the UK. Don't know if you're from the UK.

When we need to buy a new laptop we fly back to London to get it.

Groceries depend a lot on where you buy them. I don't find them particularly cheap compared to the UK.

What is cheap, and very much more so than the UK, is just daily entertainment. I mean, going out, socialising, etc. Restaurants depend on where they are, and how much they cater to tourists.

In my (very personal) opinion, 3000 a month without rent or education will give you a fairly comfortable life, and you won't really have any financial worries, but it wouldn't be the same as what a Londoner would call "upper middle class".

We have about that in disposable income after rent and various other costs and savings (we have a child),  and I wouldn't consider us to be living a particularly affluent lifestyle, but it's true that we are relatively financially comfortable.

(Sorry - you may not be from London, and I think being from London has somewhat skewed my views!)

Standard of life on a more general level is, for us, much much better here than it has been anywhere else, in all sorts of ways, and we love it. (I am half-Maltese and do have family here, though, and I do think that that makes some kind of difference in terms of feeling settled.)

Thanks slanted for your reply which was very informative.
I'm not from the UK but been there a lot and I understand quite well what you mean when you make comparisons.
I buy all of my electronics goods through Amazon USA, it's much cheaper even with air courier and customs (if any)...just use a voltage transformer suitable for the load and I am quite comfortable with this especially that major house appliances would be bought locally and just once, i mean i can buy an overpriced refrigerator locally but it stays for 15 years, right?

I wouldn't compare London's upper middle class to Malta's, this I know and understand. London is not cheap overall at that level of life.

As long as I have no financial worries as you suggest, I would be happy.

If you with a child are living comfortably, i guess me and my daughter would be too. It would be nice.

Let me ask you one more question: I hear/read about electricity blackouts lasting from 2 to 20 hours sometimes. Is it really that bad? I know (as I'm an engineer) that I can get a 5-hrs backup system to run the whole house including A/C in summer for around 7,000 Euros.

thanks again for your help and wish you and your family continue having a lovely life in Malta.

Blackouts do happen. The worst I've ever had has lasted for 5 hours, and it was a one-off - some kind of explosion at a power station, I think. But they do happen on and off, and can last for an hour or two. It's not been a huge problem for us - apart from the ruined food in the freezer. It might depend on whereabouts you live, I suppose - I've never really looked into it. I do a lot of stuff online, some of it is very important in terms of work, and although the occasional blackout has happened, I've never felt that it's been a huge problem. If you can get that kind of back-up system, then you'll have no problem. (Apart from the occasional one-off, I suppose - no guarantees. )

Prolonged periods of electricity black-out do occur in Malta every few months.

I don't think you need a power back-up system to cope especially if you are using gas to cook with and have several LED lights around the house and do not really have to have access to TV and internet. Several hours wihout power and AC is usually bearable an your home and it does not happen that often.

My advice would be to use LED lamps and not use candles.

Cheers
Ricky

Hi ricky,

thanks for your reply.
you are 100% correct about not using candles. If it's just occasionally and not more than 1-2 hours, it can be bearable I suppose but not in summer for me at least.

Thanks again for clarifying things to me.

Thanks slanted for taking time and answering me, it's very kind of you really.
Like you said, the backup system is a one-off cost but I'm inclined to take it.
Thanks again.

Hi KF2001
May I just add some caution regarding your budget (3000 after rent).  It certainly won't be upper London middle class - more upperdeck London omnibus.
Loved your joke combining 'high speed' internet with '8Mbps'.  Here on Gozo I get over 30Mbps with just a basic internet package.
Would be interested to receive info on your 'back up system' for the frequent power cuts we experience.   RR

Hi Roger,

Thanks for your reply to my question.
First, I didn't understand what you mean by "upperdeck London omnibus". Would you please explain what you mean?
About the backup system, here it is:
It consists of 3 main parts: Batteries, Inverter/Charger, Transfer Switch.
1- Batteries: deep cycle type. Number and capacity according to what you want to run and for how long.
2-Inverter/Charger: this is the "charger" of the batteries from any normal electricity outlet in your home and when you need to use the batteries stored electricity it "inverts" the batteries current from DC (battery) to AC (normal electricity). Capacity to be calculated based on maximum electrical load you have connected AND to take into consideration what is called "rush current". The rush current is a high peak in current that appliances with motors draw when you start them up (like A/C or fridge), it lasts for milliseconds but it is usually 3-4 times the steady current marked on that appliance. Otherwise the safety system of the inverter would trip or even get burnt out.
3-Transfer Switch: this is connected between the backup system and your main fuse box. When electricity is out, it automatically switches your home wires to the backup system and cuts you off the grid. Otherwise your batteries would be supplying electricity to the grid outside your home and you'd lose the system because of the high load.

This system could be charged by solar panels instead of the electrical outlet but it would add a lot to the cost and need a lot of space on your roof.
What I described takes a large area because of the batteries and has to be in a confined area yet with normal ventilation. Everything else is actually small. The inverter charger is at most as big as an old tower desktop computer.
It is silent, no fumes because you use deep cycle batteries that are sealed, it is legal because you would pay for the energy you store (like charging your laptop). It's better than a generator (no noise, no fuel storage/shortage).
I'm sure you'd find it in Malta because power cuts are common.
If you need to know more let me know.

By the way, I wasn't joking abut 8 Mbps internet was just stating my minimum requirements.
Do you get SKY broadcast ? Is there a dealer to subscribe ?

No Sky dealers.... well not legal ones

So the deep cycle batteries could be fed from the 24 (3 system 3 phase) photovoltaic panels already installed on my roof.  When I have discussed this with local suppliers it was considered not to be worthwhile and that it might compromise the inverters on the existing systems and invalidate the period of guarantee.  The risk of having to replace these inverters really does not balance well costwise when compared to the inconvenience of outages.
A small(ish) generator would be more economic.  I can operate a few home essentials from an installation costing less than $1000 and a couple of cans of fuel.

Sorry about the humour.  I didn't realize you are Dutch.    RR

Well, if you already have something installed and the cost of changing some components is high for you then you can continue using what you have as long you're satisfied.

I'm not Dutch Roger, what gave you that idea ?
Could you please explain to me what you meant by "upperdeck London omnibus"? is this good or bad for my aim on living on 3,000 Euros NET per month ?

So what do you do to watch SKY ? Use things like Dreambox and similar receivers ? or let someone in UK subscribe for you (if it's even possible)?

dreamboxes are used but they have limited usage now for uk sky and espeically brit terrestrial tv  - more and more people are using android receivers and watching tv via internet and xbmc

yeah, i do that too.

kf2001, while it is true that we do get blackouts from time to time, this is not central Africa. In my opinion the frequency of our blackouts doesn't justify the complexity of your backup plan. I suggest you invest in a generator that can power your fridge, freezer, tv, computer and a couple of lights and leave it at that. A 4KW Japanese petrol generator would be suitable.

defo a tad over the top....

I'll take your advice into consideration, thanks for helping out.
I understand also that the authorities are working on improving the electricity generation in Malta, is this right ?

Electricity generation is probably only 10 - 20% of the outage problems but is undergoing improvement.  The rest is caused by poor infrastructure which has not been properly maintained since the first light bulb went on.  Those supply cables that are not strung haphazardly building to building are buried under roads and walkways without proper trace.  Frequent road works leads to power interruptions without warning.  This poor infrastructure also applies to mains water supplies. RR   

Oh ! and do you hear there that things are going to improve ?
I mean are they working on it ?

I think it will be a slow process as there is little incentive to improve beyond the existing service levels.  Government investment in the energy industry is likely to concentrate on keeping costs, and therefore tariffs, down to levels promised in their manifesto.
Additionally, EU funding for road construction must soon come to an end and the re-laying of cables and water pipes will cease except where critical. There is still so much to be done.

Roger, you are making me think a lot again about moving to Malta.
Is it actually that bad in terms of electricity supply?

It depends on how you are utilizing electricity.  There are scheduled and unscheduled cuts.  The scheduled are usually announced in the press together with a reconnection time and allow you to make plans. The unscheduled are a nuisance coming at any time and lasting for minutes to hours.  This is really upsetting if you're depending on power at that point, for instance air-con.  However we find ways to cope - even sitting in the pool or cold bath is an option.  Make sure you have four or more rechargeable torches or camping lights, a battery radio for background and a gas hob to boil water for drinks. Oh and bottled water.  I have experienced many, many more outages in my few years in Malta than in over sixty years in the UK even counting the period after WW2 when everything was in short supply.
I have travelled extensively internationally during the eighties and nineties but never came across these problems except where there were extenuating circumstances.
So why do you want to be here?  I'm here for the sunshine - something else we don't get much of in the UK

RR

Well, my main concern is the A/C in summer actually. I can have TV, internet, satellite receiver running on cheap battery for hours and LED lights are ok.
How many times per week does it happen? and how long in average?

it doesnt happen every week  - thats not to say it cant  - but its not as bad as that... for sure  - in 6 years we had about 5 the longest one was 9hrs... but it was only the one event,

only 5 blackouts in 6 years is not a big deal at all. Why are people making it a big issue ? talking about being prepared and stuff ? one person even said it is a big problem and that once it was for 20 hours!! I am confused really.

NO  - sorry i may have misled you  - i only experienced power outs that amount of time - some areas experience it more. some less. am talking about power outs of in excess of 2-3 hrs  -yes there are others but much much shorter periods.

I dont think its that big a deal - i too used to work online and needed the power and  internet access etc but it was never a big issue ever....

Toonarmy was lucky.  We reckon over 50 in nine years and that doesn't take account of the occasional 'brown out' or the loss of a phase.  We did manage to persuade Enemalta to replace some domestic appliances (around €1,000 worth) after one spectacular 'middle of the night' pyrotechnic display shooting out of all the sockets of our house in Marsascala.
This year we decided to mark the new calendar.  Eleven so far and only two scheduled.  Couple of weeks ago we decamped to the McDonalds McCafe in Victoria where we enjoyed coffee and cake.  The Wi was Fi'ing and afterwards we drove around the island generator spotting.
If it's mainly the air-con then I suggest you'd find a pool useful.  If the cut is scheduled then fill the bath early as the water is pumped electrically.
Enjoy!  RR

Maybe RR lol - i do believe the last major one in recent weeks was one of the worst

So, i was confused but now i got it )
thanks guys.
i should then expect power outs like once a month like Roger says (11 this year).
I understand you're counting the long ones only, like 2+ hours, right?
Glad that you were able to get replacement for some appliances RR.
Seems, if i finally come to live, i would stick to my plan of having this backup system then. it's not expensive and it's actually one of the important things for me.

If your back-up is good there must be a market for it in Malta,  Keep in touch and give us a demo.

By the way:  The Chinese have recently taken a large chunk of Enemalta equity.  RR

it's not something i own or invented. it is something wildly known all over the world specially in countries with frequent power outages or countries that have power outages due to hurricanes and similar like USA, Asia,etc...

I'm sure you can find it in Malta as it has frequent outages. i saw a company in middle east (and plenty in the US) that produces this system for around 3,000 Euros that can run a complete house with A/Cs included for 3 hours (you can increase the time as you like for additional cost of course). actually i saw it working at the owners villa.

If you are technically savvy, you can assemble the components yourself, but better have it done by a professional supplier though.

Generators are also a viable option except for being extremely noisy and requiring a fuel storage area. (don't know if you run a noisy generator in Malta what would your neighbors do)

the Chinese are everywhere my friend. and they are very wise in choosing areas and sectors to invest in. i had several acquaintances with huge Chinese companies in several countries where my previous work took me.

id still say its over the top.... but everyone to their own  - good luck