Cost of living

robpw2 wrote:

No butchers vans but the local butchers are good , also prime meats in any of the big supermarkets and lidl does cheap meats , I buy it and freeze it though - markets here mainly sell fish and vegetables lol I'd love a rotisserie van or something though

Bl

here the London Butcher shop is bleeding awesome for quality and range. only place I can go and get 2 lamb chops they saw off the lamb rack for me. everywhere else you either buy 6/7 chops in a rack frozen solid or go without (pavi I mean)

New Horizonz wrote:

I know a couple living well in Sliema on a budget of 500 euros a month:
They live in a room in a shared house paying 185 euros for the room, water, gas, electricity and the internet included. They don't often go to eat and live on a tight budget, making the most of all offers, reduced prices and coupons they can find. She said ideally she wants to spend 120 euros a month on food for both of them (but doesn't manage that every month), and 200 euros a month for everything else. She even manages to put something aside for rainy days!
They are young, have little expectations, working hard and enjoy life. I really like their altitude. They often go out and enjoy life. She makes packed lunches/dinners. They go on the beach or sitting on a park bench overlooking the sea and eat their meal together; very much enjoying all that this country/world has offered them for free.... They are happy people.
He told me about one of their treats: a large latte or cappuccino and a cookie at Subway for 1 euro. They can sit there as long as they like talking or watching music videos.
Of course they cannot buy designer labels from top Sliema shops or go on holidays abroad etc on this budget, but they don't let that bother them. They live well, simple, healthy and happy on what they can afford.

Interesting. I really don't think that 450/month on food is a lot in Malta. I found Malta more expensive than both Portugal and Spain for food - plus choice is very poor in Malta. I'll post more details here - hopefully that'll help someone looking to make the move in the future!

We were 26 and 27 at the time, both healthy and living as frugally as we could. We'd basically spend every weekend outdoors hiking in Gozo/Malta. Never went out because we couldn't afford it but we did get into superb shape simply by walking maybe 5-7 km every day + hiking 2 days a week for 4-6 hours (Xlendi to Azure Window, San Blas to Ramla Bay via the coast, etc - some hikes we did 3-4 times) + going to a cheap hotel gym 3 times a week as a treat (on a long term subscription). So if that's your kind of lifestyle then Malta is great. That said there are a lot of gotchas...

Food: we like to eat healthy. Never buy frozen food (chips, etc) and always cook at home. Basically most of our meals are pasta + chicken/minced beef/pork + spices/seasoning + either fresh tomato sauce we make ourselves or some kind of pasta sauce. We eat massive bowls of salad for breakfast (basil, mixed salad, cherry tomatoes, tuna/chicken, etc), then have tomato soup with freshly baked bread during the day. We don't drink anything else except water and coffee/tea. No soft drinks, no sweets, cakes, chocolates, etc. So that's about 15/day on food right there. I have no idea how two people can eat well on 4/day.

Accommodation: anything below 400/month is going to be cold and moldy in winter and extremely hot in summer. We lived in a shitty 300/month apartment with no AC's or heating - it was not comfy. Fun, but only for a young carefree couple in their 20's...

As for shopping - we spend about 50/month on clothes, shoes, etc all in (avg for a year). Everything I own fits into my backpack.

Now I'd also like to say that living frugally in Gozo/Malta was an amazing experience. We were trying to build a business and it taught us a lot about ourselves, the importance of staying in good shape, and the joys of small things in life (like throwing stones into water standing on a completely empty beach in Gozo mid-April... for hours). I'm happy to say that it was a hugely beneficial experience to us - our business is thriving and we've been travelling Europe living in random places for a couple years now - still living frugally and staying healthy wherever we go (but now on about 1500/month as I mentioned in my previous post). So yeah... go for it people.

Random: I'm also absolutely amazed by how little time Maltese people spend outdoors - I have met maybe a grand total of 30 people (mostly illegal hunters) during 60+ hours of hiking. Almost no one does it there heh. It's amazing.

mantasmo wrote:

New Horizonz wrote:

I know a couple living well in Sliema on a budget of 500 euros a month:
They live in a room in a shared house paying 185 euros for the room, water, gas, electricity and the internet included. They don't often go to eat and live on a tight budget, making the most of all offers, reduced prices and coupons they can find. She said ideally she wants to spend 120 euros a month on food for both of them (but doesn't manage that every month), and 200 euros a month for everything else. She even manages to put something aside for rainy days!
They are young, have little expectations, working hard and enjoy life. I really like their altitude. They often go out and enjoy life. She makes packed lunches/dinners. They go on the beach or sitting on a park bench overlooking the sea and eat their meal together; very much enjoying all that this country/world has offered them for free.... They are happy people.
He told me about one of their treats: a large latte or cappuccino and a cookie at Subway for 1 euro. They can sit there as long as they like talking or watching music videos.
Of course they cannot buy designer labels from top Sliema shops or go on holidays abroad etc on this budget, but they don't let that bother them. They live well, simple, healthy and happy on what they can afford.

Interesting. I really don't think that 450/month on food is a lot in Malta. I found Malta more expensive than both Portugal and Spain for food - plus choice is very poor in Malta. I'll post more details here - hopefully that'll help someone looking to make the move in the future!

We were 26 and 27 at the time, both healthy and living as frugally as we could. We'd basically spend every weekend outdoors hiking in Gozo/Malta. Never went out because we couldn't afford it but we did get into superb shape simply by walking maybe 5-7 km every day + hiking 2 days a week for 4-6 hours (Xlendi to Azure Window, San Blas to Ramla Bay via the coast, etc - some hikes we did 3-4 times) + going to a cheap hotel gym 3 times a week as a treat (on a long term subscription). So if that's your kind of lifestyle then Malta is great. That said there are a lot of gotchas...

Food: we like to eat healthy. Never buy frozen food (chips, etc) and always cook at home. Basically most of our meals are pasta + chicken/minced beef/pork + spices/seasoning + either fresh tomato sauce we make ourselves or some kind of pasta sauce. We eat massive bowls of salad for breakfast (basil, mixed salad, cherry tomatoes, tuna/chicken, etc), then have tomato soup with freshly baked bread during the day. We don't drink anything else except water and coffee/tea. No soft drinks, no sweets, cakes, chocolates, etc. So that's about 15/day on food right there. I have no idea how two people can eat well on 4/day.

Accommodation: anything below 400/month is going to be cold and moldy in winter and extremely hot in summer. We lived in a shitty 300/month apartment with no AC's or heating - it was not comfy. Fun, but only for a young carefree couple in their 20's...

As for shopping - we spend about 50/month on clothes, shoes, etc all in (avg for a year). Everything I own fits into my backpack.

Now I'd also like to say that living frugally in Gozo/Malta was an amazing experience. We were trying to build a business and it taught us a lot about ourselves, the importance of staying in good shape, and the joys of small things in life (like throwing stones into water standing on a completely empty beach in Gozo mid-April... for hours). I'm happy to say that it was a hugely beneficial experience to us - our business is thriving and we've been travelling Europe living in random places for a couple years now - still living frugally and staying healthy wherever we go (but now on about 1500/month as I mentioned in my previous post). So yeah... go for it people.

Random: I'm also absolutely amazed by how little time Maltese people spend outdoors - I have met maybe a grand total of 30 people (mostly illegal hunters) during 60+ hours of hiking. Almost no one does it there heh. It's amazing.

we dont eat that unhealthy and i can do 4 euros a day average spend ...
item         Packkprice noinpack  cost per item  cost per person(per serving)
Breakfast
bacon     €1.78       8             €0.22              €0.45  (2slices)
EGGS    €0.95       6             €0.16             €0.16   (1egg)
BEANS    €0.25      1             €0.25              €0.13  (half a tin)
BREAD    €0.59     15            €0.04             €0.08   (2 slices)
                total meal cost                          €0.81
Lunch
BREAD    €0.59    15         €0.04                 €0.16   (4slices)
HAM    €1.75    20        €0.09                €0.18    (2slices of ham)
NOODLES€1.05    6        €0.18               €0.18     (1 pack of noodles)
CAKES    €0.95    6       €0.16               €0.16     (1 cake bar)
                total meal cost                     €0.67

dinner
shepards pie (individual prices based on half the pie )
MINCE    €1.74    1        €1.74             €0.44   (based on using half a pack of mince for total pie)
BEANS    €0.25    1        €0.25             €0.13   (half can)
TOMATOE€0.39    1        €0.39            €0.20   (half can)
ONION    €1.00    12        €0.08           €0.04    (half onion)
MIXED VEG€1.00 1          €1.00             €0.50  (half a bag)
LENTILS    €0.50    1     €0.50            €0.25    (half a bag)
STOCK CUBE    €0.50    6    €0.08    €0.04   (half a stock cube
POTATOES    €2.00    20    €0.10    €0.60   (6potatoes)
YOGHURT    €0.33    1    €0.33    €0.33   (1 yoghurt)
                total meal cost                             €2.52
            total daily spend per person    €3.99
Items in blue were bought from lidl
items in green marsaxlokk market
items in yellow  from EUROLAND
all other items were bought from Pavi


this is based on fridays dinner ... the other half of the  mince etc i used to make a spaghetti bologneise

its worth noting the beans are reduced currently in pavi
mince is reduced but i only buy the 30% discount stuff in lidl

robpw2 wrote:

we dont eat that unhealthy and i can do 4 euros a day average spend ...
item         Packkprice noinpack  cost per item  cost per person(per serving)
Breakfast
bacon     €1.78       8             €0.22              €0.45  (2slices)
EGGS    €0.95       6             €0.16             €0.16   (1egg)
BEANS    €0.25      1             €0.25              €0.13  (half a tin)
BREAD    €0.59     15            €0.04             €0.08   (2 slices)
                total meal cost                          €0.81
Lunch
BREAD    €0.59    15         €0.04                 €0.16   (4slices)
HAM    €1.75    20        €0.09                €0.18    (2slices of ham)
NOODLES€1.05    6        €0.18               €0.18     (1 pack of noodles)
CAKES    €0.95    6       €0.16               €0.16     (1 cake bar)
                total meal cost                     €0.67

dinner
shepards pie (individual prices based on half the pie )
MINCE    €1.74    1        €1.74             €0.44   (based on using half a pack of mince for total pie)
BEANS    €0.25    1        €0.25             €0.13   (half can)
TOMATOE€0.39    1        €0.39            €0.20   (half can)
ONION    €1.00    12        €0.08           €0.04    (half onion)
MIXED VEG€1.00 1          €1.00             €0.50  (half a bag)
LENTILS    €0.50    1     €0.50            €0.25    (half a bag)
STOCK CUBE    €0.50    6    €0.08    €0.04   (half a stock cube
POTATOES    €2.00    20    €0.10    €0.60   (6potatoes)
YOGHURT    €0.33    1    €0.33    €0.33   (1 yoghurt)
                total meal cost                             €2.52
            total daily spend per person    €3.99
Items in blue were bought from lidl
items in green marsaxlokk market
items in yellow  from EUROLAND
all other items were bought from Pavi


this is based on fridays dinner ... the other half of the  mince etc i used to make a spaghetti bologneise

its worth noting the beans are reduced currently in pavi
mince is reduced but i only buy the 30% discount stuff in lidl

Impressive! Though my 15/day was for two people so your 8/day is much closer to it than 4/day. I may have misunderstood New Horizonz's post though.

Really not much difference there except we don't have the time to visit multiple shops daily + for stuff like veg, tomatoes, etc where you say half-can/bag/whatever we normally use the whole thing in a meal. It's also possible that I eat bigger portions lol!

we eat alot and thats 240-250 a month we spend
when i say half a bag etc thats per portion so we would eat a whole shepards pie and use all the ingredients but even so .. lol

i dont think its to bad to get stuff all in one place either but we dont mind gives us something to do lol

mantasmo wrote:

Random: I'm also absolutely amazed by how little time Maltese people spend outdoors - I have met maybe a grand total of 30 people (mostly illegal hunters) during 60+ hours of hiking. Almost no one does it there heh. It's amazing.

The Maltese are known for their aversion to walking (with some notable exceptions of course). They will not walk when they can take a car. I have seen them use a car to cross from one side of a village square to the other.

robpw2 wrote:

mantasmo wrote:

New Horizonz wrote:

I know a couple living well in Sliema on a budget of 500 euros a month:
They live in a room in a shared house paying 185 euros for the room, water, gas, electricity and the internet included. They don't often go to eat and live on a tight budget, making the most of all offers, reduced prices and coupons they can find. She said ideally she wants to spend 120 euros a month on food for both of them (but doesn't manage that every month), and 200 euros a month for everything else. She even manages to put something aside for rainy days!
They are young, have little expectations, working hard and enjoy life. I really like their altitude. They often go out and enjoy life. She makes packed lunches/dinners. They go on the beach or sitting on a park bench overlooking the sea and eat their meal together; very much enjoying all that this country/world has offered them for free.... They are happy people.
He told me about one of their treats: a large latte or cappuccino and a cookie at Subway for 1 euro. They can sit there as long as they like talking or watching music videos.
Of course they cannot buy designer labels from top Sliema shops or go on holidays abroad etc on this budget, but they don't let that bother them. They live well, simple, healthy and happy on what they can afford.

Interesting. I really don't think that 450/month on food is a lot in Malta. I found Malta more expensive than both Portugal and Spain for food - plus choice is very poor in Malta. I'll post more details here - hopefully that'll help someone looking to make the move in the future!

We were 26 and 27 at the time, both healthy and living as frugally as we could. We'd basically spend every weekend outdoors hiking in Gozo/Malta. Never went out because we couldn't afford it but we did get into superb shape simply by walking maybe 5-7 km every day + hiking 2 days a week for 4-6 hours (Xlendi to Azure Window, San Blas to Ramla Bay via the coast, etc - some hikes we did 3-4 times) + going to a cheap hotel gym 3 times a week as a treat (on a long term subscription). So if that's your kind of lifestyle then Malta is great. That said there are a lot of gotchas...

Food: we like to eat healthy. Never buy frozen food (chips, etc) and always cook at home. Basically most of our meals are pasta + chicken/minced beef/pork + spices/seasoning + either fresh tomato sauce we make ourselves or some kind of pasta sauce. We eat massive bowls of salad for breakfast (basil, mixed salad, cherry tomatoes, tuna/chicken, etc), then have tomato soup with freshly baked bread during the day. We don't drink anything else except water and coffee/tea. No soft drinks, no sweets, cakes, chocolates, etc. So that's about 15/day on food right there. I have no idea how two people can eat well on 4/day.

Accommodation: anything below 400/month is going to be cold and moldy in winter and extremely hot in summer. We lived in a shitty 300/month apartment with no AC's or heating - it was not comfy. Fun, but only for a young carefree couple in their 20's...

As for shopping - we spend about 50/month on clothes, shoes, etc all in (avg for a year). Everything I own fits into my backpack.

Now I'd also like to say that living frugally in Gozo/Malta was an amazing experience. We were trying to build a business and it taught us a lot about ourselves, the importance of staying in good shape, and the joys of small things in life (like throwing stones into water standing on a completely empty beach in Gozo mid-April... for hours). I'm happy to say that it was a hugely beneficial experience to us - our business is thriving and we've been travelling Europe living in random places for a couple years now - still living frugally and staying healthy wherever we go (but now on about 1500/month as I mentioned in my previous post). So yeah... go for it people.

Random: I'm also absolutely amazed by how little time Maltese people spend outdoors - I have met maybe a grand total of 30 people (mostly illegal hunters) during 60+ hours of hiking. Almost no one does it there heh. It's amazing.

we dont eat that unhealthy and i can do 4 euros a day average spend ...
item         Packkprice noinpack  cost per item  cost per person(per serving)
Breakfast
bacon     €1.78       8             €0.22              €0.45  (2slices)
EGGS    €0.95       6             €0.16             €0.16   (1egg)
BEANS    €0.25      1             €0.25              €0.13  (half a tin)
BREAD    €0.59     15            €0.04             €0.08   (2 slices)
                total meal cost                          €0.81
Lunch
BREAD    €0.59    15         €0.04                 €0.16   (4slices)
HAM    €1.75    20        €0.09                €0.18    (2slices of ham)
NOODLES€1.05    6        €0.18               €0.18     (1 pack of noodles)
CAKES    €0.95    6       €0.16               €0.16     (1 cake bar)
                total meal cost                     €0.67

dinner
shepards pie (individual prices based on half the pie )
MINCE    €1.74    1        €1.74             €0.44   (based on using half a pack of mince for total pie)
BEANS    €0.25    1        €0.25             €0.13   (half can)
TOMATOE€0.39    1        €0.39            €0.20   (half can)
ONION    €1.00    12        €0.08           €0.04    (half onion)
MIXED VEG€1.00 1          €1.00             €0.50  (half a bag)
LENTILS    €0.50    1     €0.50            €0.25    (half a bag)
STOCK CUBE    €0.50    6    €0.08    €0.04   (half a stock cube
POTATOES    €2.00    20    €0.10    €0.60   (6potatoes)
YOGHURT    €0.33    1    €0.33    €0.33   (1 yoghurt)
                total meal cost                             €2.52
            total daily spend per person    €3.99
Items in blue were bought from lidl
items in green marsaxlokk market
items in yellow  from EUROLAND
all other items were bought from Pavi


this is based on fridays dinner ... the other half of the  mince etc i used to make a spaghetti bologneise

its worth noting the beans are reduced currently in pavi
mince is reduced but i only buy the 30% discount stuff in lidl

wow impressive figure work I think I lazed around and smoked about 6 fags while you typed all that out lol "sometimes life is too short" plus you don't eat frosties (or coco pops)  for breakfast which is a cardinal sin and don't get me started I cant get bloody Ricicles over here lol

to be honest we all eat what we can afford or what we want to eat, each to their own and vive le difference

redders_61 wrote:

wow impressive figure work I think I lazed around and smoked about 6 fags while you typed all that out lol "sometimes life is too short" plus you don't eat frosties (or coco pops)  for breakfast which is a cardinal sin and don't get me started I cant get bloody Ricicles over here lol

to be honest we all eat what we can afford or what we want to eat, each to their own and vive le difference

thats just one day lol , some days we eat cereal instead lol .. i bought some lucky charms they were 7 euro a packet ... they are lovely but very rich and expensive ..
occasionaly we have marks and spencers millonaire short bread cereal
cornflakes
or sometimes porridge

lol .. your right evryones different and thats a good thing lol

yeh my frosties are 5.45 a pack here for 750g but guess its shipping costs. I like the M&S cream of chicken soup with chunky veg in. I just wish they sold covent garden fresh soup here.

yep each to their own.

heinz means beanz and usually for teenz...lol

A million Cypriots everyday, pick up a can of beanz and say, Beanz meanz we aint Turks.

lol

must ve been one helluva size tin......

Ive had Ricicles before in Malta - just cant remember where if got em...

redmik wrote:

The Maltese are known for their aversion to walking (with some notable exceptions of course). They will not walk when they can take a car. I have seen them use a car to cross from one side of a village square to the other.

A recent global study by the scientific journal The Lancet ranked Malta as the laziest country in the world, last place out of 122 countries. They are officially the world's most inactive people, the world's biggest couch potatoes. The UK wasn't much better though, the 8th worst.

You can see it in action when they arrive in their car to pick someone up, rather than get out the car and ring the doorbell (and burn maybe 2 calories of energy), they just sit on their fat arses and peep their car horn incessantly for 10 minutes. 

I have lived on Malta with my wife for over a year now.  You need €2,000 a month.

Some of us don't get €2000 a month lol many people are not going to get €2000 a month it's really an unlikely suggestion of reasonable living costs in Malta

On An Island wrote:

rather than get out the car and ring the doorbell (and burn maybe 2 calories of energy), they just sit on their fat arses and peep their car horn incessantly for 10 minutes. 

because most doorbells in Malta are not working ... or at least there's no label for identification

You have to attend a dayreturn shopping trip to Auchan Mall in Catania ... all your lazy Maltese fellow travellers suddenly become vivid like ants !!! ... it's all in the motivation 

1000,- per month you can earn with an easy stressless job here and it's enough for a moderate life - isn't this what most of us have been looking for when relocating to Malta ? Leaving the wellpaid but quite stressful jobs and the highlevel but unsatisfying life behind ?
But, to be honest, only 1000,- per month would not be enough for me personally, since from time to time I reward myself with extra purchasing like a car, a vacation, furniture, flatscreen etc.

We have lived here for 2yrs in April we spend 500€ on rent, water, elect & melita (tv, tele & internet) per month. Another 500€ every 4/5 weeks on food, household stuff, going out /take aways etc. The meals out can range from cheap and cheerful to high end depends on mood and occasion. The food we buy again is a wide range of prices but always buy my fruit and veg at our local shop not supermarket as best value. Also found our local hardware shop cheaper then the larger stores. Hope this helps

I think what most people want to know is whats the minimum you can live on i.e.; 2 people, rent, utilities etc.

There is a difference between wants and needs.

As a couple here in the UK we live quite comfortably on what a lot of people wouldn't because we shop around, I'm semi-retired and my wife is on low pay, i have a small pension.

The un negotiable costs are, mortgage (or rent) electric, gas, car insurance, car tax, coal & wood, poll tax, life insurance, what is moveable is food shopping (we can shop around, grow our own, forage etc)

What we hope to gain by coming to Gozo is no poll tax, no coal or wood, cheaper rent (we don't intend to buy) and i see no reason why we change our shopping around etc, no car tax or insurance (we will use public transport)

Personally we will come being realistic - My small pension till I retire will have to be topped up with savings (2017) so for a year i guess - on retirement I should have an income of about 1300 euro. We would be looking for a house or apartment around 400-450 euro, we don't need a pool etc etc.

tease think man think. this is a matter of life and death ha ha

that is what Spyros with the Gyros said too lol

robpw2 wrote:

Some of us don't get €2000 a month lol many people are not going to get €2000 a month it's really an unlikely suggestion of reasonable living costs in Malta

2000 euros a month? Malta? oh such things are wet dreams made of lol I suppose if you have a flash penthouse in paceville  and a flash Russian blonde to go with it then maybe its not quite enough lol

So yea realistically 1000 euros/month is about the absolute minimum you need to live in Malta. And anywhere from 1500/month to 5000/month if you want to live comfortably (depending on what comfortable living is to you).

Basically about the same as in Santa Cruz (Tenerife), Mahon (Menorca), Tavira (Portugal) or Vilnius (Lithuania) - cost of living is surprisingly similar in all of those places. I also lived in London and Bournemouth/Poole for a few years and those were waaaaaay more expensive than anywhere else I've been.

g4jnw wrote:

I think what most people want to know is whats the minimum you can live on i.e.; 2 people, rent, utilities etc.

There is a difference between wants and needs.

As a couple here in the UK we live quite comfortably on what a lot of people wouldn't because we shop around, I'm semi-retired and my wife is on low pay, i have a small pension.

The un negotiable costs are, mortgage (or rent) electric, gas, car insurance, car tax, coal & wood, poll tax, life insurance, what is moveable is food shopping (we can shop around, grow our own, forage etc)

What we hope to gain by coming to Gozo is no poll tax, no coal or wood, cheaper rent (we don't intend to buy) and i see no reason why we change our shopping around etc, no car tax or insurance (we will use public transport)

Personally we will come being realistic - My small pension till I retire will have to be topped up with savings (2017) so for a year i guess - on retirement I should have an income of about 1300 euro. We would be looking for a house or apartment around 400-450 euro, we don't need a pool etc etc.

A teacher asked kids in the class to write up about life as a poor family and child wrote:
There was a poor family living in poor conditions. Their servants were poor. Their butler was poor. Their driver, gardener, personal trainer, psychologist, advisors, hairdresser, massage therapist, cook... were poor. They were all poor. 

It's not helpful to compare as people have different priorities. It's all about the budget: if one has 400 euro a month to live on, one makes do on 400 euro a month. Beckhams could be spending 5000 a week if they were living in Malta and might say that's around what you need to live on here.I mentioned before I know a happy couple living in Sliema on 500 a month total budget.

I think you will be fine and can live comfortably in Gozo on your budget.

Fusspot wrote:

We have lived here for 2yrs in April we spend 500€ on rent, water, elect & melita (tv, tele & internet) per month. Another 500€ every 4/5 weeks on food, household stuff, going out /take aways etc. The meals out can range from cheap and cheerful to high end depends on mood and occasion. The food we buy again is a wide range of prices but always buy my fruit and veg at our local shop not supermarket as best value. Also found our local hardware shop cheaper then the larger stores. Hope this helps

oh yes definitely local hardware shops are the place to go, my one here in Birzebuggia has maltese people from all over the island come to it to buy stuff. rule of thumb is if my local shop doesn't have it, nobody on the island does.

New Horizonz, thanks, couldn't have put it better myself.

My son is just in the process of moving to live in Gran Canaria, he is getting 1000 euro per month (tax paid) plus commission, he is a dive instructor, he lived for the last 2 years in Spain on commission only, obviously we brought him up to be frugal and things he will do well, we know he will.
He was going to come with us to Gozo but can't get the same pay.

You manage on what you have I find but there is an absolute minimum and anything over that is a bonus.

g4jnw wrote:

New Horizonz, thanks, couldn't have put it better myself.

My son is just in the process of moving to live in Gran Canaria, he is getting 1000 euro per month (tax paid) plus commission, he is a dive instructor, he lived for the last 2 years in Spain on commission only, obviously we brought him up to be frugal and things he will do well, we know he will.
He was going to come with us to Gozo but can't get the same pay.

You manage on what you have I find but there is an absolute minimum and anything over that is a bonus.

The absolute minimum is elastic:
1. Some people leave the aircon on overnight, that can make 200 a month difference. I have but don't use it at all.
2. People told me they get 2-3 months use out of a gas bottle. My gas bottle has been going well for over 9 months now and still plenty left. I cook minimum two meals each day, how? I turn it right down when it starts boiling! That makes all the difference. I'm not poor but hate waste.

If they were on a tight budget, they would probably get more than 2-3 months and no aircon....

New Horizonz wrote:

If they were on a tight budget, they would probably get more than 2-3 months and no aircon....

We didn't have heating/aircon and used up perhaps 1.5 of those gas bottles over 8 months cooking all meals at home. No heating in winter and no aircon in summer is not what I would call "living comfortably" - mid-November to April was absolute hell in our small, south facing apartment.

matm911 wrote:

because most doorbells in Malta are not working ... or at least there's no label for identification

You might be right there, my landlord has THREE doorbells outside his house, only one of them works though. And I can never remember which one it is when I go to his door!!

Less than 15% of the population of Malta (total population, not working-age population) declared a salary of more than €15,000 back in 2010. Wages are generally much lower than other EU countries, but that is compensated by a lower cost of living. Having an income of €2,000 a month would give you a very comfortable lifestyle. The average Maltese survives on much less.

timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20110127/local/1-000-admit-they-earn-over-75-000-annually.347346

Although, this obviously doesn't include undeclared income, tax evasion is as rife in Malta as it is in most other southern European countries, so those figures probably don't tell the whole story.

door bells??? does anything in malta work properly? lol

my doorbell has a switch on the inside to turn it on or off .. it really helps to ignore people lol

robpw2 wrote:

my doorbell has a switch on the inside to turn it on or off .. it really helps to ignore people lol

Hahhahaa! Excellent!

On An Island wrote:

Although, this obviously doesn't include undeclared income, tax evasion is as rife in Malta as it is in most other southern European countries, so those figures probably don't tell the whole story.

Most Maltese do not declare rental income, etc... It's common knowledge and no one cares. Many expats also choose to simply not declare parts of their income and no one (in Malta at least) cares as long as everything appears to be above the board.

mantasmo wrote:

New Horizonz wrote:

If they were on a tight budget, they would probably get more than 2-3 months and no aircon....

We didn't have heating/aircon and used up perhaps 1.5 of those gas bottles over 8 months cooking all meals at home. No heating in winter and no aircon in summer is not what I would call "living comfortably" - mid-November to April was absolute hell in our small, south facing apartment.

I like you and respect your views. I write these thoughts in case some people find them beneficial. I readily accept you/all people have the freedom to choose/set own living priorities and have lifestyle choice.

My living priorities are:
1. health
2. active life
3. Independence
4. simplicity
5. low cost
I had gas heater and aircon/ceiling fan but decided these aren't healthy to use.
Gas heater From my extensive work in automotive field (designing/writing software for ECU's, engine management products), I know that combustion process isn't 100% complete hence byproduct gases. Without exhaust/flu, fumes are discharged in the room.
As used widely in Malta, I gave it a try for a few days then realised it fills the room with moisture causing condensation.
I also think if used without adequate ventilation and for prolong periods, gas heaters make us sleepy/lethargic: either psychologically or chemically, so we sit down in front of them more. It's a waste of time to burn gas AND open the windows for ventilation! It violated all my 5 priorities and I stopped using it.
Someone said he leaves it on lowest setting 24/7. Gas bottles last 5-6 days!! (18-25 euros each depending where you buy them from). Winters in Malta aren't pleasant without central heating no matter what. Maltese people generally don't heat their houses: they put more clothes on. Probably OK to use gas heaters occasionally when it's very cold and for 10min just to take edge off the chill.
Air con Sure, they bring comfort but I discovered the disadvantages after use: they dry the air, stiffen our joints and muscles, have localised effect, addictive and very expensive to run. Some people run them non stop for 6 months in the year!! My landlord kindly fitted fly nets when I asked him and life got better. I can leave all windows open day and night to let nature take care of me
Ceiling fan Useful for combating mosquitoes but noisy at night even on lowest setting.

New Horizonz:

1. Gas heaters - would never use one. It's common knowledge that those are very unhealthy to use, especially in closed spaces like apartments. Maltese use them because they are the cheapest form of heating available on the island. No other reason really.

2. Aircon - I work from home and working in +34C summer heat was not easy trust me... I'd take 3-5 1 minute cold showers through the day to keep sane. I have to emphasize that it's not so much the heat that's the problem but extreme humidity in Gozo (I'm sure Malta is very similar). For this reason I'd look for a place with air conditioning should I ever return to Malta.

Aircon is also a great for heating during cold winter months - but only in well insulated homes. Here in Spain I pay 500/month for a top of the line apartment right in the town center. We heat using aircon from time to time but it only costs us like 50/month because the apartment is very well insulated. Something practically unheard of in Malta (sadly).

EDIT: aircons need to be maintained/cleaned regularly. No one does it in Malta so use at your own risk lol.

3. Ceiling fans - a good fan set to "quiet" runs without any noise. We had two when living in the Canary Islands. Every single fan I've seen installed in Malta was either bought second hand or has been used for many years without proper maintenance...

Hi Everybody  i just got some job offer from Malta salary after tax about 1500 Euros , is it good salary? can we live comfortable ( 2adult +1 kid (3 years  old) and could we save around 400-500 Euros? thank you for your advise !

Scrape by - yes. Save - no.  Just my opinion.

Thank you  for your opinion  so it is better both of us work than only do savings! how about day care cost for 2.5 years old baby ? i heard taht after 3 years old will be free kindergarten is it correct?