---
title: "Living in Valletta as a digital nomad: cost, safety, visa, internet"
url: https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/valletta
description: "Tiny English-speaking island capital in the Med"
dataset: 2026.09.4 (2026-09-26)
license: CC BY 4.0
---

# Valletta, Malta

Valletta scores 73.2/100 for digital nomads under balanced weights, ranking 5 of 309 cities. Expect about $2,136 per month, a nomad visa (Nomad Residence Permit), and a measured median download speed of 87.3 Mbps.

Valletta is a compact baroque capital where English is official and Malta's Nomad Residence Permit is well established. Expect small-island prices, summer heat and a bus-only transit system.

Known for: English official language, Harbour views, Nomad Residence Permit, iGaming industry.

## Scores (balanced weights, 0–100)

| Factor | Score |
| --- | --- |
| Overall | 73.2 |
| Cost of living | 34 |
| Safety | 86 |
| Healthcare | 85 |
| Internet | 80 |
| Visa ease | 85 |
| Getting there & around | 36 |
| Climate | 75 |
| Air quality | 85 |
| Quality of life | 93 |

## The numbers behind the scores

| Metric | Value | Level | As of | Source |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly cost, one person | $2,136 | city | 2026-09 | [^2] |
| Central 1-bedroom rent | — | city | 2026-09 | [^3] |
| Outskirts 1-bedroom rent (basis of the monthly total) | — | city | 2026-09 | [^3] |
| Homicide rate (per 100k) | 0.9 | country | 2021 | [^5] |
| Political stability (0–100) | 79.6 | country | 2024 | [^6] |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 82 | country | 2023 | [^7] |
| Life expectancy (years) | 81.8 | country | 2021 | [^8] |
| Median download (Mbps) | 87.3 | city | 2024 | [^9] |
| Median upload (Mbps) | 16 | city | 2024 | [^9] |
| Nomad visa | Nomad Residence Permit (min $4,012/mo) | country | 2026-07 | [^10] |
| Visa-free days US / EU / UK | 90 days / unlimited / 90 days | editorial | 2026-02 | [^11] |
| Non-stop destinations (MLA) | 114 | city | 2026-08 | [^12] |
| Walkability / transit (1–5) | 4 / 2 | editorial | 2026-09 | [^13] |
| Comfortable months | 9 of 12 | city | 2001–2020 | [^14] |
| Annual mean PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 11.6 | city | 2024 | [^15] |
| Human Development Index | 0.924 | country | 2023 | [^16] |
| English proficiency band | native | country | 2024 | [^17] |

## Climate (2001–2020 normals)

| Month | Mean °C | Rain mm | Humidity % | Comfortable |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Jan | 14.6 | 74 | 74 | no |
| Feb | 14 | 65 | 76 | no |
| Mar | 14.7 | 51 | 80 | no |
| Apr | 16.2 | 33 | 83 | yes |
| May | 18.8 | 17 | 82 | yes |
| Jun | 22.7 | 11 | 80 | yes |
| Jul | 25.7 | 4 | 77 | yes |
| Aug | 26.6 | 10 | 75 | yes |
| Sep | 25.1 | 63 | 75 | yes |
| Oct | 22.8 | 82 | 76 | yes |
| Nov | 19.7 | 95 | 74 | yes |
| Dec | 16.4 | 82 | 73 | yes |

## Airports and nonstop flights

| Airport | IATA | Nonstop destinations | International | From US airports |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Malta International Airport | MLA | 114 | 52 | 1 |

Unique destinations across all airports: 114, of which 52 international (Wikipedia, 2026-08).

## Similar cities

- [Faro (Algarve)](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/faro) (72.3) — [compare](https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/faro-vs-valletta)
- [Limassol](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/limassol) (66.8) — [compare](https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/limassol-vs-valletta)
- [Palma de Mallorca](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/palma) (73.5) — [compare](https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/palma-vs-valletta)
- [Lisbon](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/lisbon) (71.5) — [compare](https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/lisbon-vs-valletta)
- [Málaga](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/malaga) (71.8) — [compare](https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/malaga-vs-valletta)

## FAQ

### How much does it cost to live in Valletta as a digital nomad?

A single person typically spends about $2,136 per month in Valletta. That is a 34/100 cost score, where 100 is the cheapest city in the dataset.

### Is Valletta safe for digital nomads?

Valletta scores 86/100 on safety. Malta records 0.9 homicides per 100,000 people per year (WHO, 2021) and a political-stability score of 79.6/100 (World Bank WGI). Both figures are national, so neighbourhood-level risk can differ.

### Does Malta have a digital nomad visa?

Yes. Malta offers the Nomad Residence Permit with a minimum income of about $4,012 per month. Verify current rules with the issuing authority before applying.

### How fast is the internet in Valletta?

Measured median download speed in Valletta was 87.3 Mbps (upload 16 Mbps) across 4,382 M-Lab tests in 2024. Measured speeds run below advertised plan speeds everywhere, so compare cities rather than reading the number as a plan.

### Which airports serve Valletta and how many nonstop flights are there?

Valletta is served by Malta International Airport (MLA) with 114 nonstop destinations, of which 52 are international. 1 US airports have a nonstop link. Source: Wikipedia, 2026-08.

### When is the best time of year to be in Valletta?

The most comfortable months are Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec. Mean temperatures range from 57°F (14°C) in Feb to 80°F (27°C) in Aug (NASA POWER 2001–2020 climatology).

### Valletta or Faro (Algarve): which is better for digital nomads?

Faro (Algarve) is the city with the closest factor profile to Valletta in this dataset. Which one wins depends on your weights; the comparison page puts every factor side by side with the numbers behind them.

## Sources

[^1]: City population (latest census or official estimate), Wikipedia (citing national statistics offices). CC BY-SA 4.0. https://en.wikipedia.org/ (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^2]: WhereNext city cost estimates 2026 (city pages), WhereNext. CC BY 4.0. https://getwherenext.com/cities (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^3]: Cost of Living Global 2026 (city rows), WhereToEmigrate. CC BY 4.0. https://github.com/0brien18/global-emigration-dataset (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^4]: 2026 Cost of Living Index (country level), WhereNext. CC BY 4.0. https://getwherenext.com/data/cost-of-living-2026 (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^5]: Estimates of rates of homicides per 100 000 population, World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory. CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (WHO data policy). https://www.who.int/data/gho/data/indicators/indicator-details/GHO/estimates-of-rates-of-homicides-per-100-000-population (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^6]: Worldwide Governance Indicators — Political Stability and Absence of Violence (score 0–100), World Bank. CC BY 4.0. https://www.worldbank.org/en/publication/worldwide-governance-indicators (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^7]: UHC service coverage index, World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory. CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (WHO data policy). https://www.who.int/data/gho/data/indicators/indicator-details/GHO/uhc-index-of-service-coverage (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^8]: Life expectancy at birth (years), both sexes, World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory. CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (WHO data policy). https://www.who.int/data/gho/data/indicators/indicator-details/GHO/life-expectancy-at-birth-(years) (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^9]: M-Lab NDT statistics (city aggregates, 2024), Measurement Lab. CC0 1.0. https://statistics.measurementlab.net/ (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^10]: Digital Nomad Visas 2026, WhereToEmigrate. CC BY 4.0. https://github.com/0brien18/global-emigration-dataset (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^11]: Passport Index dataset (visa requirements, 199 passports × 199 destinations), Ilya Ilyankou (compiled from passportindex.org). MIT. https://github.com/ilyankou/passport-index-dataset (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^12]: Airport destinations (Wikipedia airline and destination tables), Wikipedia contributors; countries via Wikidata. CC BY-SA 4.0. https://en.wikipedia.org/ (retrieved 2026-09-24)
[^13]: Walkability and transit ratings (editorial), Navoy. CC BY 4.0. https://nostos.navoy.io/methodology (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^14]: NASA POWER climatology (2001–2020 monthly means), NASA Langley Research Center. Public domain (US Government). https://power.larc.nasa.gov/ (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^15]: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database, June 2026 update (V8), World Health Organization. CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (WHO data policy). https://www.who.int/publications/m/item/who-ambient-air-quality-database-(update-jun-2026) (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^16]: Human Development Index (HDR 2025, HDI 2023), United Nations Development Programme. CC BY 3.0 IGO. https://hdr.undp.org/data-center/documentation-and-downloads (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^17]: EF English Proficiency Index 2024 (band), EF Education First. Proprietary; band cited as a fact with attribution. https://www.ef.com/epi/ (retrieved 2026-09-22)

HTML page: https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/valletta