Is Malta expensive? What a holiday really costs, from official figures

Is Malta expensive? My short answer is that it depends what you’re spending on. Getting around the islands and seeing their sights costs little, noticeably less than many people expect. What pushes the budget up is somewhere to sleep, especially in summer. Rather than leave it at an impression, here are the figures published by Malta’s statistics office and tourism authority.

What the official figures say

Malta’s National Statistics Office counted 4,022,310 tourists in 2025, spending 25.4 million nights on the islands and €3,904.4 million in total. Do the sums and that’s €971 per visitor, or about €154 per night of stay, everything included.

The MTA’s spending survey for the same year goes into more detail. Across six markets, average spend was €1,175 per person over trips of 6.7 nights, or €175 per person per night. The British sample was the largest by far, 739 people, and it shows how the UK books. 62.4% of UK trips were packages, the highest share of any market, at an average of €1,000.40 per person before departure. Those who went independently had spent €463.50 on average before leaving home.

What’s cheap in Malta?

Transport, without question. Each bus ticket covers two hours with changes, at €2.50 in high season or €2 in low season, and takes you from one end of the island to the other. The Gozo ferry is €4.65 return, the Valletta to Sliema crossing €3 one way, and a 7-day Explore Flex, airport buses included, is €27.

Entry prices won’t frighten you either. Most Heritage Malta sites cost €5 to €12, St John’s Co-Cathedral €15, and the €60 Multisite Pass covers 25 sites for 30 days. Plenty of the best things are free, from wandering Valletta or Mdina to the Dingli Cliffs. All my money-saving tips are in Malta on a budget. In restaurants, add a tip that’s customary rather than compulsory, as I explain in tipping in Malta.

What’s expensive in Malta?

Beds in high season. MTA figures for 2024 put hotel occupancy at 83.9% from July to September, against 51.3% from January to March. When nearly everything is full, prices feel it, and on Gozo the swing is wider still, from 64.9% in summer to 25.1% in winter for collective accommodation.

Two more things matter when comparing prices. Hotel stays carry reduced VAT of 7%, and since 1 July 2026 there’s the eco-contribution, €1.50 a night per adult up to €22.50, charged separately from your booking. No official source publishes an average room rate or meal price, so you won’t find an invented one here. The areas with the most choice, and so the most room for a deal, are compared in where to stay in Malta.

What does a day of sightseeing cost?

To put a number on a typical day, take the one in my Malta in one day plan. Four visits, the Co-Cathedral, the palace of the Grand Masters, the noon-gun battery and St Elmo, add up to €40, and the return ferry to the Three Cities is another €5. An independent day on Gozo, with the ferry, buses and Heritage Malta’s combo ticket, comes in at a little over €25. Food and accommodation are extra.

Package or independent?

For a British traveller the package question is real, because the UK books more of them than anyone. The MTA found that across its six markets 47.5% of trips were booked through a tour operator or agent, rising to 62.4% for the UK. If you do go for a package with flights, it’s worth knowing the difference ATOL protection makes, which I cover in Malta holiday packages. The Civil Aviation Authority is clear that ATOL is financial protection if the company goes bust, not travel insurance, and that a flight bought directly from an airline as an e-ticket isn’t covered by it.

How I’d spend less without missing out

If I had to trim, I wouldn’t touch the sights or the boats, which cost little for what they give. I’d move my dates to winter or early spring, when the bus drops to €2 and hotel occupancy hovers around half, and I’d choose the area carefully. The council covering Buġibba, Qawra and Xemxija has 1,135 licensed holiday lets, more than anywhere else in the country. And the place I would spend is the Hypogeum, at €35 the dearest ticket in Malta and the one I’d grudge least.