{"id":13692,"date":"2026-08-17T11:59:50","date_gmt":"2026-08-17T09:59:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/expatax.mt\/?p=13692"},"modified":"2026-08-17T12:00:31","modified_gmt":"2026-08-17T10:00:31","slug":"is-malta-getting-more-expensive-what-inflation-tells-us","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/expatax.mt\/fr\/is-malta-getting-more-expensive-what-inflation-tells-us\/","title":{"rendered":"Is Malta Getting More Expensive? What Inflation in 2025 and 2026 Tells Us"},"content":{"rendered":"

Anyone living in Malta will have noticed how much conversations around the cost of living have changed over the past few years. Grocery bills, rent, eating out and everyday services have all become more expensive, but the latest figures suggest that the pace of those increases is beginning to ease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the latest available data from Malta’s Office national des statistiques (ONS)<\/a><\/strong>, annual inflation measured by the Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices (HICP) stood at 2.0% in June 2026<\/strong>, compared with 2.5% in June 2025<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the surface, that is good news. Inflation is cooling. But does that mean Malta is becoming cheaper to live in?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not quite.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Inflation in Malta 2025 vs 2026<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The first six months of 2025 and 2026 show two noticeably different trends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
Mois<\/th>2025<\/th>2026<\/th><\/tr>
Janvier<\/td>1.8%<\/td>2.3%<\/td><\/tr>
F\u00e9vrier<\/td>2.0%<\/td>2.3%<\/td><\/tr>
Mars<\/td>2.2%<\/td>2.3%<\/td><\/tr>
April<\/td>2.6%<\/td>2.5%<\/td><\/tr>
May<\/td>2.7%<\/td>2.1%<\/td><\/tr>
Juin<\/td>2.5%<\/td>2.0%<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

During 2025, inflation gathered momentum as the year progressed. It rose from 1.8% in January to 2.7% in May before easing slightly to 2.5% in June.The picture in 2026 has been different.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Inflation remained at 2.3% for the first three months of the year, briefly increased to 2.5% in April, and then fell to 2.1% in May and 2.0% in June<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, when comparing June with June, Malta’s inflation rate has fallen by half a percentage point in the space of a year. That does not sound dramatic, but the direction is important. Price growth is clearly becoming more moderate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But are prices actually falling?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

This is where inflation figures are often misunderstood. Lower inflation does not mean lower prices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If something costs \u20ac100 and increases by 2.5%, it becomes \u20ac102.50. If inflation subsequently falls to 2%, the price does not return to \u20ac100. It simply continues increasing at a slower rate. This is essentially what Malta is experiencing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The sharp price increases of previous years have not generally been reversed. Instead, the speed at which prices are increasing has slowed. For households, that distinction matters much more than the headline inflation number itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The headline figure does not tell the whole story<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Malta actually has two important measures of consumer inflation. The Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices (HICP)<\/strong> is particularly useful for comparing Malta with other EU countries. The Retail Price Index (RPI)<\/strong> is more closely associated with expenditure by Maltese private households and plays an important role in Malta’s cost-of-living adjustment system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And in June 2026, the two indicators were telling slightly different stories. Annual HICP inflation stood at 2.0%<\/strong>, while annual RPI inflation was higher at 2.5%<\/strong>. The RPI’s 12-month moving average stood at 2.6%<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For someone actually paying rent<\/a>, buying groceries and using services in Malta, looking beyond the headline HICP rate therefore gives a more complete picture of what is happening to household costs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Housing is still getting considerably more expensive<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps the most striking figure in the latest NSO data relates to housing. In June 2026, the RPI Housing Index increased by 6.5% year on year<\/strong>. Within the category, NSO recorded increases of:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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