Living in Malta: A Client’s Honest Experience Report

Hi, I’m Susanna, and I’ve been living here in Malta for over a year now.

Philipp Sauerborn asked if I could write a short report for his blog to help anyone considering Malta as a base to get a better picture of the island. I agreed immediately—I remember exactly how it was for me and my partner when we were deciding whether to make the move.

Why I Moved to Malta

First, let me give you a bit of background on how we actually "landed" in Malta.

My partner and I had wanted to start our own business for a long time. At the same time, we felt a growing urge to move somewhere with better weather and the sea right on our doorstep. Our shortlist included Cyprus, France, Mallorca, and Malta. I remember how difficult it was to imagine actually living in another country and how long that decision process took. Although we had visited all these places before, it was always with a "holiday mindset."

Eventually, we realized we couldn't make a life decision based just on internet research. We decided on the spur of the moment to travel to our shortlisted countries specifically to judge them through the eyes of "our future home."

Well, as you can guess, Malta won. We arrived on a warm summer evening and took a taxi to our hotel. The next day, we wandered through the town with its charming architecture, went out for dinner, and swam in the sea. I was actually shocked at how warm the water was (it was July). I’d never experienced such warm seas in Europe before—I was used to it in Asia, but not here. We fell in love with the country and decided to emigrate.

No sooner said than done. We deregistered from our home country, sold our furniture (apartments in Malta are usually furnished), and shipped the rest of our belongings. We actually managed all of this within a week.

Once the decision was made, we contacted Philipp Sauerborn, who came highly recommended by an acquaintance living in Malta. Philipp even offered to put us in touch with a real estate agent to help us find a suitable apartment.

A quick story about this: Apartment hunting in Malta works differently than in many other European countries. Here, you view an apartment, and you can often sign and move in on the very same day. Because of this fast pace, we still didn't have a flat two weeks before our flight. This worried us a bit at the time, but the agent assured us it was normal for Malta (we understand that now!). So, we flew down with our last two suitcases, and two weeks later, we moved into our ready-to-go apartment. Our new chapter had begun.

We registered our residence and our company here and started our new life. I want to emphasize how good it felt to have Philipp Sauerborn in our corner. Initially, there was a lot of red tape that would have definitely overwhelmed us without his help. Sure, you can probably manage it alone, but in my view, it is simply much more pleasant to have someone by your side who knows the systems, knows exactly how things work, and knows which documents are important. There are already enough new impressions raining down on you when you're in a new country with a new environment and new processes.

We were also lucky to have a friend already living in Malta who provided us with "insider knowledge." If you don't have that luck, I recommend even more strongly that you find someone to help you. Especially for entrepreneurs choosing Malta for its tax benefits, there are many compliance details to consider, as we learned.

Anyway, I’ve digressed a bit. Here is my summary after over a year in Malta:

First off: Malta made it easy for us to settle in quickly. We met only nice people who helped us with directions and were generally friendlier than people back home. My highlight in the beginning was always the taxi drivers, who were consistently courteous and friendly.

The Positive Experiences

The Weather

First, I have to say that the weather makes a massive difference. Looking back at my past years in Northern Europe, winter meant constant slush, cold, and a dip in my mood. This year, I experienced my first winter with no seasonal blues. While it wasn't 30 degrees, it was warm enough that I didn't need a heavy winter coat. It rains occasionally, which I actually find refreshing. When it rains in Malta, it pours—the streets fill with water quickly. But since rainy days are limited to about 15 days a year, I find it completely fine.

The Locals and Expats

The Maltese are incredibly lovely, friendly people who are very helpful. There are countless Facebook groups for running, networking, or hiking, where you can quickly find a community if you want to. The international and expat community is huge here, and you meet people very quickly. Unlike in some other countries, most people here are open and happy to help one another.

The general atmosphere in Malta is far less stressed than what I was used to. Long walks or runs along the sea are part of everyday life here and really let you enjoy living.

The Sea

The sea is a dream. It is the cleanest in Europe, and you can see right to the bottom. It’s beautifully warm in summer and offers the perfect way to cool down. The water is so clear that bringing a snorkel is a must! I could spend hours diving through the bays watching the variety of fish and sea anemones. There are also really great bays for long walks. Personally, I love that you can walk for kilometers along the coast, always with the sea right beside you and a beautiful view of Valletta.

The Flair of Towns and Fishing Villages

The towns of St. Julian’s and Sliema feature a lot of old architecture, colorful doors, and traditional balconies. Even after a year, they still look like a painting to me. It still feels like a holiday when we stroll through the small fishing village of Marsaxlokk or the old capital, Mdina. It is simply delightful.

The Tax Benefits

Yes, this was also a reason why we chose Malta. Aside from the lifestyle, Malta has a very lucrative tax model for self-employed people and entrepreneurs. Honestly, it is a great feeling knowing that the revenue your company generates lands in your account with almost the same figure.

Infrastructure

Apart from the current travel restrictions, Malta has an international airport with daily flights across Europe, so you can be back in the UK or mainland Europe quickly if you need to be. You can also take great day trips to Sicily by ferry or visit the neighboring islands of Gozo and Comino.

The Healthcare System

Contrary to what some might expect, Malta has a very well-functioning healthcare system. Every resident pays National Insurance contributions, which cover healthcare. However, for routine check-ups, you might pay out of pocket. I find this completely acceptable because, firstly, the cost is very low, and secondly, the social security contributions are generally lower than in high-tax countries. What I also find great: Almost every pharmacy has its own GP where you can just drop in—a consultation costs between 5 and 15 Euro.

English is the Official Language

This is a real asset. English is an official language in Malta, which makes communication seamless for foreigners across the island.

Taxis, GoTo, Bolt

Besides numerous standard taxis, Malta has many app-based services like Bolt or eCabs, which can be at your door within 2 minutes.

If you want to drive yourself but don't have a car, there is a car-sharing service called GoTo. GoTo has cars parked all over Malta that you can pay for by the minute. They’ve recently introduced scooters as well. Since this system works so well, we decided against buying our own car.

The "Negative" Experiences

The Lack of Greenery

Yes, Malta is a densely populated island, and there is less nature than in Northern or Central Europe. Especially in winter, when you can't swim, you might miss the green forests. That’s not to say there is no nature—especially in spring, the island blooms and is very green—but it’s different from what we were used to. You won't find a massive forest to get lost in. However, there are countless hiking trails along the coast which are beautiful, especially in winter and spring due to the mild temperatures.

When summer returns, you can jump into the sea and enjoy the turquoise-blue water, so you don't miss the forest quite as much. We often spent our summer days at St. Peter’s Pool, unable to believe we actually live in such a beautiful place.

High Humidity

The high humidity in winter can mean that laundry hangs on the rack for a week before it's fully dry. There is also a risk of things starting to mould—this is probably a problem in many southern countries. Thank God we’ve been lucky so far and haven't had any mould issues in our flat.

Water Heaters

Another small drawback worth mentioning is the water heater (often called a geyser here). In Malta, you generally only get hot water via a boiler that needs to heat up first. naturally, this means once the hot water is gone, it's gone. For us, the boiler lasts for about 20-30 minutes of showering. In the beginning, we used to switch the electricity for the boiler off, but we found we wanted spontaneous showers too often, so now we leave it on. Oh, and this brings me to another point: You shouldn't drink the tap water here—but that’s not a problem in my view; almost everyone in Malta has a water dispenser or buys bottled water.

Heating

Heating in winter. No, there is generally no central heating here, just air conditioning units that double as heaters. While the warm air heats the room, it only lasts as long as the unit is on. As soon as you switch off the AC, it gets cold immediately. Also, warm air from an AC isn't the most pleasant for the indoor climate, as you can imagine.

Fun fact: In winter, it is sometimes colder inside the house than outside. I only believed this after I experienced it myself.

Summary

Despite the "negative aspects," Malta simply offers me a higher quality of life overall (just the number of sunny days alone makes a difference). The people are warm, and even after a year, I feel very comfortable here and don't regret our decision one bit. I would recommend the country to anyone as a place to relocate. It is also interesting to note that various international surveys consistently rank Malta highly for expat satisfaction.

If you are considering Malta, I am happy to offer you the chance to contact me (susi283708@gmail.com) to ask questions about the island or emigration in general.