Where to Base Yourself in Malta as a Digital Nomad

Sliema is the centre of expat Malta: a seafront promenade lined with flats, cafes, gyms and shops, rocky swimming spots, and a ferry across the harbour to Valletta in about ten minutes. You can live without a car, the community is large and international, and long-let flats are plentiful. The downsides are traffic, construction noise, crowds in summer and some of the highest rents on the island. See the Sliema digital nomad guide.

Next to Sliema, St Julian’s mixes Paceville, Malta’s nightlife district, with the pretty Spinola Bay and quieter residential streets. Many of Malta’s gaming and tech companies have offices here and in nearby Ta’ Xbiex and Pembroke, so there’s a working professional crowd. Live in Swieqi or Pembroke, just uphill, if you want the location without the weekend noise.

Gżira faces Manoel Island across the harbour and is a short walk from Sliema, with lower rents and a more local feel. Msida, around a marina, is home to the University of Malta and Mater Dei Hospital. Both are well connected by bus and popular with people who want the harbour area at a lower price. Streets are busy and the housing stock is mixed, so view flats in person.

The walled capital is a UNESCO World Heritage city of honey-coloured stone, baroque churches and steep streets, with theatres, wine bars and the main bus terminus at its gate. Rentals are limited, often in old townhouses without lifts or good insulation, and they cost more than in Sliema for less space. It suits people who want history and culture on the doorstep and can live with a small flat. The Three Cities across the Grand Harbour, including Vittoriosa (Birgu), are a quieter, cheaper alternative, a short ferry ride away.

A hilltop town at the north end of Malta, above Għadira Bay, the island’s biggest sandy beach. It’s quieter and more residential than the harbour area, with sea views, walking trails and quick access to the Gozo ferry at Ċirkewwa. It’s sleepy in winter and you’ll want a car or a lot of patience with buses to reach the harbour towns.

Malta’s smaller sister island is greener, quieter and cheaper, with farmland, cliffs and some of the best diving in the Mediterranean. Victoria, also called Rabat, is the island’s capital and has the shops, services and Gozo General Hospital. Xlendi and Marsalforn are small seaside villages popular with long-stayers. Fibre and 4G and 5G are good in the main villages. The trade-offs are a small community, few social options in winter, and the ferry crossing whenever you need Malta’s airport or bigger services.

• Start in Sliema or St Julian’s for a month or two to sort your permit, bank account and SIM, then decide.
• Sign a 12-month lease only once you’re sure: the Nomad Residence Permit requires one, and breaking it can cost your deposit.
• Check for construction next to any flat before you sign. Building sites can start at 7am.
• Think about summer and winter. Ask whether the flat has air-conditioning that also heats, because many Maltese homes are cold and damp in winter.