Living in Sliema

Sliema is a city in Malta. The dwelling count was 13,468.

Last checked 2026-09-1912 sources

Which Malta-wide rules apply when you move to Sliema?

National rules stay on the country page instead of being relabelled as city data.

Visa and entry rulesPassport-specific entry and national residence context.BenefitsCountry-wide eligibility and official application routes.Taxes in MaltaNational rates and thresholds that apply in Sliema.Healthcare eligibilityCountry-wide insurance and residence conditions.

Housing and cost

Owner occupation accounted for 58.1% of homes. The dwelling profile lists 9,917 main residences and 3,551 secondary, seasonal or vacant dwellings in November 2021.

No city-level rent figure is published for Sliema. The available city-level cost figures remain below.

What recurs every month6 published recurring costs, € per month

€ / month

Private kindergarten€328

Utilities, 85 m² flat€92

Fitness club€69

Internet, 60 Mbps€38

Mobile plan, 10 GB€23

Transport pass€0

Supplemental estimate lane; these items are not official statistics.

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Fitness club membership, monthly	69.3 EUR/month	1 Jul 2026	Numbeo cost of living — Sliema¹²Commercial estimate · Supplemental context
Internet, 60 Mbps unlimited	38.42 EUR/month	1 Jul 2026	Numbeo cost of living — Sliema¹²Commercial estimate · Supplemental context
Private kindergarten, monthly	327.8 EUR/month	1 Jul 2026	Numbeo cost of living — Sliema¹²Commercial estimate · Supplemental context
Meal at an inexpensive restaurant	17 EUR	1 Jul 2026	Numbeo cost of living — Sliema¹²Commercial estimate · Supplemental context
Mobile plan, 10 GB	22.8 EUR/month	1 Jul 2026	Numbeo cost of living — Sliema¹²Commercial estimate · Supplemental context
Monthly transport pass	0 EUR/month	30 Sept 2026	Personalised tallinja card - free public transport for eligible residents¹⁰Official
Basic utilities, 85 m² home	91.63 EUR/month	1 Jul 2026	Numbeo cost of living — Sliema¹²Commercial estimate · Supplemental context
Dwellings	13,468 dwellings	Census 2021	MT official material for g05_dwellings_total⁴Official
G05 Main Residential Dwellings	9,917 dwellings	21 Nov 2021	Census of Population and Housing 2021, Volume 2, dwelling tables⁴Official
G05 Secondary Seasonal Vacant Dwellings	3,551 dwellings	21 Nov 2021	Census of Population and Housing 2021, Volume 2, dwelling tables⁴Official

Is Sliema a good place to live?

There is no universal answer. The profile scores below show who the available published evidence may suit; they are a decision aid, not a personal recommendation.

Try your profile

Remote worker63%strong on work, weak on safety · range 52–74%

Skilled employee64%strong on work, weak on safety · range 53–75%

Student64%strong on cost, weak on safety · range 52–76%

Family56%strong on legal route, weak on safety · range 42–70%

Retirement53%strong on legal route, weak on admin · range 41–65%

Worked out from these numbers

How international is the population?

56.1% of residents hold a foreign nationality — 13,234 people of 23,570 people. This counts nationality, not place of birth, so long-settled residents who naturalised are not in it.

Work and income

Metric	Value	Period	Source
People in employment	9,868 people	31 Dec 2021	nso.gov.mt⁷Official

Mobility and administration

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Destinations from nearest airport	76 count	3 Aug 2026	OpenFlights⁸Official
Nearest airport	MLA	3 Aug 2026	OurAirports⁹Official
Distance to nearest airport	7 km	3 Aug 2026	OurAirports⁹Official

Language courses and integration

No exact city-level course record is currently published for Sliema. These verified national programmes may still apply; use the official programme page to check local availability.

Country-level information

Lifelong Learning language-course route — Adult Learning Centres — State Language Course

Directorate for Lifelong Learning and Early School Leavers

For adults, foreign learners, residents.

Maltese, EnglishIn Personpaid_or_case_by_case_free

Open official information

Open the full Malta section

National programme information is not treated as proof of a course location in Sliema.

Find courses near Sliema

Climate and air quality

Temperature through the yearAverage daytime high and night-time low, °C

16°10°

17°11°

20°13°

24°16°

29°20°

32°22°

32°23°

29°21°

25°18°

21°15°

17°12°

JFMAMJJASOND

Night-time low to daytime high

Rainfall through the yearAverage monthly precipitation, mm

JFMAMJJASOND

Sunshine through the yearAverage monthly sunshine, hours

167

187

223

252

307

336

369

338

252

217

183

164

JFMAMJJASOND

hours

Air quality vs health guidelinesAnnual means against WHO 2021 guidelines and EU legal limits

Within WHO 2021 guidelineAbove WHO, within EU limitAbove EU legal limitCity annual mean · µg/m³

PM2.512WHO 5 · EU 25

City values from the published air-quality observations. WHO 2021 guidelines and EU limit values are published constants.

PM2.5 across cities in MaltaAnnual PM2.5 in Sliema is 12.0 µg/m³. Of 14 cities with data, 7 have annual PM2.5 of 10 to under 11 µg/m³.

9–1010–1111–1212–13

Sliema 12.0

Annual PM2.5 (µg/m³)

Metric	Value	Period	Source
PM2.5 — annual mean	12 µg/m³country median 10.2	31 Dec 2024	EEA Air Quality Annual Statistics — validated PM2.5 station data¹Official
Average daytime high by month	Jan 15.7 · Feb 15.7 · Mar 17.4 · Apr 20.1 · May 24.3 · Jun 28.8 · Jul 31.7 · Aug 32 · Sep 28.6 · Oct 25 · Nov 20.8 · Dec 17.1 °C	31 Dec 2020	Malta climate profile 1991-2020 — Malta International Airport station observation²Official
Average night-time low by month	Jan 10 · Feb 9.6 · Mar 10.9 · Apr 12.7 · May 15.8 · Jun 19.6 · Jul 22.1 · Aug 23 · Sep 21.2 · Oct 18.4 · Nov 15 · Dec 11.8 °C	31 Dec 2020	Malta climate profile 1991-2020 — Malta International Airport station observation²Official
Average temperature by month	Jan 12.9 · Feb 12.6 · Mar 14.1 · Apr 16.4 · May 20 · Jun 24.2 · Jul 26.9 · Aug 27.5 · Sep 24.9 · Oct 21.7 · Nov 17.9 · Dec 14.5 °C	31 Dec 2020	Malta climate profile 1991-2020 — Malta International Airport station observation²Official
Average precipitation by month	Jan 79.4 · Feb 68.9 · Mar 39.7 · Apr 18.7 · May 11 · Jun 7.3 · Jul 0.2 · Aug 11.2 · Sep 59.2 · Oct 77.6 · Nov 89.1 · Dec 84.8 mm	31 Dec 2020	Malta climate profile 1991-2020 — Malta International Airport station observation²Official
Average sunshine by month	Jan 167.4 · Feb 186.6 · Mar 223.2 · Apr 252 · May 306.9 · Jun 336 · Jul 368.9 · Aug 337.9 · Sep 252 · Oct 217 · Nov 183 · Dec 164.3 hours	31 Dec 2020	Malta climate profile 1991-2020 — Malta International Airport station observation²Official

Population and city profile

Sliema had a population of 23,570 at the end of 2025. The city covers 1.3 km², with a population density of 18,186.4 people per km² at the end of 2025.

Who lives hereResidents by nationality, % of population

By nationality

National passport43.9%
Foreign residents56.1%

Calculated from the population and foreign-resident facts on this page.

Metric	Value	Period	Source
City area	1.3 km²	Census 2021	MT official material for city_area_km2³Official
Foreign-resident share	56.15 %	31 Dec 2025	MT official material for population_total⁶Official
Foreign residents	13,234 people	31 Dec 2025	MT official material for population_total⁶Official
Population density	18,186 people/km²	31 Dec 2025	MT official material for population_density_per_km2⁵Official
Population	23,570 people	31 Dec 2025	MT official material for population_total⁶Official

International community in Sliema

Named groups from exact city-grain official distributions. Citizenship, birthplace, language and ancestry answer different questions and stay separate.

Citizenship

Total population; sex=Total; source locality row · 2021-11-21

Published group	People	Share
Total	19,655	100.0%
Maltese	10,050	51.1%
Non-Maltese	9,605	48.9%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source³

Ancestry or ethnicity

Total population; source locality row · 2021-11-21

Published group	People	Share
Total	19,655	100.0%
Caucasian	16,553	84.2%
Asian	1,228	6.2%
Hispanic or Latino	656	3.3%
Arab	602	3.1%
More than one racial origin	355	1.8%
African	261	1.3%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source³

Additional context

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Owner-occupied homes	58.05 %	Census 2021	MT official material for g05_dwellings_total⁴Official

Alternatives for people set on Sliema

Nothing here reaches an argued comparison yet: no other published city shares enough metrics with Sliema from the same source, period and grain. What is collected is below.

Alternative cities in Malta

Other cities in Malta to compare with Sliema, nearest in population first.

All Malta cities

Mosta25,845 residents Marsaskala18,714 residents Birkirkara30,166 residents L-Imsida16,609 residents San Ġwann16,075 residents San Ġiljan15,594 residents

How does Sliema compare?

Pick a city. The answer appears here and the address bar keeps it, so the comparison can be shared; the page stays Sliema's.

Open the full comparison

Sliema in rankings

#4 of 30 in Cities with the highest foreign-population share #20 of 30 in Cities with the most published annual sunshine #22 of 30 in Most densely populated cities #27 of 30 in Cities with the mildest winters

Yes — migrants can receive medical care in Sliema when the national insurance or residence conditions are met.

Healthcare access follows the country-wide insurance rules; local capacity facts remain city data and are not used as proof of eligibility.

Open the official coverage guide

Country rule verified 2026-08-03.

School for children who move here. School is compulsory from age 5 to 16, and public school is free. Newly arrived pupils get support in the school language: Language to Go! summer courses + specific Maltese/English language support (Migrant Learners Unit). How to enrol a child (education.gov.mt).

A country-wide rule for Malta; Sliema's school authority applies it locally.

Sources: eurydice.eacea.ec.europa.eu · 2025–2026.

Is Sliema part of Birkirkara?

Sliema belongs to the same official metropolitan area as Birkirkara; that does not by itself make it an administrative part of the hub. It is about 3.8 km away by straight-line distance. Birkirkara city profile

Relationship type: Metro Member Of. Source¹¹

Common questions

Answered from the published values on this page, each with its source and date.

Is the air quality good in Sliema?

The annual PM2.5 mean is 12 µg/m³. The WHO 2021 guideline is 5 µg/m³ and the EU limit value is 25 µg/m³, so this reading is above the WHO guideline but within the EU limit. Source: EEA Air Quality Annual Statistics — validated PM2.5 station data.

How many people live in Sliema?

The published population is 23,570 people. Source: MT official material for population_total.

How many foreign residents live in Sliema?

13,234 people residents hold a foreign nationality. Source: MT official material for population_total.

How much is public transport in Sliema?

A monthly transport pass is 0 EUR/month. Source: Personalised tallinja card - free public transport for eligible residents.

Is Sliema a good place to live?

Sliema may suit different people for different reasons. The page's profile scores compare published cost, work, housing, safety, healthcare and other available factors; they are a decision aid, not a universal recommendation.

Is Sliema part of Birkirkara?

Sliema belongs to the same official metropolitan area as Birkirkara; that does not by itself make it an administrative part of the hub. It is about 3.8 km away by straight-line distance.

How many people are in the Maltese citizenship group in Sliema?

The official citizenship distribution records 10,050 people (51.1%) in the source-defined population for 2021-11-21. This is a citizenship measure, not a general estimate of ethnicity or migration status.

Cite this page

Open a format to select or copy this ImmigrationDB compilation citation. The native disclosure and text fallback work without JavaScript.

APA citation

ImmigrationDB. (2026, September 19). Sliema, Malta: population, cost of living, jobs, air quality [ImmigrationDB compilation; version 19bfd127caf4b33ebd696d2f49839c25]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/mt/sliema/ Retrieved 2026-09-19. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

BibTeX citation

@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_sliema-malta-population-cost-of-living-jobs-air-quality_60b742575b32,
  author = {ImmigrationDB},
  title = {Sliema, Malta: population, cost of living, jobs, air quality},
  publisher = {ImmigrationDB},
  year = {2026},
  date = {2026-09-19},
  version = {19bfd127caf4b33ebd696d2f49839c25},
  url = {https://immigrationdb.com/cities/mt/sliema/},
  note = {Retrieved 2026-09-19. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}

Markdown citation

[Sliema, Malta: population, cost of living, jobs, air quality](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/mt/sliema/) — ImmigrationDB; ImmigrationDB; version 19bfd127caf4b33ebd696d2f49839c25; retrieved 2026-09-19; built 2026-09-19.

This citation identifies the ImmigrationDB compilation/page. Underlying source publishers and datasets retain their own terms; inspect the Sources section and cite those records separately. View the underlying source records.

Sources

JSON Markdown

EEA Air Quality Annual Statistics — validated PM2.5 station data EEA Air Quality Annual Statistics · air.discomap.eea.europa.eu · checked 2026-07-29
Malta climate profile 1991-2020 — Malta International Airport station observation Malta climate profile 1991-2020 · nso.gov.mt · checked 2026-07-29
MT official material for city_area_km2 nso.gov.mt · checked 2026-07-18
MT official material for g05_dwellings_total nso.gov.mt · checked 2026-07-18
MT official material for population_density_per_km2 nso.gov.mt · checked 2026-07-18
MT official material for population_total nso.gov.mt · checked 2026-07-18
nso.gov.mt nso.gov.mt · checked 2026-08-08
OpenFlights raw.githubusercontent.com · checked 2026-08-03
OurAirports davidmegginson.github.io · checked 2026-08-03
Personalised tallinja card - free public transport for eligible residents publictransport.com.mt · checked 2026-09-18

Show 2 more sources

services-eu1.arcgis.com place coordinates services-eu1.arcgis.com · checked 2026-08-28
Numbeo cost of living — Sliema Numbeo cost of living · de.numbeo.com · checked 2026-07-29

Spotted a number that looks wrong? Every value here carries its source and date — tell us what you found and we will re-check it against the source.