Budget scenario
€7,000
6 months, all in
- 25-wk course: €1,500
- Shared room: €500/mo
- Food/transport: €400/mo
Course, rent, food, transport and insurance in 2026 numbers, with realistic scenarios. No agency accounting.
Between €7,000 and €12,000 all in for 6 months (25-week course + accommodation + living costs): 20 to 30% less than Dublin. The catch: work income is lower (~€500/month at 20 h) and only starts after 3 months.
€7–12k
6 months all in
€1,500–2,800
25-week course
€500–1,000
room per month
≈ €500
income at 20 h per month
Section 1 · The open ledger
A Malta budget has the same six lines as Ireland, with smaller numbers on almost all of them. Accommodation is still the biggest lever: St Julian's and Sliema cost well above St Paul's Bay. And there is a line Ireland does not have for most nationalities: the D visa, paid before travelling.
Below, the typical 2026 ranges. They are medians: school, area and season move every line.
| Item | Typical range | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Course (25 weeks, licensed) | €1,500–2,800 | Paid before travelling. Must be an ELT Council school, 15+ h/week. |
| Accommodation | €500–1,000/mo | From a shared room in St Paul's Bay to a studio in Sliema. |
| Food | €250–350/mo | Cooking at home. Maltese supermarkets price close to Irish ones. |
| Transport | ≈ €26/mo | Tallinja monthly bus pass. The whole island runs on buses. |
| Health insurance | €200–500 | €30,000 Schengen cover for the whole stay. |
| D visa + VFS | ≈ €280 | For 15+ week courses: ~€180 visa fee + ~€100 VFS service. |
Section 2 · Scenarios
The same three profiles as the study-and-work guide: St Julian's and Sliema area, a licensed 25-week course, insurance and living costs included. Conversions use live exchange rates.
Budget scenario
€7,000
6 months, all in
Most common
€9,000
6 months, all in
Comfortable
€12,400
6 months, all in
Tool
Build your budget with live exchange rates
Destination, duration, accommodation type and extras. Results in about 30 seconds. Coming soon.
💡 Mind the order of the money: for the first 3 months you cannot work, so the reserve pays for everything. The ~€500/month income (20 h at minimum wage) only arrives in the second half and helps with day-to-day costs; it does not pay the whole bill.
Section 3 · Funds
Reference amount
€4,700
= €26 × ~180 days
≈ €783 per month
For the D visa you show €26 per day of stay (or €18/day if accommodation is already paid). For 6 months, about €4,700, or €3,300 with accommodation settled. Not money spent: proof that you can support yourself.
Good to know: a bank statement from your home country covering the last 3 to 6 months with a bank letter works, translated into English. The amount can overlap with your travel reserve.
Section 4 · By area
Student hub
Most schools sit here or nearby. You pay the island's highest rent and save on transport and time.
Seafront and shops
Costs close to St Julian's with a more grown-up pace. Ferry and buses handle the commute.
Historic capital
Mid-range rents and the island's best bus connections. Few schools inside the walls.
Budget-friendly
The island's lowest rents (Bugibba and Qawra). The price: 30 to 40 minutes by bus to the big schools.
Section 5 · Saving
Rent drops €200 to 300/month. Over 6 months, €1,200 to 1,800 saved for a 35-minute bus ride.
Renting from abroad is expensive in Malta too. Arrive, learn the areas, negotiate in person.
Eating out in Sliema and St Julian's costs Dublin money. Supermarkets keep food at €250 to 350/month.
About €26/month for unlimited buses. Your entire transport bill for less than one dinner out a week.
Agency packages cost 15 to 30% more on average. Through Lancourse, the price is the school's own.
July and August pack the island: rent and courses go up. Outside the peak everything negotiates better (and air conditioning weighs less on the power bill).
The most important saving is not being caught out: with no work until month four, the reserve is your salary. Size it before you fly.
Section 6 · Comparison
Malta charges less to get in; Ireland pays more to stay. Short answer: on a thin reserve that depends on local income, Ireland closes better. With the full reserve in hand, Malta delivers the cheaper stay.
| Criterion | 🇲🇹 Malta | 🇮🇪 Ireland |
|---|---|---|
| Cost for 6 months (all in) | €7k–12k | €10k–14k |
| 25-week course | €1,500–2,800 | €1,200–2,500 |
| Own room (month) | ≈ €700 | ≈ €900 |
| Earning potential (20 h/wk) | ≈ €500/mo (after 3 months) | ≈ €1,130/mo |
| Entry costs (visa) | ≈ €280 before travelling | €300 on arrival (IRP) |
"I rented in Bugibba for €520 and used the bus ride to study for IELTS. The whole semester cost me about €7,500. If I had stayed in St Julian's, the maths would not have closed."
Aline, 25 · Recife → St Paul's Bay · 6 months
Illustrative testimonial based on real accounts. Verified student reviews appear on each school's page.
Next step
Course prices direct from the school, no agency markup, with an all-in estimate in each school's enquiry form.
Section 7 · FAQ
These answers ship as FAQ schema (JSON-LD) so they can surface in Google AI Overviews.
Proportionally more than in Ireland: the first 3 months come entirely out of the reserve (no work allowed). Practical maths: 3 × (€700 room + €400 living) = ~€3,300 for the first quarter alone, plus deposit and arrival costs. The €26/day proof of funds can overlap with this.
Not fully. 20 h at minimum wage bring ~€500/month; room + food run €750 to 1,350. Work in Malta slows the burn on your reserve but does not zero it. Sectors like iGaming pay above minimum for B2+ English.
€200 to 300/month in rent, which becomes €1,200 to 1,800 over 6 months. The cost is the commute: 30 to 40 minutes by bus each way. With the ~€26/month Tallinja pass, transport does not change the maths.
€1,500 to €2,800 for 25 weeks at an ELT Council licensed school. Malta charges slightly more than Ireland for the course but gives it back in rent. Long packages (extra weeks) usually come out proportionally cheaper.
The classics: D visa + VFS (~€280), the rental deposit, and one specific to Malta: the summer power bill (air conditioning from July to September can double it). Add about €600 to 800 of arrival costs.
Schools charge in euros. Paying from abroad adds taxes and exchange spread: compare a traditional bank remittance with international transfer platforms, the difference easily exceeds 3 to 5% of the amount. Our figures use live mid-market rates.
Sources:
Trust caveats: