Prices rose 5.7% in the year to Q3 2025 and roughly 45% over six years. Non-EU buyers need a permit, can normally buy one property, and can't rent it out — unless they buy in a Special Designated Area. Rent first. Here's the map of the rules.
Last verified: 8 July 2026| Ordinary property (AIP permit) | Special Designated Area (SDA) | |
|---|---|---|
| Permit | AIP permit required (Chapter 246); fee ~€233; minimum property values apply (updated periodically — check the current legal notice) | No permit, no restrictions |
| How many | One property only | As many as you like |
| Use | Personal residence only — renting out not allowed | May be rented out (with the applicable licence) |
| Examples | Most of Malta and Gozo | Portomaso, Tigné Point, Fort Cambridge, SmartCity, Chambray (Gozo), and other listed developments |
| Typical trade-off | More choice, local character, lower entry prices | Premium pricing for the flexibility and turnkey stock |
NSO's Residential Property Price Index rose 5.7% year-on-year in Q3 2025 (apartments +5.3%, maisonettes +5.9%). The index is up roughly 45% over six years.
Average apartment rents in Sliema/St Julian's ran about €1,500/month in 2025 listing data — €300 above the national average. Gozo 1-beds: ~€500–750.
Long lets must be registered with the Housing Authority (Private Residential Leases Act); 1-year minimum term, deposit protections, and 70,000+ active registered contracts in H1 2025.
A tenants'-union study (Solidarjetà, using Housing Authority registered-lease data) found rents up 28.3% between 2022 and 2024 — Malta publishes no official rent-level statistic. Renting first still lets you test noise, construction, and commute realities street by street; the island varies enormously within a mile.
The NSO index up 6.7% in a year, portal asking medians for every locality from €224k Marsa to €945k Valletta — and why Malta has no official €/m².
Read the guide →Current minimum values, the application, timelines, and the one-property rule in practice.
Every Special Designated Area with current pricing — and whether the premium is worth it.
Registered contracts, deposits, agent fees, and the clauses to strike out.
Buying or renting from 6,000 km away is where expensive mistakes happen. We'll introduce you to a property specialist in Malta we've vetted ourselves — no paid listings.