How Limassol and Valletta compare on cost, visas, working hours, weather, internet and safety. Every figure comes from our city guides and tools, checked and dated there.
The short answer
Limassol Doesn't win on any measure here. See who it suits, below.
Valletta Doesn't win on any measure here. See who it suits, below.
Everyday costsEven
What we have checked of rent, a coworking desk, weekday lunches and getting around comes to $1,220 to $1,330 (£917 to £1,000) a month in Limassol, against $1,090 to $2,000 (£822 to £1,500) in Valletta. We can't call it: Limassol has no checked figure for a desk and lunch and Valletta has no checked figure for a desk, so both totals leave them out.
The visaEven
About the same income bar. Limassol: Digital Nomad Visa Scheme, about $3,930 a month (EUR 3,500 a month). Valletta: Nomad Residence Permit, about $3,930 a month (EUR 42,000 a year).
A London 9 to 5Even
Normal hours in both: 11:00 to 19:00 in Limassol, 10:00 to 18:00 in Valletta.
A New York 9 to 5Even
A late finish in both: 16:00 to 00:00 in Limassol, 15:00 to 23:00 in Valletta.
WeatherEven
Comfortable months on our best-time rule: 7 in Limassol, 7 in Valletta. Both are comfortable in May, June, September, October and November.
InternetEven
Much the same. Typical download speed: 166 Mbps in Limassol, 182 Mbps in Valletta, from each guide.
SafetyEven
The US State Department puts both countries at level 1. Watch for drink spiking, roads and wildfires in Limassol; Paceville bars and bus pickpockets in Valletta.
Side by side
Measure
Limassol
Valletta
Country
Cyprus
Malta
Language
Greek and Turkish
Maltese and English
Currency
Euro (EUR)
Euro (EUR)
Plugs
Type G. UK plugs fit
Type G, 230V. UK plugs fit
Time zone
UTC+3 today
UTC+2 today
A month's basics
$1,220 to $1,330 (£917 to £1,000), with a desk and lunch missing
$1,090 to $2,000 (£822 to £1,500), with a desk missing
Remote work visa
Digital Nomad Visa Scheme
Nomad Residence Permit
Income needed
About $3,930 a month (EUR 3,500 a month)
About $3,930 a month (EUR 42,000 a year)
Without a visa
British passports: 90 days in any 180, counted separately from Schengen. American: stays under 90 days, with a passport valid six months
British and American passports: 90 days in any 180 across Schengen
Tax residency
More than 183 days in the calendar year, or at least 60 days with a business, job or office with a Cyprus-resident company, held all year, a home there and no more than 183 days in any other country
More than 183 days in a year, or from the day you arrive if you come to live there. Nomad income is untaxed for 12 months, then 10 per cent
Download speed
166 Mbps
182 Mbps
Comfortable months
March, April, May, June, September, October and November
May, June, July, August, September, October and November
US travel advice
Level 1: normal precautions
Level 1: normal precautions
Meetups
None we could confirm
1 regular group still running
Dollars and pounds at today's exchange rate. Download speeds are the typical figure from each guide, which says where it comes from: some are for the city, some for the whole country, so treat a small gap as no gap.
What a month costs
Rent, a coworking desk, a cheap lunch on each of 22 working days, and getting around: the same four costs our budget calculator uses. The rent figures aren't always the same kind of figure (some are furnished one-beds, some are averages across every size of flat), so read the note under each.
Limassol
$1,220 to $1,330£917 to £1,000 a month
Rent
$1,120 to $1,230One-bed, citywide, from the president of the real estate registration council, reported by Cyprus Mail in July 2026. Not specific to furnished one-beds. EUR 1,000 to 1,100
A desk
No checked figureNo monthly coworking price found: Spaces and Regus quote EUR 65 for a walk-in day and from EUR 7 a day on plans, the cheapest on 24-month contracts
Weekday lunches
No checked figureNo checked price for a cheap lunch: a 2025 consumer survey across Cyprus found taverna pork dishes at EUR 7.50 to 25.80
Getting around
$99Bus at EUR 2 a daytime single, two rides each working day. Our arithmetic: EUR 2 a ride, two rides each working day, 22 days. Monthly pass price not checked. EUR 88
$897 to $1,680Asking rent, one-bed, Gzira up to Valletta and Sliema, from an aggregator, April 2026. Not specific to furnished one-beds. EUR 800 to 1,500
A desk
No checked figureNo monthly coworking price on an operator's own site: Regus and Spaces quote EUR 9 a day only on 24-month contracts
Weekday lunches
$99 to $197A ftira, the Maltese sourdough sandwich, EUR 4 to 8 each, 22 working days
Getting around
$99 to $123Bus at EUR 2.00 a ride in winter, EUR 2.50 in summer, two rides each working day. A EUR 25 personalised tallinja card makes most routes free. EUR 88 to 110
About $3,930 a month (EUR 3,500 a month); in pounds, about £2,950 a month
How long
One year, then a renewal for up to two years. Apply to renew at least a month before it runs out
What it leads to
No permanent residence route confirmed. Citizenship needs seven years' legal residence in the last ten, the last 12 months continuous, plus B1 Greek and a civics exam; whether nomad years count is not confirmed officially
Without a visa
British passports: 90 days in any 180, counted separately from Schengen. American: stays under 90 days, with a passport valid six months
The catch. Whether it is open is unconfirmed. The official cap is 500 permits, set in March 2022. The government press office announced on 26 March 2025 that the Migration Department accepts applications again, but Cyprus Mail reported in August 2025 that no new quota had been issued after it filled in 2023. A legal-services website says it was raised to 1,000 in October 2025, with no official decision found. Check with the Civil Registry and Migration Department before applying. If it is open, you apply in Nicosia within three months of arriving.
Valletta
Nomad Residence Permit
Income needed
About $3,930 a month (EUR 42,000 a year); in pounds, about £2,950 a month
How long
One year, renewable three times: four years at most
What it leads to
Nowhere: it does not lead to permanent residence or citizenship
Without a visa
British and American passports: 90 days in any 180 across Schengen
The catch. Every renewal needs Maltese bank transactions proving five months there in the last 12, on top of a registered 12-month lease and a year of prepaid health cover.
The average high in °C each month, coloured by the rule on our best-time page: green is a high of 20 to 32°C with under 150mm of rain; red is a high of 38°C or more or under 12°C, 250mm of rain or more, or 33°C or more with 150mm of rain or more. Hover over a month for its rain.
The US level is for the whole country, as the State Department sets it, and some countries have stricter advice for particular regions.
Who each one suits
From each city guide, word for word.
Limassol
It suits
Remote employees and freelancers from outside the EU clearing EUR 3,500 a month net, who want warm winters by the sea, the euro and English for daily life. It suits someone who can stay put long enough to use the 60-day tax-residence rule, which needs a business, job or office with a Cyprus-resident company, held all year, and a home there too.
It doesn't suit
Anyone on a budget: a one-bed is about EUR 1,000 a month and the polished seafront starts around EUR 2,500. Walk-in coworking is EUR 65 a day. July and August average 33 degrees with no rain, and GOV.UK warns of a high wildfire risk from April to October. Traffic is bad enough to be called a crisis in the local press. And anyone who needs certainty: the government said in March 2025 that visa applications were open again, but Cyprus Mail reported in August 2025 that no new quota had been issued. Whether it is open now is unconfirmed.
Non-EU remote employees, freelancers and company owners earning comfortably over EUR 42,000 gross a year, who want EU time zones, English everywhere and a 10 per cent flat tax after a tax-free first year. It suits someone who can do without a car, ride most buses and some ferries free on a EUR 25 tallinja card and work from a Sliema or St Julian's coworking desk. It is a strong one-to-four-year base for someone who likes the sea and does not need a big city.
It doesn't suit
Anyone wanting a cheap base: a two-bed in St Julian's has a registered median of EUR 1,500 a month. Anyone who wants to settle, because the permit stops at four years and leads nowhere, and since 2025 citizenship cannot be bought either. Anyone who hates noise, building work, traffic and crowds: Malta is one of the most densely populated places in the EU, and took 539,655 tourists in August 2026. July and August average over 31 degrees with almost no rain. And if you want nature, anonymity or culture beyond the Baroque, the island will feel small within months.
