How has your life changed in Malta

The biggest change to my life since living in Malta is my happiness! I feel much less stress living here and I find that its very healing being here....i can go out for walks and I feel safe unlike being in London and I can go to the beach everyday to sit and read or just watch the Sea if I want to, even on my busiest days I find I still can make time.
I moved here with my entire family ( my parents passed away both in the last six years) so there is no family back in England, we speak to our lovely friends back home every single day either by Whatsapp or Skype so we have constant contact and there's always someone flying out to stay too!
Our standard of living is so much better, we just barely existed in London but here we feel we are living a life.....even tho we have much less of an income here, we are content in a way we never thought we all could be!
I realise that not everyone will share this opinion but for us it has to be 10/10!!
Debbie 😃

I am now homeless,jobless,and skint.

Apart from that everythings good. 

Mine has changed a lot and all for the positive.  The biggest change has been financial.

Back in Wales, I was barely keeping my head above water.  I was up to my eyeballs in debt because I lived the last week of the month on credit as my wages didn't stretch that far.  I earned an average salary and I don't live extravagantly, I had barely any social life to speak of because I was so skint.  It was the rent, council tax, high income tax, utilities, blah blah that messed me up every month and then of course paying the credit cards off.

I've just celebrated my 9th year in Malta.  I still earn an average salary but because income tax is lower and general cost of living, in these past 9 years I have not only managed to clear all my debt but I have been able to save money and last year I bought my first property.  It's only a pokey two bedroomed flat but but it's mine and I would never have imagined ever being able to do that back home.

I am not rich by any stretch of the imagination but my bank account is never zero a week before payday like it used to be and I manage to save a few Euros every month now.

My social life is not exciting but that's how I like it really.  Just going out for a coffee or reading a book on the beach makes me happy.

I do miss my friends, I have not been able to make solid friends in Malta apart from one person who is also an expat (Not British though) and that's the only downside.  Although, I do get to see the old gang once every couple of years when they come and visit so it's not all bad.

All in all....moving to Malta was the best thing I ever did!  I am happier, healthier and wealthier (I mean I am not dirt poor any more! haha)

One thing that does amaze me is that every Maltese person I meet seems to be under the delusion that the UK streets are paved with gold!  Makes me laugh every time!

This is so heartening to hear!
Well done! I bet you're so proud? Its something that I only dreamed about doing back in London! There's no way we could have saved or got a mortgage!
Its made me smile and inspired me!
Debbie 😊

All good in the Malta hood Great quality of living, cheaper cost of living. Overall good good good. If I'm being critical, and so far I've managed to allow it to be comical, the Maltese drivers are some of the most ignorant I've come across but I'm trying to make a difference here one good give-way deed at a time (you won't her a wave though) 

Overall we wouldn't change a thing. Absolutely love this place. Ooh and praise the €1 toasties

Changed at least 9, I go out much more now, yes I am healthier and richer. It seems that "civilization" and "progress" means choking people to death with taxes, fees, and stupid burocratic and similar steps.

In Malta everything is that much simpler and straight-forward. Probably half the things going on are not according to the law, but it seems that absolutely nobody cares.

I wonder how and why people elsewhere have become so complicated and annoying. Let's hope "progress" doesn't reach Malta, at least how all the rest of world knows it.

Life has changed in many ways since moving here four years ago, firstly we have both retired so
everyday we can do as we please, get up when we wish instead of when the alarm goes off.
We spend a lot of time outside compared to when we lived in the U.K., even in winter you can
still enjoy the sun, the life style here especially on Gozo is very laid back which sometimes can
be a little frustrating but on the whole we have no complaints.
The bus service here is very good especially compared to where we lived in England where we had one
bus a week and only one shop.
We have recently moved to Victoria which is great as we have everything we need within a few
minutes walk, the hospital which I hope we will not need to use too often is across the road, the hairdressers a couple of minutes walk away and all the shops, restaurants etc nearby.
I think the last four years have probably been the best years we have had so far and do not intend
going back to the U.K. to live again and do not regret our decision to come and live here.

I am quite amazed to read all those positive stories. Good for you. Unfortunately not for me.
In my opinion, it is very expensive here (my home country is Austria but lived across Europe (UK, Spain, Germany, Hungary - for many years), the polution is really bad, there is no green and I can never quietly go for a walk with my dog. Traffic is a nightmare, Bus schedules even more horrific.
There are a few nice places on the island but as I do not have a car, its hard to get there. Due to the traffic, I am forced to live nearby the office which is in Gzira.

Country is also quite old-fashioned, a gas container on the balcony for the gas usage? Pre-paid card to load the electricity? Pavements very uneven and narrow.

Positive: crystal clear sea, palm trees, good salary, best landlords ever, overall friendly people.

And yes.. I am planning to leave.

I am surprised the bus service works well in Gozo - try waiting for a 51-52-53 on the Valletta-Dingli route. It's nightmarish!

But I am not surprised about the comments of delfinita - I think that definitely, Gzira is the worst spot in Malta. I would recommend you getting a bike to escape from there, if you are definitely forced to live there. I've gone walking and biking several times and I cannot imagine a  worst polluted and forgotten by god place on the island.

Hey, nice read :-)  i actually live in San Gwann and work in Gzira. I didnt want to live in Gzira because its so loud and busy and i need some sort of greenish area because I have a dog.

I have a bike here but its not great in the mornings either because of the traffic , i would even get stuck with the bike because the streets are so narrow and polluted!

I do live on Gozo not Malta here it is quite different, pace of life slower and yes we do have a good bus service, as regards gas bottles what ever country you live in they are normally kept outside.

I would not trust a gas pipe operated by this government! Bottles are by far the safer option here

In no other countries you had to use gas bottles at all.  This is extremely old fashioned.

Delfinita78 wrote:

In no other countries you had to use gas bottles at all.  This is extremely old fashioned.

Using gas bottles is not old fashioned, where we lived in the U.K. we had to use them as gas
normally used is not available everywhere especially in the country.  We lived a few miles outside of Northampton which is a large town but still gas had not been laid on.

I lived in Scotland back in 1999 and not even then we had them. Neither in Austria, Spain or Hungary - where we used gas.

I think a lot of places probably still use gas bottles, we had to use them in France.

Delfinita78 wrote:

In no other countries you had to use gas bottles at all.  This is extremely old fashioned.

Totally wrong, we lived in three different villages in the UK and none had mains gas. At one we used bottled gas and the other two were all electric.
Our son lives in the outskirts of Munich, guess what - no mains gas, if they want gas it has to be bottled!

Ray

ok I think enough about gas bottles.

There's loads of thing here in Malta that some could consider " old fashioned". But for me its not as "old fashioned" as getting mugged, followed, harangued, being too scared to go out and generally having to fight with everyone back in London!

for us baring a few things - like the total lack of any shops with recent things, variety, furniture thats not the "modern italian" variety etc - everything has been better.

The climate and life style have hugely improved our life, I kept my international salary and the gains to be had from the tax structure here are huge.  We have got a house we could never have in London and we're both - and soon 3 of us - very happy since moving here.  A long standing medical problem I've had since 2002 literally just vanished within weeks of landing here.

Summers a bit harsh but we'll soon get a place for the 3 summer months somewhere north, also something that much easier given the cost of living here.

Dinner for 6 with amazing views and food for < 100, yeah thanks.

Yeah there are issues, but I come from the 3rd world so am able to have reasonable expectations unlike people who have only ever lived in some super sorted out town/city in the UK. 

I lived in the UK for 15 years and can see how it might be hard if say your entire world view has been framed by london, paris, amsterdam or somewhere like that to adjust here to the relatively "backward" ways of things compared to there and the legal system here is super scary given the anti foreigner bias but it's a risk one has to know about and plan for somehow.

We probably wont live here the rest of our lives but it will be a good 5 to 10 years.

Hi Ray,

This has been MY experience and I both lived in the UK and Munich as well. So please do not tell me I am wrong. I respect other people's opinion as well.

Thank you

Delfinita78 wrote:

I am quite amazed to read all those positive stories. Good for you. Unfortunately not for me.
In my opinion, it is very expensive here (my home country is Austria but lived across Europe (UK, Spain, Germany, Hungary - for many years), the polution is really bad, there is no green and I can never quietly go for a walk with my dog. Traffic is a nightmare, Bus schedules even more horrific.
There are a few nice places on the island but as I do not have a car, its hard to get there. Due to the traffic, I am forced to live nearby the office which is in Gzira.

Country is also quite old-fashioned, a gas container on the balcony for the gas usage? Pre-paid card to load the electricity? Pavements very uneven and narrow.

Positive: crystal clear sea, palm trees, good salary, best landlords ever, overall friendly people.

And yes.. I am planning to leave.

I would agree with pretty much all this.

I am utterly grateful for having the opportunity to live in Malta and the Maltese are great people when you get to know them and I have made some great friends. That said, they are less than courteous on the roads and the streets. I have the utmost respect for any bus driver in this country, I simply would not have the patience for it!

As you said, the water is amazing around Malta, beautiful blues and crystal clear, especially in the north. The weather is amazing coming from such a grey and rainy country.

Before moving here, i did as much reading on peoples perspectives of the country but there are a few things I was not prepared for.
The noise pollution in the Summer months is well documented but what I wasn't prepared for is the noise from some vehicles on the road. There doesnt seem to be any restrictions on horns or decibles from motorcyles and cars. The harkers are an utter nusiance blasting their horns. Is it any wonder the Maltese like to blast their music, they're probably half deaf!

On the topic of pollution, it sadens me to see the amount of litter about the place. This is not helped by the fact that garbage collection is not done through proper bins but just left in plastic bags and flung on the pavement, leaving an inviting lunch for all the stray cats on the island.

Some days I walk to work and other days I get the bus. Unfortunately, with the Summer upon us it is almost impossible to catch the bus without it being already full to capacity. I think owning a vehicle is crucial in Malta. Something I was hoping to avoid.

Another poster mentioned enjoying walking on the island. I am perplexed by this comment. Walking in Malta is not an enjoyable experience imo. Footpaths are in bad shape, usually destroyed by construction workers and their heavy vehicles. Fumes from the exhausts of passing cars make breathing unpleasant. The footpaths are generally covered in litter in most areas and its not unusual to see a footpath abruptly end where you will be forced onto a busy road , to compete with vehicles for space. That said the boardwalk in Sleima and St Julians is great. A shame that a cycle path is not also incorporated into it too.

The general standard of restaurants are quite low also. Valuing quantity more so than quality. Decent beef and vegetables are hard to find. Supermarkets are generally of low standard. The fish in Marsaxlokk is good and the crowds prove that but again, a car is needed unless you live there. What surprises me the most is that the island has a shared history and a closeness with Italy yet good pizza and coffee is nowhere to be found.

*a caveat of the above post is that most of it may not apply to the north of the island or to Gozo as I have no experience living in either.

deleted by op

been here for almost 4 years and life has changed immensely, i can definitely relate to Fristek.
i am from Australia and although i had a good job i was racking up debt and saving nothing, i came here and have managed to pay off all my debt and save and i dont even have a fancy job here, but the workplace is better than in australia too. biggest changes would be that i got married and had a baby and bought a house tho
i definitely love Malta and wouldn't change it for somewhere else in the foreseeable future. the cost of living suits us and we enjoy that we can host students and meet people of different nationalities all the time.
i am so much more relaxed here, i know myself better, love myself more as i feel there is less pressure to look a certain way here, and my anxiety is so much more manageable here than it ever was in Australia!
i also love that in malta it is still not so obsessed with consumerism, consuming is a hobby in australia - one we cant afford - here there is emphasis to DO things with your money to better your life.

the fact there is so many activities here that are either free or cheap is great, as in Australia if you want to do anything it is going to cost you a lot.

i do have gripes but they are the same as any resident in Malta whether local or expat and i had double the amount in my home country. main ones are there is too much pollution and too much over-development and lack of green spaces. luckily if you want green Sicily is not far away and not too expensive to reach. the traffic sucks, peoples driving is terribly selfish and there a  lot of greedy people here. but they are the minority, and it teaches you to speak out for your rights

i have to touch on the gas bottles, my family in Australia still uses gas bottles because gas lines do not stretch to all parts of Australia if you can imagine

Hi, I am curious why are you writing that here is cheap? I experience  Malta as very expencive and just want to understand about which country are you talking about For example  in comparison  to Germany here is very expensive.

angelinak wrote:

Hi, I am curious why are you writing that here is cheap? I experience  Malta as very expencive and just want to understand about which country are you talking about For example  in comparison  to Germany here is very expensive.

Just returned from Germany  and everything is more expensive there, for example it costs more to eat out also a coke in the beer gardens costs over €4.
My son and his family are paying over €2000 a month in rent for a normal sized house.

Germany does offer higher wages though in most cases.

I know the wages are better in Germany but  we found the supermarkets to be more expensive then here at least in Bavaria I don’t know about the rest of Germany.