A comfortable retirement works out cheaper in Cambodia — around £1,400/month for a couple, versus £2,200 in Malta (about 36% more).
Cost of living, side by side
| Cambodia | Malta | |
|---|---|---|
| Modest (couple/mo) | £850 | £1,600 |
| Comfortable (couple/mo) | £1,400 | £2,200 |
| Premium (couple/mo) | £2,400 | £3,300 |
Indicative monthly estimates for a couple — real costs vary by location, lifestyle and exchange rates.
Cambodia: Foreigners can own condominium units outright with a strata title, on the first floor and above, capped at 70% of any building and not within 30km of a land border. Land itself cannot be foreign-owned, so houses and villas are taken on long leases (commonly up to 50 years) or through a majority-Cambodian company.
Malta: Foreigners can buy freehold, but non-residents (and non-EU buyers) usually need an Acquisition of Immovable Property (AIP) permit, which typically limits them to a single home for personal use. In designated Special Designated Areas (SDAs), foreigners can buy multiple properties with no such restriction.
Cambodia: Most retirees use the ER ('retirement') extension of an ordinary E-class visa: broadly for those aged 55+ who are retired, it is inexpensive and renewable yearly, needing proof of retirement and funds rather than a fixed deposit.
Malta: Non-EU retirees can apply under the Malta Retirement Programme (age 55+, in receipt of a pension) or the Malta Permanent Residence Programme; both require a qualifying property purchase or rental, health insurance and evidence of stable income.
Cambodia: Public healthcare is limited and private clinics in Phnom Penh and Siem Reap, while improving, still send serious cases to Bangkok or Singapore — so international insurance with medical-evacuation cover is strongly advised. Routine care is cheap and largely cash-based.
Malta: Malta's public health service is good and free at the point of use for those enrolled, and UK state pensioners can register an S1 so the UK funds their care; English is the language of medicine, which makes it easy to navigate. Many expats add affordable private cover for shorter waits.
Cambodia: Cambodia operates a territorial system, so a foreign pension is generally not taxed; even resident retirees typically find foreign-source pension income falls outside the local net, while local earnings are taxed progressively up to 20%. Declare your status and take advice to be sure.
Malta: Malta taxes residents on a remittance basis, so foreign income kept offshore is not taxed; the Malta Retirement Programme offers a flat 15% on pension income remitted to Malta, with a minimum tax of about EUR 7,500 a year, provided you remit most of your pension there. Take advice on which basis suits you.
Cambodia: Tropical and warm all year; the dry season (November-April, coolest November-January) is most comfortable, followed by a hot spell and a May-October monsoon. Generally safe and friendly, though watch for bag-snatching and chaotic traffic; English is widely spoken in expat and tourist areas, the US dollar is used day-to-day, and driving is on the right.
Malta: Classic Mediterranean, with hot dry summers and mild wet winters, and more sunshine than almost anywhere in Europe. Spring and autumn are gloriously warm. Very safe, English-speaking and familiar to Britons, and unusually for the Mediterranean they drive on the left, so the roads feel immediately natural to UK retirees.
Cambodia: Expect a 4% transfer tax on the government-assessed value for a strata-title condo, plus registration and legal fees and any title-upgrade cost; US dollars are used, which keeps transactions simple. Foreigners buy condo units (not land), and registration can take some weeks.
Malta: One-off costs run around 6-7%: stamp duty of 5% (some reliefs may apply), plus notary fees of about 1-2% and agency commission. Non-EU buyers usually need an AIP permit for a home outside the special designated areas, and completion takes two to three months.
Cambodia: Phnom Penh for the widest amenities and healthcare, temple-rich Siem Reap for a calmer pace, and riverside Kampot with seaside Kep in the south for laid-back living, all with established expat pockets.
Malta: Sliema and St Julian's for a lively seafront with every amenity; the historic Mdina and the Three Cities for character; and Gozo for a slower, greener island pace.
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