Costs are broadly similar — roughly £2,150/month for a couple in Croatia and £2,200 in Malta.
Cost of living, side by side
| Croatia | Malta | |
|---|---|---|
| Modest (couple/mo) | £1,550 | £1,600 |
| Comfortable (couple/mo) | £2,150 | £2,200 |
| Premium (couple/mo) | £3,100 | £3,300 |
Indicative monthly estimates for a couple — real costs vary by location, lifestyle and exchange rates.
Croatia: EU/EEA and Swiss citizens buy on the same terms as Croatians. Non-EU nationals (including UK citizens) can usually buy an apartment or house but need Ministry of Justice consent under a reciprocity agreement, or can purchase through a Croatian company; farmland, forest and some protected coastal land remain off-limits.
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.
Croatia: Non-EU nationals can apply for temporary residence on the grounds of financial self-sufficiency — showing modest but stable income or savings, health insurance and accommodation — renewed annually.
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.
Croatia: Croatia's public health fund (HZZO) is open to resident retirees for roughly EUR 90-100 a month, with an inexpensive top-up policy (dopunsko) covering most co-payments; UK state pensioners can instead use an S1 form. Private clinics are available for faster access.
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.
Croatia: Croatia taxes residents on worldwide income, but under most double-tax treaties a foreign pension is taxed only in your country of residence; pension income also gets a personal allowance and a 50% reduction, so effective rates are modest. Confirm your treaty position.
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.
Croatia: A warm, dry Mediterranean summer along the Adriatic coast with mild winters, turning more continental and colder inland. May, June and September are the sweet spots. Croatia is very safe and easy-going; they drive on the right, English is widely spoken along the coast and by younger people, and daily life is comfortable for British retirees.
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.
Croatia: Buyers pay a 3% real-estate transfer tax on resale homes (new-builds carry 25% VAT in the price instead), plus legal, notary and agency fees of a few percent. Non-EU citizens such as Britons need Ministry of Justice consent under a reciprocity rule, which can add two to six months to the process.
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.
Croatia: Istria (Pula, Rovinj, Porec) for a gentle, Italian-flavoured peninsula close to Western Europe; the Dalmatian coast around Split and Zadar for island-hopping and sun; and Dubrovnik for beauty at a premium.
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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