Market Intelligence · Locality comparison
Luqa vs Mqabba
Two small southern neighbours near the airport: one right beside the runway, the other among the quarries.
The short answer
Luqa or Mqabba?
Luqa is the busier of the two. It completes more sales than Mqabba, has a much fuller pipeline of promise of sale agreements and holds a much larger share of Malta’s rent contracts. Mqabba is smaller and quieter, and in the latest quarter it approved more new homes than Luqa. For letting, Luqa; for a quiet village home, Mqabba.
Each town has its own local question to check. In Luqa it is aircraft noise, which varies sharply by street and approach. In Mqabba it is the quarries, whose effect is very localised. Neither should put a buyer off, but both are worth judging at the property rather than from the town as a whole.
Head to head
Luqa: 41st of 68 · Mqabba: 32nd of 68
Luqa: 31st of 68 · Mqabba: 58th of 68
Sources: National Statistics Office (Malta), residential property transactions and residential building permits; Housing Authority (Malta), Malta Rent Calculator.
Month by month
Sales in Luqa and Mqabba
Final deeds are completed sales. Promise of sale agreements are the deals signed on the way to a deed, so they show where the market is heading a few months early.
Source: National Statistics Office (Malta), residential property transactions.
Who each suits
Choosing between Luqa and Mqabba
Luqa
Luqa suits a buyer who wants a convenient southern address with some letting demand behind it, particularly from airport workers. It is compact and central for the south, and trades more than its size suggests.
Read the Luqa investment guideMqabba
Mqabba suits a buyer after space at a low price in a quiet village, with the airport and the south within easy reach. The market is local and small, so it rewards a buyer planning to live there or hold.
Read the Mqabba investment guideGood to know
Luqa vs Mqabba, answered
Which has more property sales, Luqa or Mqabba?
From July 2025 to June 2026, the National Statistics Office recorded 163 final deeds of sale in Luqa and 112 in Mqabba. By completed sales, Luqa is the busier market of the two.
Which has more sales in the pipeline, Luqa or Mqabba?
A promise of sale agreement is the deal signed ahead of the final deed. From July 2025 to June 2026, 142 were recorded in Luqa and 78 in Mqabba. Luqa has more sales on their way to completion.
Where are more new homes being approved, Luqa or Mqabba?
In the first quarter of 2026, 21 new dwellings were approved in Luqa, 41st of the 68 localities the National Statistics Office reported, and 33 in Mqabba, 32nd. Mqabba has the larger pipeline of new supply: competition for a resale seller, and choice for an off-plan buyer.
Which has the bigger rental market, Luqa or Mqabba?
Luqa holds 0.84% of Malta’s active residential rent contracts, 31st of the 68 localities on the register, and Mqabba holds 0.22%, 58th. On the Housing Authority’s register, Luqa has the deeper tenant pool.
Is aircraft noise a problem in Luqa and Mqabba?
Luqa sits immediately beside the airport, so noise is a real question there and varies by street and runway approach. Mqabba is close by as well. Visit the specific property at different times of day before deciding.
What are the quarries near Mqabba like to live beside?
Mqabba is set among the limestone quarries that supply Maltese building stone. Their effect on dust and noise is very localised, so a house a few streets away can be unaffected. Check the property’s surroundings in person.