Market Intelligence · Locality comparison
Mellieħa vs St Paul's Bay
Two northern coastal markets, one Malta’s busiest apartment market and the other its resort ridge above the beaches.
The short answer
Mellieħa or St Paul's Bay?
St Paul’s Bay is the far larger market, with far more completed sales than Mellieħa, far more new homes approved and the biggest share of Malta’s rent contracts of any locality. Mellieħa is still a significant market, with a sizeable rental share of its own, but its letting is more seasonal and its stock more varied.
The difference is in the tenants. St Paul’s Bay has a large year-round rental population alongside holiday letting, which steadies income through the winter. Mellieħa’s summer demand is strong and its winter demand thin, and its apartments, hillside houses, villas and rural property near Manikata suit owners who use the home themselves and let around it.
Head to head
Mellieħa: 14th of 68 · St Paul's Bay: 2nd of 68
Mellieħa: 11th of 68 · St Paul's Bay: 1st 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 Mellieħa and St Paul's Bay
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 Mellieħa and St Paul's Bay
Mellieħa
A buyer who wants a home near the beaches with room to use it themselves, or a seasonal letting plan. Mellieħa suits larger homes and villas, with value tied to views and the walk to the sea.
Read the Mellieħa investment guideSt Paul's Bay
An investor who wants depth, year-round tenants and apartment stock at scale. St Paul’s Bay suits buy-to-let, with careful attention to the quality of each block.
Read the St Paul's Bay investment guideGood to know
Mellieħa vs St Paul's Bay, answered
Which has more property sales, Mellieħa or St Paul's Bay?
From July 2025 to June 2026, the National Statistics Office recorded 367 final deeds of sale in Mellieħa and 1,160 in St Paul's Bay. By completed sales, St Paul's Bay is the busier market of the two.
Which has more sales in the pipeline, Mellieħa or St Paul's Bay?
A promise of sale agreement is the deal signed ahead of the final deed. From July 2025 to June 2026, 399 were recorded in Mellieħa and 1,270 in St Paul's Bay. St Paul's Bay has more sales on their way to completion.
Where are more new homes being approved, Mellieħa or St Paul's Bay?
In the first quarter of 2026, 62 new dwellings were approved in Mellieħa, 14th of the 68 localities the National Statistics Office reported, and 171 in St Paul's Bay, 2nd. St Paul's Bay 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, Mellieħa or St Paul's Bay?
Mellieħa holds 2.81% of Malta’s active residential rent contracts, 11th of the 68 localities on the register, and St Paul's Bay holds 13.76%, 1st. On the Housing Authority’s register, St Paul's Bay has the deeper tenant pool.
Is Mellieħa busy in winter?
Much quieter than in summer. Much of Mellieħa was built with holidays in mind, and winter letting demand is thin compared with St Paul’s Bay, where a large permanent population rents year round.
Which offers larger homes?
Mellieħa, generally. Alongside apartments near the centre it has larger houses and villas on its slopes and rural property towards Manikata. St Paul’s Bay is overwhelmingly an apartment market.
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