Market Intelligence · Locality comparison
Sliema vs St Julian's
Two neighbouring seafront towns that share a coast road but answer different questions: one about depth and staying power, the other about work and turnover.
The short answer
Sliema or St Julian's?
On the published figures Sliema is the larger and deeper market of the two. It records more completed sales, more promise of sale agreements, more new homes approved and a bigger share of Malta’s active rent contracts. For a buyer who wants liquidity on exit and a broad, settled tenant pool, Sliema is the stronger case; St Julian’s suits a buyer letting to people who work within walking distance.
St Julian’s is not a small market, and its rental register sits among the top handful of localities in Malta. What sets it apart is character rather than size: Paceville, Portomaso and the offices along the coast keep tenants arriving all year, but the same activity makes it busier and noisier at night. Sliema’s much larger approvals pipeline also means more new stock competing for its buyers and tenants.
Head to head
Sliema: 1st of 68 · St Julian's: 34th of 68
Sliema: 2nd of 68 · St Julian's: 5th 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 Sliema and St Julian's
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 Sliema and St Julian's
Sliema
Sliema suits a buyer who values resale liquidity and a long-staying tenant, whether a relocating professional or a family wanting the promenade and the schools. It rewards careful choice of building and floor, since new supply is plentiful and the best seafront stock is what holds its appeal.
Read the Sliema investment guideSt Julian's
St Julian’s suits a buyer letting to people who came to Malta to work, in gaming, finance or hospitality, and who want the office, the restaurants and the sea on one street. Turnover is higher, but a well-placed apartment re-lets quickly, and the streets behind Paceville are a lower-cost way in.
Read the St Julian's investment guideGood to know
Sliema vs St Julian's, answered
Which has more property sales, Sliema or St Julian's?
From July 2025 to June 2026, the National Statistics Office recorded 462 final deeds of sale in Sliema and 329 in St Julian's. By completed sales, Sliema is the busier market of the two.
Which has more sales in the pipeline, Sliema or St Julian's?
A promise of sale agreement is the deal signed ahead of the final deed. From July 2025 to June 2026, 491 were recorded in Sliema and 321 in St Julian's. Sliema has more sales on their way to completion.
Where are more new homes being approved, Sliema or St Julian's?
In the first quarter of 2026, 322 new dwellings were approved in Sliema, 1st of the 68 localities the National Statistics Office reported, and 32 in St Julian's, 34th. Sliema 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, Sliema or St Julian's?
Sliema holds 6.96% of Malta’s active residential rent contracts, 2nd of the 68 localities on the register, and St Julian's holds 4.4%, 5th. On the Housing Authority’s register, Sliema has the deeper tenant pool.
Is Sliema or St Julian’s quieter to live in?
Sliema, on the whole. Its streets are dense and busy by day, but the nightlife is concentrated in Paceville, inside St Julian’s. A buyer in St Julian’s who wants quiet should look towards the residential streets away from Paceville, or at the Swieqi slope above it.
Which is better for letting to professionals, Sliema or St Julian’s?
Both let readily to professionals. St Julian’s puts the tenant beside the offices and hotels of the business district, which suits shorter, work-led tenancies. Sliema draws a broader mix, including families and long-staying expats, which tends to mean longer stays and a deeper resale market behind them.
Keep comparing