Market Intelligence · Locality comparison
Sliema vs St Paul's Bay
The two biggest rental markets in Malta, one a seafront town at the heart of the harbour and the other a council of bayside resorts in the north.
The short answer
Sliema or St Paul's Bay?
St Paul’s Bay is the larger market by volume: it records far more completed sales and promise of sale agreements than Sliema, and holds the largest share of Malta’s active rent contracts. Sliema leads on new homes approved and draws a more established buyer. For sheer tenant depth, St Paul’s Bay; for a central address with a strong resale market, Sliema.
The figures for St Paul’s Bay cover the whole council, including Buġibba, Qawra, Xemxija and Burmarrad, so they describe a far larger area than Sliema. Its demand is split between holiday letting and a large year-round rental population, and quality varies widely from block to block. Sliema’s tenant pool is smaller but more settled, and its location keeps it on owner-occupiers’ lists too.
Head to head
Sliema: 1st of 68 · St Paul's Bay: 2nd of 68
Sliema: 2nd 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 Sliema 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 Sliema and St Paul's Bay
Sliema
Sliema suits a buyer who wants a central, walkable address with a tenant base of professionals and expats and a resale market that includes owner-occupiers. It is the steadier of the two to hold, with plenty of new stock to choose from.
Read the Sliema investment guideSt Paul's Bay
St Paul’s Bay suits a buyer looking for volume: a deep pool of year-round tenants, a busy seasonal market and plenty of apartment stock to choose from. The work is in the choice of block and street, since the range between the best and the rest is wide.
Read the St Paul's Bay investment guideGood to know
Sliema vs St Paul's Bay, answered
Which has more property sales, Sliema or St Paul's Bay?
From July 2025 to June 2026, the National Statistics Office recorded 462 final deeds of sale in Sliema 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, Sliema 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, 491 were recorded in Sliema 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, Sliema or St Paul's Bay?
In the first quarter of 2026, 322 new dwellings were approved in Sliema, 1st of the 68 localities the National Statistics Office reported, and 171 in St Paul's Bay, 2nd. 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 Paul's Bay?
Sliema holds 6.96% of Malta’s active residential rent contracts, 2nd 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 St Paul’s Bay or Sliema better for holiday lets?
St Paul’s Bay has the stronger holiday profile, with Buġibba and Qawra built around tourism. Short-let use needs the appropriate licence in either town, and much of St Paul’s Bay’s rental demand is year-round residential rather than seasonal.
Which is better connected, Sliema or St Paul’s Bay?
Sliema, for most purposes. It sits close to Valletta, St Julian’s and the central business areas, with the ferry across to the capital. St Paul’s Bay is further north, so commuting to the harbour area usually means a longer journey by road.
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