Has food in Malta actually got more expensive?
Every time the cost of living comes up, food prices inevitably get mentioned.
“Everything is more expensive.”
“A trolley of shopping costs twice what it used to.”
“You can't eat healthily without spending a fortune.”
I never quite knew what to say. I am in the very lucky position of not needing to worry too much about the cost of groceries, however I am also a nerd, so have been tracking the cost of my grocery shops since around 2022. Despite tracking the cost, and working on getting cost-per-serving down as low as possible, I’ve never looked back and analysed the trends over the last 4 to 5 years.
Obviously, inflation is happening. Even if you don’t see if yourself, the National Statistic Office has published their data. So I thought, why not look at my own?
I looked over 4 years worth of grocery shop spending and looked at what had changed, what the trends were and how this was actually affecting my weekly grocery shopping.
Disclaimer: I am lucky and I am alone
As I mentioned, I am incredibly lucky to not be on a tight budget. I can have fun getting the cost down as much as possible, but I’m under no pressure to do so. I have the time to shop around, and the ability to stock up on essentials when I see a deal.
I’m also only shopping for me. Feeding one adult is a completely different ballgame to shopping for a family. Kids with their differing tastes, packed lunches, suddenly deciding they hate their favourite food that you just stocked up on.
I can happily make a massive pot of lentil bolognese and eat in multiple days in a row or freeze for later. I can swap chicken for chickpeas. I don’t need to negotiate with a single other person.
So, while I will talk about how you can eat well for less, I know this experience isn’t universal and there will be many factors that make this easier or harder for different households.
2022 - 2023 was BAAAAD
Between 2022 and 2023 food inflation was BRUTAL. By December 2022, Malta’s overall annual inflation had reached 7.3% but food and beverages were running at a whopping 13.5%.
Food inflation was still 11.7% in January 2023, 11.4% in April, 11.8% in June. Even by December 2023, when overall inflation was starting to fall, food and drink were still 9.5% more expensive than the previous year.
I saw this in my data. The jump for many products during this period was insane.
Tate & Lyle brown sugar jumped up 40%
Dujardin frozen sweetcorn increased 14%
Even trusty, cheap lentils, Good Earth Green Lentils up almost 7%
And I was curious as to why this period was particularly bad and a few things worked against us all at once.
We were still dealing with the Covid aftermath and the disruption this caused to supply chains.
Then in February 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine. I didn’t realise this at the time, but Ukraine and Russia are both hugely important agricultural exporters, especially for grains, so the war disrupted these markets. Energy prices shot up. Fertiliser became more expensive. Transport. Packaging. Every stage of producing and shipping food became more expensive.
On top of all this, labour shorages and some pretty terrible weather conditions affecting crops all around Europe and North Africa meant we had the perfect mixing pot for inflation to sky rocket.
Unfortunately, Malta is heavily dependent on imported food (and everything really) so we were in no way insulated from the inflation on food, unlike other things like energy prices which the government has kept low for us.
But, prices haven’t necessarily continued rising
When inflation slows down, this does not mean prices go back down. If something inflates from €1 to €1.2 and inflation falls to zero, the item remains at €1.20. And this is the more common trend I’ve seen in the more recent years.
I mentioned Dujardin frozen sweetcorn already. The price here went up like crazy during those tougher years, but has remained pretty steady since then.
2022: €2.32
2023: €2.65 😬
2025: €2.65
2026: €2.69
So the entire increase happened during that tough 2022 - 2023 period. In the three years since then, it’s gone up 4cents.
Some things actually got cheaper
This is interesting to me. With the almost universal refrain of “food shopping is getting impossibly expensive!” I didn’t expect to see so many drops and such big drops as well.
Pasta is a great example. I’ve been buying Barilla for as long as I’ve been in Malta. In 2022 it was always €1.30. In 2023, always €1.35. But in 2025 and 2026 I’ve not paid more than €0.79 for a 500g box. That’s almost 40% cheaper than 2022. And this wasn’t a one time deal. It’s regularly on offer for €0.79, almost more than it’s at full price, so if you stock up during that period, you’ll not pay more than €0.79.
Kerrygold Mature Cheddar went from €4.19 for 200g in 2025 to €3.89 in 2026.
Kerrygold soft salted butter was €4.49 regularly in 2023, but now I mostly find it for €3.99 in 2026
Some other items basically did bugger all. Which is a joy!
Dried red lentils haven’t change from €1 in the entire 4 years I’ve been tracking.
Lamb plain flour went from €1.20 for 800g in 2023 to €1.18 in 2025.
Heinz beans around €0.80 in 2022 and €0.85 these days. A big jump in % but only 5 cents in four years.
So it’s not that everything is going up. Some things went up a tiny bit. Some things jumped up in 2023 but haven’t moved since. And some things are considerably cheaper now.
Flexibility is key
This is a little dependent on your situation, but where it’s possible, flexibility is the key to keeping your grocery shopping affordable and inflation busting. Inflation is a kicker, but sometimes the difference between two similar versions of the same food today is bigger than years worth of inflation.
Take eggs.
In August 2026 I bought 6 Coccodi free-range eggs for €1.83.
In the same month I bought 6 Le Naturelle free range eggs for €2.55
I will say the Le Naturelle were nicer, though I can’t pinpoint why, but if you’re scrambling or using for baking, what difference does it make and you can save over 30%.
So I save the pennies where I can. I never buy pasta full price, as it lasts forever so I stock up when it’s on sale. When fresh veg is creeping up, I opt for frozen- cheaper per gram and it lasts. My cupboards look like those of a prepper but so what!
Cheap food doesn’t have to mean crap food
This is what I feel most strongly about. I aim to get the lowest cost per serving when cooking at home, without compromising on taste or nutrition and it’s so possible. Some of the cheapest foods you’ll find in your local supermarket are also the best for you.
Lentils! Cheap, full of fibre and protein, also with iron, potassium and other nutrients I don’t know enough about but I know are good. You can make entire meals around them (lentil bolognese is a YES from me) or use them to bulk out something like mince to make it go further.
Beans and chickpeas. Season them well and they’re so healthy and sooo tasty. Eggs. EGGS! Protein, fat (fat is NOT BAD FOR YOU), vitamins and they are so versatile.
Then, my favourites, pasta, rice and potatoes. People get so down on carbs but it’s bullshit, babes. Carbs are inexpensive, filling sources of energy and, like everything in moderation, NOT BAD FOR YOU. Cook up a batch of rice at the start of the week and with the frozen veg and eggs, you’ve got a week of varied, cheap lunches.
Frozen vegetables are one of my favourite “hacks”. At one point they got a bad rap but they’re perfectly healthy, reduce waste and way more cost effective. Some veggies don’t freeze as well as others but I love peas, sweetcorn, broccoli and fruits like berries.
Gimme some examples then lady
I will.
Lentil bolognese. Onion, garlic, dried or tinned lentils, chopped tomatoes, herbs, salt, pepper and pasta. Cheap, filling, protein and fibre rich. And tastes lovely.
Pasta and chickpeas.
Chickpea and tomato stew, with rice.
Lentil dhal.
Fried rice.
Veggie frittata.
Lentil soup.
Bean chilli (treat yourself to some smetana or sour cream!).
Baked potatoes loaded with beans, vegetables, cheese and/or yogurt.
As the foundations (pasta, lentils, vegetables) are relatively inexpensive, you can also elevate them with something fancy if needed. A good parmesan. Fresh herbs instead of dried (to be honest though, I’m happy with dried).
So, is food in Malta expensive?
I got a lot of data, but annoyingly, my answer is, it depends.
Food absolutely shot up, especially during the 2022 - 2023 inflation spike. The official data is clear on this, and how you feel is right, my 4 years worth of receipts shows it. Many products are considerably more expensive today, in 2026, than they were four years ago.
But not everything, and it’s not rising at the same level. Some products jumped 40% but then haven’t changed for years since. Some have remained flat since 2022 and some are even considerably cheaper.
Many times, switching shop, or brand, saves me more than worrying about inflation over the years. And the fact I am not fussy, have minimal medical dietary requirements and can be flexible, with the luxury of time to shop about, all undoubtedly contribute to the fact I barely spend €25 per week on groceries.
There are people for whom €25 is still a stretch, who don’t have time to spend scouring for deals, so telling you to shop around isn’t going to magically help.
But if you’re able to cook, have flexibility and are prepared to shop around, a shopping list of pasta, rice, lentils, beans, eggs, frozen vegetables, seasonal product are still some of the cheapest things you can put in your basket and eat well.
