How much does healthcare cost in Malta in 2026?

Employees and self-employed people insured under Maltese social security normally access state care with residence documentation after they finish affiliation steps: Enrol in public healthcare and Get a social security number. Keep your eResidence card ready at health centres from Gżira to Victoria on Gozo: Apply for a residence permit.

A European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) covers medically necessary public care during temporary EU-system stays. It is not a substitute for resident affiliation once Malta becomes your competent state. Pensioners and posted workers often need S1 registration with the Entitlement Unit before ongoing state-funded care is clear.

Private GP visits commonly sit around €25–40 and specialist consults around €60–120 when paid cash, with dental and optical as separate lines. Private hospitals such as St James and Da Vinci offer faster elective access for people who keep insurance. Annual private premiums vary widely by age and cover; many working-age adults plan from the low hundreds into the low thousands of euros, while couples and families stack higher.

Treat insurance as a parallel line in the monthly budget, not a holiday add-on. Harbour-corridor households still use Mater Dei for complex public care even when they live in Sliema; Gozo residents often ferry for specialist depth: Gozo cost of living. National context: How expensive is Malta.