Malta - almost nearly perfect country?

Malta is a great country. Yes, I know, it sounds like the beginning of an essay in 5th grade talking about your summer at your grandma's place. But the truth is it really is. Especially if you're looking for a good place visitit, or live in, in Europe.

Compared to rest of the Europe, the weather is great almost the whole year. Even though winters can be windy, rainy, and have only 10 degrees during December, January, and Februay. But it really depends on a year. This January a friend of mine, local Maltese, was complaining to me how bad the weather was for farmers. As he said - only blue skies and sunshine. I didn't really know what to answer to that. As a non-farmer it sounded perfect to me. I guess that's why I've been there six times within the past two years. Even though Malta is not the only country with warmer climate during the off-season - Southern Portugal, Greece, Cyprus, Tenerife, they are all great as well, but for some reason Malta seems to have something else there. Maybe it's the vibe. Maybe it's me.

Besides the weather, it's also good price-wise. Obviously it goes nowhere near the cheap Asian prices, but the living cost there doesn't have to be high either (even though some people, as we all know, are able to spend anywhere, and on anything). The only problem part can be Malta real estate. Compared to the general cost of living, the rental prices are at least around double of what they should be in my opinion. Think about 600 or 700 euros for a studio apartment. That sounds sort of as if I was living in UK. Then again, considering that I usually want to live on the seaside, or not further than a 100 meters from it, and in certain seaside areas where life is, not inland, then one could argue with the rental price statement. A bar owner I met in Malta said he's living in Naxxar which is about 20-minute car ride inland, and he says he is renting a 5-bedroom house for 500 euros. So, there's that. Obviously that price could even be called too good, but if you're willing to make compromises, there's a way to get even rental properties cheaper.

If you wanted to buy property in Malta then the story is very similar. You could pay millions, or you could pay 40k. It all depends on where, how. And funny thing - if you have a Maltese friend, you might want to use their help to get the property, I've heard that there can be two sets of prices - for locals, and for foreigners. Even though that's an unconfirmed claim, and it might only have a difference if you try to buy/rent something direct from owner, not through a real estate company.