According to Insider, Sliema ranks among the 19 most wallet-friendly holiday destinations in the world, coming in at a solid 12^th place. And, well, we're not sure...

The article lists the average cost of various destinations including the prices of eight tourist staples: a meal for two, a cup of coffee, a bottle of beer, a Coca Cola, a glass of wine, a bottle of water, sun cream and inspect repellent. Sunny Beach in Bulgaria ranked first (and cheapest) with a total of $45.01 for all eight items, while Penang in Malaysia ranked at 19th place with a grand total of $107.89.

The total cost when purchasing these items in Sliema was $89.22 (€77.87), with most items priced at $5 (€4.36) or less, apart from sun cream, which cost $15.08 (€13.16) from the supermarket (it’s a requirement on the island with 300 days of sunshine!) and $57.53 (€50.21) for a three-course meal for two, including a bottle of house wine. Not bad, right? Locals may beg to differ though…

Sliema is known to be one of the most expensive parts of Malta to live and shop. The prices of drinks, food, rent, groceries and retail has been flagged by many as on the rise. Overall, Sliema is a beautiful seaside town visited by many locals and tourists alike, but still on the higher end of the spectrum when compared to other towns and villages on the island. So hey, we're not saying you can't have yourself a cheap and cheerful good time on the islands, but if you're travelling on a shoestring, we certainly recommend hunting down better deals outside of the Sliema area, in some of the quieter towns and villages.

What do you think about Insider’s calculations? Let us know!