Malta in top 10 for quality of life

Malta has placed in the top ten in International Living’s Annual Quality of Life Index 2011. The magazine rated nine categories including cost of living, culture, climate, environment, freedom, health, infrastructure and safety.
Although the United States was on top of the list of 192 countries surveyed in quantity terms, the other countries that made it were: New Zealand, Malta, France, Monaco, Belgium, Japan, the United Kingdom, Austria and Germany.
These nations are home to plenty of expats, who are thrilled with life in their chosen havens. Two of them, Barbara Bode and Liz Ayling, editor of maltainsideout.com, shared their experiences with the magazine.
Malta shared first place with Zimbabwe for having the ideal climate. In Malta’s case it is a warm, dry Mediterranean climate. Other pluses for the island are low crime rates, good medical facilities and an English-speaking population.
Bode lists history, sunshine, serene sailing and crashing waves along rocky shores among the attractions. She also liked the lifestyle, food and quality of life. “Every day is like a holiday,” she concludes.

An aerial view of Gharb in Gozo. Photo: Mario Galea (MTA)

Among the reasons Ayling moved to Malta in the Nineties were longings for warmth, outdoor living and a more sociable lifestyle – more emotional than rational. According to some latest EU statistics, most of Malta’s recent population growth is attributable to incoming foreigners, she adds.
Malta is seeing a lot of overseas firms setting up shop, mainly in the online gaming industry and financial services, both of which pay well over any local going rate. The standard of living in Malta is probably better than that in the UK.
There is a double-taxation agreement in place with most E.U. countries, and the U.S. expats who benefit most from living here are those who somehow retain some earnings from elsewhere that they then elect to get taxed in Malta, at a flat 15%.