Do ministers ever go shopping? The quiet reality of Malta’s rising cost of living

There is a question that increasingly comes to mind whenever the subject of inflation is raised: do ministers ever go shopping?

Not the ceremonial visit to a local market during an electoral campaign, or the occasional photo opportunity while praising local produce. The question is more mundane than that. Do they push a trolley down the aisles of a supermarket on a weekday evening, comparing prices, adding numbers in their head, and wondering whether the bill at the cashier will exceed what they had mentally budgeted?

Because for many families in Malta, this exercise has become a weekly ritual – and a stressful one.

Consumers are increasingly aware that every visit to the supermarket seems to cost more than the previous one. The difference may not always be dramatic in a single purchase, but over time it becomes unmistakable. A trolley that once comfortably fed a family of four for a week is now easily reaching between €250 and €300. Over the course of a month, that means around €1,200 spent on groceries alone.

That figure is striking when placed next to the average salary in Malta. For many households, food now consumes more than half of their monthly income. And that is before accounting for electricity, water, petrol, insurance, mobile phone bills, clothing, school expenses, medicine and the countless small costs that make up everyday life.

It is in these routine, almost invisible transactions that the true impact of inflation is felt.

Official statistics tell a more reassuring story. Inflation surged significantly in the aftermath of the pandemic. Between 2020 and 2021, inflation had been relatively low, hovering around 0.64% and 1.50% respectively as economic activity slowed during the global health crisis. But by 2022 and 2023 inflation had surged past 5%, driven largely by global supply chain disruptions and the spike in energy prices that followed the start of the war in Ukraine.

Since then, the official figures suggest that inflationary pressures have eased. In April 2026, Malta’s annual inflation rate reached 2.5%, up from 2.3% in the preceding three months.

On paper, that sounds like good news.

In practice, however, many consumers feel that the numbers do not match their experience. Prices rarely move backwards. When inflation slows, it simply means that prices are rising more slowly – not that they are returning to where they once were.

The result is that many households feel poorer even if their income has not technically declined. Their spending power has quietly eroded.

One sees the consequences in everyday behaviour. Shoppers compare prices more carefully. Brand loyalty disappears when the cheaper alternative sits next to the familiar product on the shelf. Supermarkets increasingly advertise promotions, loyalty points and cashback schemes designed to soften the blow of higher prices.

Consumers respond accordingly. Some buy smaller quantities. Others delay purchases that are not strictly necessary. Many have become experts at navigating discount aisles.

Even modest changes accumulate. A packet of pasta that once cost €0.90 is now €1.20. A bottle of cooking oil that was €3 is now closer to €5. Chicken, vegetables, dairy products and bread – the staples of a household – have all crept upwards over the past few years.

None of these increases, taken individually, seems dramatic enough to spark a national outcry. But together they reshape household budgets.

The question becomes particularly acute for low-income families and pensioners.

A pensioner living on a fixed income does not have the luxury of negotiating a higher salary or taking on additional work. Every increase in food prices or medicine costs eats directly into what little financial margin they have.

Similarly, families already operating on tight budgets have very little room to absorb further increases. A sudden expense – a car repair, a broken appliance, school materials – can easily disrupt the fragile balance that keeps monthly finances afloat.

Many households have therefore adopted coping strategies that would have been unusual a decade ago. Some adults take on second or even third jobs to supplement their income. Others work longer hours or freelance on weekends. The notion of a healthy work-life balance becomes somewhat theoretical when the priority is ensuring that the bills are paid at the end of the month.

This reality sits somewhat awkwardly alongside fashionable discussions about four-day work weeks and lifestyle flexibility.

For a growing number of people, the challenge is not how to work less, but how to work enough to keep up with rising expenses.

The government argues that it has taken important steps to protect households from even greater pressures. Energy and fuel prices, for example, have been kept stable through substantial government subsidies. This policy has shielded Maltese consumers from the dramatic increases seen in many other European countries.

There is little doubt that this intervention has helped.

But it has not come without a cost. Subsidising energy and fuel contributes significantly to Malta’s rising public debt, which now stands at approximately €11.5 billion. The government has repeatedly insisted that it will continue to absorb global shocks – including the economic consequences of ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East – in order to shield consumers.

That commitment is politically understandable. Yet the broader question remains whether this strategy is sustainable in the long term. Each year that the government cushions external shocks through public spending, the national debt grows larger.

At the same time, the everyday cost of living continues to creep upward in ways that subsidies alone cannot fully offset.

The political response to this issue has been somewhat subdued. The Labour government tends to emphasise macroeconomic stability, strong employment figures and steady economic growth. These are all important indicators of national health, but they do not necessarily capture the daily experience of households trying to balance their budgets.

The Nationalist Party, for its part, raises the issue periodically but often without the kind of sustained pressure that characterised its rhetoric in past years.

There was a time when inflation and cost-of-living increases would dominate political debate for weeks. Today the discussion tends to appear briefly and then fade away.

Trade unions have also been relatively restrained in their public messaging. While they continue to negotiate wage improvements through collective agreements, there has been less visible campaigning about the broader erosion of purchasing power.

Perhaps this reflects a complex economic environment in which many sectors are still performing relatively well.

But the quiet frustration among consumers should not be underestimated.

What people feel is simple: they are spending more money and getting less in return. The contents of the shopping trolley have not changed dramatically, yet the total at the cashier grows steadily larger.

This situation may not always align neatly with statistical measures of inflation, but it is nonetheless real. Economics is not experienced through spreadsheets or graphs. It is experienced through everyday transactions.

Which brings us back to the original question.

Do ministers ever go shopping?

If they do, they might notice the subtle but persistent changes that have become part of daily life for many families. They might observe how shoppers hesitate before picking up certain items, or how supermarket promotions now attract far more attention than they once did.

They might also hear the quiet conversations at the checkout: the small jokes about how expensive everything has become; the resigned shaking of heads when the total exceeds expectations once again.

These are not dramatic protests. They are simply the background noise of an economy in which purchasing power is gradually slipping.

Ignoring that noise would be a mistake. Governments are judged not only by economic indicators but also by whether people feel that their standard of living is improving.

At the moment, many consumers would argue that it is not.

And if ministers are unsure whether this comment piece is justified, the solution is straightforward.

They could always try doing the weekly shopping themselves.

 

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