The received wisdom is that the prices of property in Malta are very, very high.

But not so according to the 2007 Coldwell Banker Home Price Comparison Index.

The criteria for the HPCI subject home is: single-family dwelling, 2,200 square feet (approximately)(2), four bedrooms, two and one-half baths, family room (or equivalent) and two-car garage in neighbourhoods in a market that is typical for corporate middle-management transferees.

The index gives three prices for Malta: $274,200 for a residence in Attard, $294,250 for a residence in Marsascala and $255,500 for a residence in St Julian’s.

The highest prices given in the survey, understandably, are at Beverly Hills where similar accommodation fetches prices of $2,206,883.

Around the world, prices vary but they are mostly higher than those for Malta: Sydney, Australia: $874,553, Beijing, China: $709,687; Shanghai, China: $774,799; Cairo: $650,485; Paris: $1,677,878; Nice: $563,080; Dublin: $2,133,891; Milan: $1,917,915; Rome: $1,793,838; Tokyo: $780,346; Amsterdam: $537,148; Lisbon: $1,053,584; Bucharest: $607,200; Madrid: $1,135,351; Dubai: $1,127,459.