Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Australia and the Maldives

Name: Maldives
Address: MV

For one person, living is cheaper in the Maldives: $1,476 a month against $2,626 in Australia, rent and utilities included – about $13,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Australia
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Australia Living Index
71

Cost of Living Index in the Maldives
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Maldives Living Index

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🇦🇺 Australia

$2,626

/mo nomad

🇲🇻 Maldives

$1,476

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Australia and in the Maldives

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Australia and in the Maldives actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,626 per month in Australia vs $1,476 in the Maldives, rent included.

Australia $2,626
Maldives $1,476

A couple spends around $3,810 per month in Australia vs $2,376 in the Maldives, rent included.

Australia $3,810
Maldives $2,376

A family of three spends $4,994 per month in Australia vs $3,276 in the Maldives, rent included.

Australia $4,994
Maldives $3,276

The regional cost range is wider in Australia ($1,068–$3,303) than in the Maldives ($45–$1,503), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in Australia is about 78% higher than in the Maldives on average.

Both Australia and the Maldives are pricier than the global median – Australia by 93%, the Maldives by 8%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.65 A$25.10

$6.31 MVR 97.3

179.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.2 A$121

$50.4 MVR 778

68.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.09 A$15.77

$9.74 MVR 150

13.86%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.95 MVR 76.4

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.89 MVR 153

Cappuccino

$3.90 A$5.54

$3.31 MVR 51.0

17.82%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 A$4.05

$1.59 MVR 24.46

79.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 A$3.29

$0.29 MVR 4.44

696.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.53 A$10.71

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.59 A$12.21

Milk (1 liter)

$1.76 A$2.50

$1.85 MVR 28.58

-4.86%

White Bread (500g)

$2.81 A$3.99

$1.56 MVR 24.10

80.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.24 A$3.19

$1.04 MVR 16.04

115.38%

Eggs

$5.02 A$7.14

$1.74 MVR 26.81

188.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.87 A$14.03

$6.33 MVR 97.6

55.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.32 A$13.25

$6.49 MVR 100

43.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.86 A$21.14

$10.13 MVR 156

46.69%

Apples (1kg)

$3.82 A$5.43

$4.00 MVR 61.6

-4.50%

Banana (1kg)

$2.92 A$4.16

$3.00 MVR 46.33

-2.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.13 A$4.46

$3.86 MVR 59.5

-18.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.81 A$6.84

$2.58 MVR 39.79

86.43%

Potato (1kg)

$2.80 A$3.98

$1.76 MVR 27.08

59.09%

Onion (1kg)

$2.38 A$3.38

$1.75 MVR 27.05

36.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.37 A$3.37

$2.11 MVR 32.53

12.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.65 A$2.35

$0.61 MVR 9.37

170.49%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$11.13 MVR 172

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.47 MVR 38.09

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.63 MVR 71.4

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$39.13 A$55.7

$15.03 MVR 232

160.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.93 A$19.81

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.96 A$7.05

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.17 A$7.36

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.42 A$3.44

$0.62 MVR 9.54

290.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$94.6 A$135

$28.37 MVR 437

233.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.49 A$4.97

$1.97 MVR 30.35

77.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 A$2.27

$1.90 MVR 29.24

-15.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.84 A$56.7

$8.30 MVR 128

380.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.39 A$1.98

$0.99 MVR 15.29

40.40%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$30.0K A$42.7K

$31.9K MVR 492.1K

-5.99%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$25.8K A$36.6K

$30.8K MVR 474.3K

-16.27%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$205 A$292

$129 MVR 1,993

58.61%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$28.33 A$40.30

$30.04 MVR 463

-5.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.8 A$83.6

$68.3 MVR 1,054

-13.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.7 A$79.2

$62.7 MVR 967

-11.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.57 A$27.84

$20.86 MVR 322

-6.18%

Cinema Ticket

$15.38 A$21.87

$8.98 MVR 139

71.27%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$2,145 A$3,051

$181 MVR 2,795

1083.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.3K A$26.1K

$2,834 MVR 43.7K

547.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.3 A$111

$38.11 MVR 588

105.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.3 A$80.0

$50.0 MVR 771

12.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 A$164

$86.1 MVR 1,327

33.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 A$175

$52.4 MVR 808

134.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,591 A$2,263

$930 MVR 14.3K

71.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,293 A$1,839

$678 MVR 10.5K

90.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,524 A$3,591

$1,939 MVR 29.9K

30.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 A$2,852

$1,484 MVR 22.9K

35.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,751 A$12.4K

$2,663 MVR 41.1K

228.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,260 A$8,904

$776 MVR 12.0K

706.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,984 A$5,666

$781 MVR 12.0K

409.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.93

-57.64%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Australia: October 27, 2026

Last update for the Maldives: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Australia

$1.3K 49.2%

Maldives

$678 46% 47.5% $614

Groceries & Markets

Australia

$374 14.3%

Maldives

$218 14.8% 41.7% $156

Eating Out

Australia

$297 11.3%

Maldives

$127 8.6% 57.2% $170

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Australia

$292 11.1%

Maldives

$228 15.4% 22.1% $65

Clothing & Footwear

Australia

$168 6.4%

Maldives

$102 6.9% 39.2% $66

Getting Around

Australia

$116 4.4%

Maldives

$42 2.9% 63.5% $73

Sport & Entertainment

Australia

$86 3.3%

Maldives

$81 5.5% 6.6% $5.7

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $1,383 in Australia vs $805 in the Maldives. For reference, capital cities sit at $1,749 in Canberra and $939 in Male.

Average salary: $3,874 in Australia vs $736 in the Maldives. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 72% higher in Australia.

Dining out costs 115% more in Australia.

Public transport is 236% more expensive in Australia.

Salaries are about 5.3 times higher in Australia, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Australia.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Australia

🇲🇻 Maldives

🕒 Local time

23:28 11:28 PM

17:28 5:28 PM

6 h behind Australia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

26,473,055

436,330

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Maldivian Rufiyaa MVR Rf

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.703 USD

1 AUD = 0.63 EUR

100 MVR = 6.49 USD

100 MVR = 5.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MVR, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.703 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 AUD (1 AUD = 0.63 EUR).

Maldivian Rufiyaa exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 15.42 MVR (100 MVR = 6.49 USD). 1 EUR = 17.21 MVR (100 MVR = 5.81 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Australia Maldives 8,980 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Australia
Maldives

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Australia vs Maldives: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

The Maldives is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 44% lower on average.

Housing costs more in Australia: a central one-bedroom averages $1,383 versus $805 in the Maldives.

Groceries, public transport, and eating out all cost less in the Maldives – part of why living there is about 44% cheaper overall.

$2,000 buys a comfortable lifestyle in the Maldives, but in Australia it only works with careful planning outside the capital. Same money, very different lives.

The Maldives is the budget-friendly choice for expats. But cost isn’t everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.