Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bangkok and Hulhumale

For one person, living is cheaper in Bangkok: $1,114 a month against $1,438 in Hulhumale, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Hulhumale outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

55

Cost of Living Index in Bangkok
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Bangkok Living Index
70

Cost of Living Index in Hulhumale
Learn more

Hulhumale Living Index

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Bangkok

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,114

/mo nomad

Hulhumale

🇲🇻 Maldives

$1,438

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bangkok and in Hulhumale

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,114 in Bangkok versus $1,438 in Hulhumale.

Bangkok $1,114
Hulhumale $1,438

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,784 in Bangkok versus $2,595 in Hulhumale.

Bangkok $1,784
Hulhumale $2,595

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,455 in Bangkok versus $3,752 in Hulhumale.

Bangkok $2,455
Hulhumale $3,752

Living in Bangkok costs roughly 23% less than in Hulhumale, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Bangkok is 18% below, Hulhumale is 6% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.90 ฿96.9

$6.07 MVR 93.6

-52.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.45 ฿1,185

$39.45 MVR 608

-10.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.46 ฿216

$9.24 MVR 142

-30.09%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.72 MVR 72.8

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.87 MVR 75.1

Cappuccino

$2.74 ฿91.7

$3.61 MVR 55.7

-24.10%

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

$0.67 ฿22.26

$1.66 MVR 25.66

-59.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.34 ฿11.32

$0.31 MVR 4.84

9.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.69 ฿90.0

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.59 ฿153

Milk (1 liter)

$1.87 ฿62.6

$1.59 MVR 24.59

17.61%

White Bread (500g)

$1.48 ฿49.56

$1.69 MVR 26.11

-12.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 ฿47.37

$0.34 MVR 5.17

317.65%

Eggs

$2.55 ฿85.3

$1.85 MVR 28.50

37.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.98 ฿568

$3.32 MVR 51.3

411.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.70 ฿124

$5.97 MVR 92.1

-38.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.79 ฿428

$9.40 MVR 145

36.06%

Apples (1kg)

$3.90 ฿130

$3.94 MVR 60.7

-1.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 ฿58.2

$3.13 MVR 48.34

-44.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.72 ฿90.9

$2.92 MVR 45.05

-6.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.95 ฿65.2

$2.71 MVR 41.78

-28.04%

Potato (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.6

$1.24 MVR 19.12

36.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.6

$1.15 MVR 17.72

31.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.29 ฿43.18

$2.14 MVR 33.05

-39.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.37

$0.62 MVR 9.58

-16.13%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$12.39 MVR 191

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.78 MVR 42.84

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.01 MVR 31.07

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.52 ฿151

$12.72 MVR 196

-64.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.90 ฿498

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿59.3

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.18 ฿106

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.07 ฿35.75

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$35.69 ฿1,193

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.02 ฿34.04

$1.96 MVR 30.27

-47.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.21 ฿40.56

$1.90 MVR 29.36

-36.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.94 ฿199

$10.11 MVR 156

-41.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 ฿48.06

$0.99 MVR 15.22

45.45%

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

$31.8K ฿1.1M

$32.0K MVR 493.5K

-0.52%

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

$27.3K ฿910.9K

$29.4K MVR 453.9K

-7.40%

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

$106 ฿3,546

$104 MVR 1,597

2.43%

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

$15.05 ฿503

$29.71 MVR 458

-49.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.60 ฿588

$73.0 MVR 1,125

-75.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.4 ฿1,918

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.78 ฿628

Cinema Ticket

$7.48 ฿250

$9.84 MVR 152

-23.98%

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

$563 ฿18.8K

$187 MVR 2,882

201.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.3K ฿544.0K

$2,984 MVR 46.0K

445.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.4 ฿2,386

$39.39 MVR 607

81.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.53 ฿1,455

$49.44 MVR 762

-11.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.7 ฿3,198

$86.4 MVR 1,332

10.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 ฿3,559

$52.9 MVR 816

101.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$680 ฿22.7K

$1,121 MVR 17.3K

-39.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$338 ฿11.3K

$775 MVR 11.9K

-56.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,002 ฿66.9K

$2,292 MVR 35.3K

-12.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$725 ฿24.2K

$2,294 MVR 35.4K

-68.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,106 ฿204.1K

$5,300 MVR 81.7K

15.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,111 ฿104.0K

$499 MVR 7,689

523.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$605 ฿20.2K

$725 MVR 11.2K

-16.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.25

-62.50%

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

Last update for Bangkok: October 13, 2026

Last update for Hulhumale: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bangkok

$338 30.4%

Hulhumale

$775 53.9% 129% $436

Groceries & Markets

Bangkok

$272 24.5%

Hulhumale

$195 13.6% 28.3% $77

Clothing & Footwear

Bangkok

$143 12.8%

Hulhumale

$103 7.1% 28.1% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bangkok

$139 12.5%

Hulhumale

$206 14.4% 48.7% $68

Eating Out

Bangkok

$102 9.2%

Hulhumale

$128 8.9% 24.8% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Bangkok

$72 6.5%

Hulhumale

$20 * 1.4% 72.8% $53

Getting Around

Bangkok

$47 4.2%

Hulhumale

$11 * 0.8% 75.6% $36

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $680 in Bangkok and $1,121 in Hulhumale. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Hulhumale pays 20% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $35.00 in Bangkok vs $39.00 in Hulhumale. Groceries flip the comparison at $272 vs $195, with Hulhumale cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Bangkok

🇲🇻 Hulhumale

🕒 Local time

19:34 7:34 PM

17:34 5:34 PM

2 h behind Bangkok

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,666,264 Capital

5,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Maldivian Rufiyaa MVR Rf

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 MVR = 6.49 USD

100 MVR = 5.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MVR, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Maldivian Rufiyaa exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 15.42 MVR (100 MVR = 6.49 USD). 1 EUR = 17.34 MVR (100 MVR = 5.77 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Bangkok Hulhumale 3,140 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Bangkok
Hulhumale

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

Bangkok vs Hulhumale: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bangkok and Hulhumale differ by about 29% in total monthly costs ($1,114 vs $1,438 including rent). Bangkok is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 20% lower in Hulhumale. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $680 in Bangkok versus $1,121 in Hulhumale. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Hulhumale pay roughly 39% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $1,114 per month in Bangkok versus $1,438 in Hulhumale – a 29% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,114 in Bangkok versus $1,438 in Hulhumale, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bangkok but tight or insufficient in Hulhumale. The gap between the two cities makes Bangkok the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Bangkok and Hulhumale are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Bangkok gentler on the wallet – expenses run 29% less than in Hulhumale. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.