Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brazil and the Maldives

Name: Maldives
Address: MV

For one person, living is cheaper in Brazil: $865 a month against $1,476 in the Maldives, rent and utilities included – about $7,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

42

Cost of Living Index in Brazil
Learn more

Brazil Living Index
71

Cost of Living Index in the Maldives
Learn more

Maldives Living Index

Jump to prices

🇧🇷 Brazil

$865

/mo nomad

🇲🇻 Maldives

$1,476

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Brazil 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 Brazil and in the Maldives actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $865 per month in Brazil vs $1,476 in the Maldives, rent included.

Brazil $865
Maldives $1,476

A couple spends around $1,373 per month in Brazil vs $2,376 in the Maldives, rent included.

Brazil $1,373
Maldives $2,376

A family of three spends $1,880 per month in Brazil vs $3,276 in the Maldives, rent included.

Brazil $1,880
Maldives $3,276

The regional cost range is wider in the Maldives ($45–$1,503) than in Brazil ($569–$1,349), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in Brazil is roughly 41% lower than in the Maldives on average.

Brazil sits 36% below the global median, while the Maldives is 8% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.55 R$35.28

$6.31 MVR 97.3

3.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.71 R$165

$50.4 MVR 778

-39.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.45 R$40.12

$9.74 MVR 150

-23.51%

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

$1.91 R$10.28

$3.31 MVR 51.0

-42.30%

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

$1.15 R$6.21

$1.59 MVR 24.46

-27.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.76 R$4.07

$0.29 MVR 4.44

162.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.85 R$9.95

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.86 R$15.37

Milk (1 liter)

$1.03 R$5.55

$1.85 MVR 28.58

-44.32%

White Bread (500g)

$1.57 R$8.43

$1.56 MVR 24.10

0.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.24 R$6.65

$1.04 MVR 16.04

19.23%

Eggs

$2.10 R$11.32

$1.74 MVR 26.81

20.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.87 R$47.72

$6.33 MVR 97.6

40.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.99 R$21.49

$6.49 MVR 100

-38.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.76 R$41.74

$10.13 MVR 156

-23.40%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 R$11.60

$4.00 MVR 61.6

-46.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.27 R$6.84

$3.00 MVR 46.33

-57.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.16 R$6.22

$3.86 MVR 59.5

-69.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.53 R$8.23

$2.58 MVR 39.79

-40.70%

Potato (1kg)

$1.16 R$6.25

$1.76 MVR 27.08

-34.09%

Onion (1kg)

$1.02 R$5.49

$1.75 MVR 27.05

-41.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 R$3.99

$2.11 MVR 32.53

-64.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 R$3.86

$0.61 MVR 9.37

18.03%

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)

$2.25 R$12.13

$15.03 MVR 232

-85.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.65 R$41.17

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 R$7.01

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.16 R$11.65

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.94 R$5.06

$0.62 MVR 9.54

51.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.00 R$237

$28.37 MVR 437

55.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.23 R$6.61

$1.97 MVR 30.35

-37.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.96 R$5.14

$1.90 MVR 29.24

-49.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.42 R$39.93

$8.30 MVR 128

-10.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.21 R$6.53

$0.99 MVR 15.29

22.22%

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

$22.1K R$119.2K

$31.9K MVR 492.1K

-30.61%

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

$31.6K R$169.9K

$30.8K MVR 474.3K

2.62%

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

$77.2 R$415

$129 MVR 1,993

-40.30%

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

$12.44 R$66.9

$30.04 MVR 463

-58.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.80 R$107

$68.3 MVR 1,054

-71.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.36 R$131

$62.7 MVR 967

-61.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.46 R$137

$20.86 MVR 322

22.05%

Cinema Ticket

$6.98 R$37.58

$8.98 MVR 139

-22.27%

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

$316 R$1,700

$181 MVR 2,795

74.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,298 R$44.7K

$2,834 MVR 43.7K

192.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.37 R$266

$38.11 MVR 588

29.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.73 R$246

$50.0 MVR 771

-8.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.4 R$449

$86.1 MVR 1,327

-3.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$65.6 R$353

$52.4 MVR 808

25.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$373 R$2,008

$930 MVR 14.3K

-59.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$251 R$1,348

$678 MVR 10.5K

-63.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$719 R$3,869

$1,939 MVR 29.9K

-62.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$490 R$2,639

$1,484 MVR 22.9K

-66.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,795 R$9,660

$2,663 MVR 41.1K

-32.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,269 R$6,830

$776 MVR 12.0K

63.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$496 R$2,672

$781 MVR 12.0K

-36.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.17

-20.21%

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

Last update for Brazil: October 25, 2026

Last update for the Maldives: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Brazil

$251 29%

Maldives

$678 46% 171% $428

Groceries & Markets

Brazil

$183 21.2%

Maldives

$218 14.8% 19% $35

Eating Out

Brazil

$120 13.9%

Maldives

$127 8.6% 5.4% $6.5

Clothing & Footwear

Brazil

$110 12.7%

Maldives

$102 6.9% 7.2% $7.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brazil

$109 12.6%

Maldives

$228 15.4% 108% $118

Getting Around

Brazil

$54 6.2%

Maldives

$42 2.9% 21.4% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Brazil

$38 4.4%

Maldives

$81 5.5% 111% $42

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $335 in Brazil vs $805 in the Maldives. For reference, capital cities sit at $517 in Brasilia and $939 in Male.

Average salary: $468 in Brazil vs $736 in the Maldives. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 140% higher in the Maldives.

Dining out costs 34% more in the Maldives.

Public transport is 72% more expensive in Brazil.

Salaries are 57% higher in the Maldives.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Brazil

🇲🇻 Maldives

🕒 Local time

10:50 10:50 AM

18:50 6:50 PM

8 h ahead of Brazil

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

203,062,512

436,330

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Maldivian Rufiyaa MVR Rf

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.186 USD

1 BRL = 0.167 EUR

100 MVR = 6.49 USD

100 MVR = 5.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MVR, USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 5.38 BRL (1 BRL = 0.186 USD). 1 EUR = 6.01 BRL (1 BRL = 0.167 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 BRL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Brazil Maldives 13,490 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Brazil
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

Brazil vs Maldives: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Brazil is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 41% lower on average.

Housing costs more in the Maldives: a central one-bedroom averages $805 versus $335 in Brazil.

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