Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Canada and the Maldives

Name: Maldives
Address: MV

For one person, living is cheaper in the Maldives: $1,476 a month against $2,310 in Canada, rent and utilities included – about $10,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

111

Cost of Living Index in Canada
Learn more

Canada Living Index
71

Cost of Living Index in the Maldives
Learn more

Maldives Living Index

Jump to prices

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,310

/mo nomad

🇲🇻 Maldives

$1,476

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,310 per month in Canada vs $1,476 in the Maldives, rent included.

Canada $2,310
Maldives $1,476

A couple spends around $3,356 per month in Canada vs $2,376 in the Maldives, rent included.

Canada $3,356
Maldives $2,376

A family of three spends $4,403 per month in Canada vs $3,276 in the Maldives, rent included.

Canada $4,403
Maldives $3,276

The regional cost range is wider in Canada ($889–$3,737) than in the Maldives ($45–$1,503), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in Canada is about 57% higher than in the Maldives on average.

Both Canada and the Maldives are pricier than the global median – Canada by 70%, the Maldives by 8%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.16 CA$25.38

$6.31 MVR 97.3

187.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$71.2 CA$99.5

$50.4 MVR 778

41.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.81 CA$15.11

$9.74 MVR 150

10.99%

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

$3.78 CA$5.28

$3.31 MVR 51.0

14.20%

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

$2.11 CA$2.95

$1.59 MVR 24.46

32.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.66 CA$2.32

$0.29 MVR 4.44

472.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.62 CA$7.85

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.72 CA$7.99

Milk (1 liter)

$2.17 CA$3.04

$1.85 MVR 28.58

17.30%

White Bread (500g)

$2.60 CA$3.64

$1.56 MVR 24.10

66.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.65 CA$5.10

$1.04 MVR 16.04

250.96%

Eggs

$3.63 CA$5.07

$1.74 MVR 26.81

108.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.76 CA$15.04

$6.33 MVR 97.6

69.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.90 CA$16.62

$6.49 MVR 100

83.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.42 CA$21.55

$10.13 MVR 156

52.22%

Apples (1kg)

$4.03 CA$5.63

$4.00 MVR 61.6

0.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 CA$1.93

$3.00 MVR 46.33

-54.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.88 CA$5.41

$3.86 MVR 59.5

0.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.08 CA$5.70

$2.58 MVR 39.79

58.14%

Potato (1kg)

$2.57 CA$3.59

$1.76 MVR 27.08

46.02%

Onion (1kg)

$2.48 CA$3.46

$1.75 MVR 27.05

41.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.65 CA$3.70

$2.11 MVR 32.53

25.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 CA$2.40

$0.61 MVR 9.37

180.33%

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)

$14.32 CA$20.01

$15.03 MVR 232

-4.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.49 CA$18.84

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.84 CA$3.97

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.30 CA$4.61

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.55 CA$3.57

$0.62 MVR 9.54

311.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$71.9 CA$100

$28.37 MVR 437

153.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.18 CA$4.44

$1.97 MVR 30.35

61.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 CA$2.15

$1.90 MVR 29.24

-18.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.69 CA$37.29

$8.30 MVR 128

221.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 CA$1.74

$0.99 MVR 15.29

25.25%

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

$27.9K CA$38.9K

$31.9K MVR 492.1K

-12.66%

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

$21.1K CA$29.4K

$30.8K MVR 474.3K

-31.51%

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

$147 CA$206

$129 MVR 1,993

14.01%

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

$41.80 CA$58.4

$30.04 MVR 463

39.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.2 CA$84.1

$68.3 MVR 1,054

-11.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.01 CA$54.5

$62.7 MVR 967

-37.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.06 CA$26.63

$20.86 MVR 322

-8.63%

Cinema Ticket

$11.21 CA$15.66

$8.98 MVR 139

24.83%

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

$721 CA$1,007

$181 MVR 2,795

297.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K CA$20.7K

$2,834 MVR 43.7K

423.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.3 CA$77.2

$38.11 MVR 588

45.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.95 CA$54.4

$50.0 MVR 771

-22.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.4 CA$122

$86.1 MVR 1,327

1.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 CA$142

$52.4 MVR 808

93.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,290 CA$1,803

$930 MVR 14.3K

38.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,130 CA$1,579

$678 MVR 10.5K

66.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,036 CA$2,845

$1,939 MVR 29.9K

5.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,731 CA$2,418

$1,484 MVR 22.9K

16.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,769 CA$6,663

$2,663 MVR 41.1K

79.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,730 CA$5,211

$776 MVR 12.0K

380.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,070 CA$4,289

$781 MVR 12.0K

292.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.87

-65.21%

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

Last update for Canada: October 26, 2026

Last update for the Maldives: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Canada

$1.1K 48.9%

Maldives

$678 46% 40% $452

Groceries & Markets

Canada

$371 16.1%

Maldives

$218 14.8% 41.2% $153

Eating Out

Canada

$278 12%

Maldives

$127 8.6% 54.3% $151

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Canada

$249 10.8%

Maldives

$228 15.4% 8.7% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Canada

$127 5.5%

Maldives

$102 6.9% 19.9% $25

Getting Around

Canada

$93 4%

Maldives

$42 2.9% 54.5% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Canada

$61 2.7%

Maldives

$81 5.5% 31.4% $19

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $1,250 in Canada vs $805 in the Maldives. For reference, capital cities sit at $1,434 in Ottawa and $939 in Male.

Average salary: $2,968 in Canada vs $736 in the Maldives. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 55% higher in Canada.

Dining out costs 64% more in Canada.

Public transport is 164% more expensive in Canada.

Salaries are about 4 times higher in Canada, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Canada.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Canada

🇲🇻 Maldives

🕒 Local time

07:27 7:27 AM

17:27 5:27 PM

10 h ahead of Canada

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

36,991,981

436,330

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Maldivian Rufiyaa MVR Rf

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.716 USD

1 CAD = 0.641 EUR

100 MVR = 6.49 USD

100 MVR = 5.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MVR, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.716 USD). 1 EUR = 1.56 CAD (1 CAD = 0.641 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 CAD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Canada Maldives 13,710 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Canada
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

Canada vs Maldives: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

The Maldives is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 36% lower on average.

Housing costs more in Canada: a central one-bedroom averages $1,250 versus $805 in the Maldives.

Groceries, public transport, and eating out all cost less in the Maldives – part of why living there is about 36% cheaper overall.

$2,000 buys a comfortable lifestyle in the Maldives, but in Canada 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.