Cost of Living Comparison Between China and Maldives Cost of Living Comparison Between China and Maldives

🙂 Solo nomad: China is 30.8% cheaper than Maldives without rent, and 45.6% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: China is 31.7% cheaper than Maldives without rent, and 45.3% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
China
Maldives
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.85 ¥20.46
$5.95 MVR 91.7
-52.10%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$23.97 ¥172
$49.47 MVR 763
-51.55%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.96 ¥35.61
$10.03 MVR 155
-50.55%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)
-
$4.79 MVR 73.8
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$5.88 MVR 90.7
-
Cappuccino
$3.13 ¥22.47
$3.03 MVR 46.78
3.30%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.44 ¥3.18
$1.43 MVR 22.13
-69.23%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.29 ¥2.1
$0.34 MVR 5.29
-14.71%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$0.95 ¥6.83
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.14 ¥15.32
-
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
China
Maldives
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.85 ¥13.23
$1.73 MVR 26.74
6.94%
White Bread (500g)
$1.68 ¥12.06
$1.52 MVR 23.51
10.53%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.95 ¥6.81
$1.11 MVR 17.09
-14.41%
Eggs
$1.55 ¥11.11
$1.58 MVR 24.42
-1.90%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$13.25 ¥95.1
$7.72 MVR 119
71.63%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.28 ¥23.52
$6.08 MVR 93.7
-46.05%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.85 ¥77.8
$10.17 MVR 157
6.69%
Apples (1kg)
$1.77 ¥12.66
$4.15 MVR 63.9
-57.35%
Banana (1kg)
$1.26 ¥9.01
$3.69 MVR 56.9
-65.85%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.5 ¥10.73
$3.9 MVR 60.1
-61.54%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.19 ¥8.5
$3.6 MVR 55.5
-66.94%
Potato (1kg)
$0.75 ¥5.4
$1.43 MVR 22.12
-47.55%
Onion (1kg)
$0.86 ¥6.15
$1.17 MVR 18.04
-26.50%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.61 ¥4.37
$2.46 MVR 37.9
-75.20%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.58 ¥4.14
$0.6 MVR 9.25
-3.33%
Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)
-
$8.9 MVR 137
-
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
-
$2.64 MVR 40.71
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$8.33 MVR 128
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.45 ¥24.74
$8.14 MVR 125
-57.62%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.3 ¥81.1
-
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.84 ¥6
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.68 ¥12.05
-
-
🚌 Getting Around
China
Maldives
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.4 ¥2.86
$0.68 MVR 10.47
-41.18%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$20.83 ¥149
$28.37 MVR 437
-26.58%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.36 ¥9.74
$1.91 MVR 29.5
-28.80%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.35 ¥2.55
$1.94 MVR 29.85
-81.96%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$6.8 ¥48.75
$8.29 MVR 128
-17.97%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.12 ¥8.05
$0.97 MVR 14.94
15.46%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$19.2K ¥137.7K
$32.1K MVR 494.4K
-40.12%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$16.7K ¥119.8K
$30K MVR 462.4K
-44.32%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
China
Maldives
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$51.4 ¥369
$118 MVR 1,814
-56.29%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$9.77 ¥70.1
$40.9 MVR 631
-76.11%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$11.34 ¥81.3
$72.2 MVR 1,113
-84.29%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
China
Maldives
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$39.55 ¥284
$75.1 MVR 1,158
-47.32%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$14.89 ¥107
$36.31 MVR 560
-58.99%
Cinema Ticket
$6.23 ¥44.71
$9.3 MVR 143
-33.01%
🧸 Childcare & Education
China
Maldives
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$417 ¥2,989
$173 MVR 2,671
140.57%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$17.7K ¥126.8K
$3,256 MVR 50.2K
442.78%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
China
Maldives
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$45.65 ¥327
$42.42 MVR 654
7.61%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$33.49 ¥240
$50.3 MVR 776
-33.42%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$71.8 ¥515
$82.3 MVR 1,268
-12.72%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$72.9 ¥523
$54.2 MVR 836
34.35%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
China
Maldives
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$445 ¥3,194
$1,010 MVR 15.6K
-55.93%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$255 ¥1,830
$688 MVR 10.6K
-62.91%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$915 ¥6,566
$1,668 MVR 25.7K
-45.13%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$543 ¥3,895
$1,394 MVR 21.5K
-61.05%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$6,142 ¥44.1K
$2,882 MVR 44.4K
113.13%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,860 ¥20.5K
$1,075 MVR 16.6K
166.11%
💵 Salaries & Financials
China
Maldives
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$942 ¥6,755
$947 MVR 14.6K
-0.55%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.06
12.4
-67.26%

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

Last update for China: October 29, 2025

Last update for Maldives: October 29, 2025

Similar cities

Join the CityCost newsletter – low traffic, no spam, and easy to unsubscribe. Your email stays private.