Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Fuvahmulah and Hulhumale

For one person, living is cheaper in Fuvahmulah: $774 a month against $1,438 in Hulhumale, rent and utilities included – about $8,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Hulhumale
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Hulhumale Living Index

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Fuvahmulah

🇲🇻 Maldives

$774

/mo nomad

Hulhumale

🇲🇻 Maldives

$1,438

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Fuvahmulah 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 Fuvahmulah and in Hulhumale actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $774 in Fuvahmulah versus $1,438 in Hulhumale.

Fuvahmulah $774
Hulhumale $1,438

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,109 in Fuvahmulah versus $2,595 in Hulhumale.

Fuvahmulah $1,109
Hulhumale $2,595

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,443 in Fuvahmulah versus $3,752 in Hulhumale.

Fuvahmulah $1,443
Hulhumale $3,752

Living in Fuvahmulah costs roughly 46% less than in Hulhumale, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Fuvahmulah is 43% below, Hulhumale is 6% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.07 MVR 93.6

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.45 MVR 608

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.24 MVR 142

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

$3.61 MVR 55.7

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

$1.66 MVR 25.66

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 MVR 4.84

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 MVR 25.22

$1.59 MVR 24.59

3.14%

White Bread (500g)

$0.92 MVR 14.15

$1.69 MVR 26.11

-45.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.47 MVR 7.20

$0.34 MVR 5.17

38.24%

Eggs

$1.53 MVR 23.64

$1.85 MVR 28.50

-17.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.57 MVR 101

$3.32 MVR 51.3

97.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.65 MVR 71.8

$5.97 MVR 92.1

-22.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.08 MVR 202

$9.40 MVR 145

39.15%

Apples (1kg)

$3.27 MVR 50.4

$3.94 MVR 60.7

-17.01%

Banana (1kg)

$1.28 MVR 19.67

$3.13 MVR 48.34

-59.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.34 MVR 51.4

$2.92 MVR 45.05

14.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.64 MVR 25.30

$2.71 MVR 41.78

-39.48%

Potato (1kg)

$1.13 MVR 17.42

$1.24 MVR 19.12

-8.87%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 MVR 17.12

$1.15 MVR 17.72

-3.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.67 MVR 25.69

$2.14 MVR 33.05

-21.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 MVR 10.31

$0.62 MVR 9.58

8.06%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$3.82 MVR 59.0

$12.39 MVR 191

-69.17%

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)

$6.82 MVR 105

$12.72 MVR 196

-46.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.66 MVR 10.18

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.12 MVR 295

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.58 MVR 24.29

$1.96 MVR 30.27

-19.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.67 MVR 25.69

$1.90 MVR 29.36

-12.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.64 MVR 102

$10.11 MVR 156

-34.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 MVR 20.05

$0.99 MVR 15.22

31.31%

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

$19.7K MVR 303.1K

$32.0K MVR 493.5K

-38.58%

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

$22.7K MVR 350.2K

$29.4K MVR 453.9K

-22.84%

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

$162 MVR 2,494

$104 MVR 1,597

56.13%

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

$29.71 MVR 458

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.76 MVR 598

$73.0 MVR 1,125

-46.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$22.86 MVR 353

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.05 MVR 201

Cinema Ticket

$6.41 MVR 98.8

$9.84 MVR 152

-34.86%

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

$157 MVR 2,416

$187 MVR 2,882

-16.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,222 MVR 34.3K

$2,984 MVR 46.0K

-25.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$28.80 MVR 444

$39.39 MVR 607

-26.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.41 MVR 299

$49.44 MVR 762

-60.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$38.30 MVR 591

$86.4 MVR 1,332

-55.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$51.6 MVR 796

$52.9 MVR 816

-2.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$328 MVR 5,054

$1,121 MVR 17.3K

-70.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$263 MVR 4,053

$775 MVR 11.9K

-66.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$549 MVR 8,465

$2,292 MVR 35.3K

-76.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$508 MVR 7,840

$2,294 MVR 35.4K

-77.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,300 MVR 81.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$342 MVR 5,279

$499 MVR 7,689

-31.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$649 MVR 10.0K

$725 MVR 11.2K

-10.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

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

Last update for Fuvahmulah: October 10, 2026

Last update for Hulhumale: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Fuvahmulah

–

Hulhumale

$775 53.9%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Fuvahmulah

–

Hulhumale

$206 14.4%

Groceries & Markets

Fuvahmulah

–

Hulhumale

$195 13.6%

Eating Out

Fuvahmulah

–

Hulhumale

$128 8.9%

Clothing & Footwear

Fuvahmulah

–

Hulhumale

$103 7.1%

Sport & Entertainment

Fuvahmulah

–

Hulhumale

$20 * 1.4%

Getting Around

Fuvahmulah

–

Hulhumale

$11 * 0.8%

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 $328 in Fuvahmulah and $1,121 in Hulhumale. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Hulhumale pays 12% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Good to know

🇲🇻 Fuvahmulah

🇲🇻 Hulhumale

🕒 Local time

17:34 5:34 PM

Same time as Fuvahmulah

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,140

5,000

💱 Currency

Maldivian Rufiyaa MVR Rf

📈 Exchange rate

100 MVR = 6.49 USD

100 MVR = 5.77 EUR

100 MVR = 6.49 USD

100 MVR = 5.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Fuvahmulah Hulhumale 500 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Fuvahmulah
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

Fuvahmulah vs Hulhumale: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Fuvahmulah is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and utilities. The 86% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 12% 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: $328 in Fuvahmulah versus $1,121 in Hulhumale. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 8% higher in Hulhumale. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Childcare runs $157 in Fuvahmulah versus $187 in Hulhumale. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $774 in Fuvahmulah versus $1,438 in Hulhumale, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Fuvahmulah but tight or insufficient in Hulhumale. The gap between the two cities makes Fuvahmulah 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, Fuvahmulah 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 Fuvahmulah gentler on the wallet – expenses run 86% less than in Hulhumale. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.