Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hulhumale and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Hulhumale: $1,420 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $9,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

69

Cost of Living Index in Hulhumale
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Hulhumale Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Hulhumale

🇲🇻 Maldives

$1,420

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Hulhumale and in Lisbon

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,420 in Hulhumale versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

Hulhumale $1,420
Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,583 in Hulhumale versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

Hulhumale $2,583
Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,747 in Hulhumale versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

Hulhumale $3,747
Lisbon $4,341

Living in Hulhumale costs roughly 36% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Hulhumale 4% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.09 MVR 93.9

$16.65 €14.95

-63.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.34 MVR 607

$61.7 €55.5

-36.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.58 MVR 148

$11.36 €10.20

-15.67%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.78 MVR 73.7

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.90 MVR 75.5

Cappuccino

$3.47 MVR 53.5

$2.97 €2.67

16.84%

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

$1.60 MVR 24.64

$2.29 €2.06

-30.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 MVR 4.46

$1.74 €1.56

-83.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.06

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

Milk (1 liter)

$1.54 MVR 23.70

$1.16 €1.04

32.76%

White Bread (500g)

$1.62 MVR 24.97

$1.91 €1.72

-15.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.33 MVR 5.10

$1.51 €1.36

-78.15%

Eggs

$1.84 MVR 28.39

$4.02 €3.61

-54.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.29 MVR 50.8

$12.94 €11.62

-74.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.94 MVR 91.5

$7.77 €6.98

-23.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.36 MVR 144

$17.76 €15.95

-47.30%

Apples (1kg)

$4.02 MVR 61.9

$2.30 €2.07

74.78%

Banana (1kg)

$3.14 MVR 48.43

$1.73 €1.56

81.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.84 MVR 43.72

$1.86 €1.67

52.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.65 MVR 40.87

$2.59 €2.33

2.32%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 MVR 19.00

$1.82 €1.64

-32.42%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 MVR 17.66

$1.97 €1.77

-41.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.08 MVR 32.15

$1.47 €1.32

41.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 MVR 9.00

$0.72 €0.65

-19.44%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$12.13 MVR 187

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.71 MVR 41.78

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 MVR 29.90

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.99 MVR 200

$6.58 €5.91

97.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.04

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.92

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.10

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.14

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.99 MVR 30.74

$3.85 €3.46

-48.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.92 MVR 29.58

$1.07 €0.96

79.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.09 MVR 156

$16.46 €14.79

-38.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.98 MVR 15.04

$2.20 €1.98

-55.45%

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

$32.6K MVR 502.7K

$34.2K €30.7K

-4.65%

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

$28.9K MVR 444.9K

$38.7K €34.8K

-25.50%

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

$105 MVR 1,617

$161 €145

-34.96%

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

$29.88 MVR 461

$18.41 €16.54

62.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.5 MVR 1,103

$32.74 €29.41

118.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €40.02

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.16

Cinema Ticket

$9.57 MVR 148

$9.60 €8.62

-0.31%

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

$183 MVR 2,825

$668 €600

-72.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,027 MVR 46.7K

$17.6K €15.8K

-82.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$38.84 MVR 599

$102 €91.6

-61.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.67 MVR 766

$44.46 €39.94

11.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.7 MVR 1,321

$98.5 €88.5

-13.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$52.3 MVR 806

$124 €111

-57.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,147 MVR 17.7K

$1,608 €1,445

-28.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$762 MVR 11.8K

$1,190 €1,069

-35.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,237 MVR 34.5K

$2,812 €2,526

-20.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,299 MVR 35.5K

$2,013 €1,808

14.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,433 MVR 83.8K

$7,839 €7,042

-30.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$506 MVR 7,798

$4,576 €4,110

-88.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$721 MVR 11.1K

$1,575 €1,415

-54.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

263.64%

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

Last update for Hulhumale: October 27, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hulhumale

$762 53.7%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 56.2% $428

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hulhumale

$206 14.5%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 3% $6.1

Groceries & Markets

Hulhumale

$193 13.6%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 41.3% $80

Eating Out

Hulhumale

$127 8.9%

Lisbon

$243 11% 91.5% $116

Clothing & Footwear

Hulhumale

$102 7.2%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 62.8% $64

Sport & Entertainment

Hulhumale

$19 * 1.4%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 233% $45

Getting Around

Hulhumale

$12 * 0.8%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 446% $52

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 $1,147 in Hulhumale and $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays about 2.2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $39 in Hulhumale vs $62 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $193 vs $272 per month, with Hulhumale cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇻 Hulhumale

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

06:02 6:02 AM

01:02 1:02 AM

5 h behind Hulhumale

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,000

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Maldivian Rufiyaa MVR Rf

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 MVR = 6.49 USD

100 MVR = 5.83 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to MVR – Maldivian Rufiyaa Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇻 Maldivian Rufiyaa (Rf)

Maldivian Rufiyaa exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 15.42 MVR (100 MVR = 6.49 USD). 1 EUR = 17.17 MVR (100 MVR = 5.83 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

USD to MVR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Hulhumale Lisbon 9,080 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Hulhumale
Lisbon

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

Hulhumale vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hulhumale wins on cost – living expenses run 36% lower than in Lisbon. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Hulhumale the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 54% 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: $1,147 in Hulhumale versus $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $183 in Hulhumale versus $668 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Hulhumale – a meal for two runs $39 versus $62 in Lisbon. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Hulhumale is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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, Hulhumale and Lisbon are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Hulhumale wins on affordability, Lisbon on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.