Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hulhumale and London

For one person, living is cheaper in Hulhumale: $1,450 a month against $4,086 in London, rent and utilities included – about $31,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Hulhumale
🇲🇻 Maldives
$1,450
/mo nomad
London
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$4,086
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Hulhumale and in London

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 London actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,450 in Hulhumale versus $4,086 in London.

  • Hulhumale $1,450
  • London $4,086

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,606 in Hulhumale versus $5,816 in London.

  • Hulhumale $2,606
  • London $5,816

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,762 in Hulhumale versus $7,546 in London.

  • Hulhumale $3,762
  • London $7,546

Living in Hulhumale costs roughly 65% less than in London, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Hulhumale 8% above, London 205% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Hulhumale
London
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$6.15 MVR 94.9
$26.62 £20.11
-76.90%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$38.70 MVR 597
$108 £81.3
-64.03%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.60 MVR 148
$10.39 £7.85
-7.60%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.78 MVR 73.6
-
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.96 MVR 76.5
-
-
Cappuccino
$3.56 MVR 54.8
$5.79 £4.38
-38.51%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.61 MVR 24.81
$3.01 £2.27
-46.51%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.31 MVR 4.83
$2.15 £1.63
-85.58%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
-
$9.35 £7.06
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$7.84 £5.93
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Hulhumale
London
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.60 MVR 24.63
$1.79 £1.35
-10.61%
White Bread (500g)
$1.64 MVR 25.27
$2.06 £1.56
-20.39%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.33 MVR 5.11
$2.31 £1.74
-85.71%
Eggs
$1.85 MVR 28.55
$5.05 £3.82
-63.37%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$3.30 MVR 50.8
$12.57 £9.50
-73.75%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.17 MVR 95.2
$10.66 £8.05
-42.12%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.60 MVR 148
$17.13 £12.94
-43.96%
Apples (1kg)
$3.91 MVR 60.3
$3.03 £2.29
29.04%
Banana (1kg)
$3.08 MVR 47.48
$1.41 £1.07
118.44%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.82 MVR 43.56
$3.05 £2.31
-7.54%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.71 MVR 41.71
$3.38 £2.56
-19.82%
Potato (1kg)
$1.22 MVR 18.88
$1.67 £1.26
-26.95%
Onion (1kg)
$1.11 MVR 17.10
$1.73 £1.31
-35.84%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.12 MVR 32.72
$1.41 £1.07
50.35%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.62 MVR 9.50
$1.79 £1.35
-65.36%
Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)
$12.11 MVR 187
-
-
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.67 MVR 41.25
-
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.01 MVR 30.94
-
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$12.87 MVR 198
$23.22 £17.55
-44.57%
Wine (Bottle)
-
$12.99 £9.82
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
-
$3.18 £2.40
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$4.41 £3.33
-
🚌 Getting Around
Hulhumale
London
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
-
$3.87 £2.93
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$250 £189
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.89 MVR 29.12
$5.71 £4.31
-66.90%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.91 MVR 29.39
$3.33 £2.51
-42.64%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$10.07 MVR 155
$57.9 £43.76
-82.61%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.98 MVR 15.12
$2.04 £1.54
-51.96%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$33.0K MVR 508.2K
$37.5K £28.4K
-12.22%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$29.5K MVR 455.6K
$40.9K £30.9K
-27.75%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Hulhumale
London
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$102 MVR 1,568
$376 £284
-72.96%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$30.38 MVR 469
$17.88 £13.51
69.91%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$72.4 MVR 1,117
$40.01 £30.24
80.98%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Hulhumale
London
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
-
$61.2 £46.22
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$21.07 £15.93
-
Cinema Ticket
$9.82 MVR 151
$17.95 £13.57
-45.29%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Hulhumale
London
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$186 MVR 2,863
$2,865 £2,165
-93.52%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,007 MVR 46.4K
$35.3K £26.7K
-91.49%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Hulhumale
London
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$38.95 MVR 601
$116 £87.7
-66.42%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$50.3 MVR 775
$54.1 £40.87
-7.08%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$86.9 MVR 1,340
$127 £95.7
-31.38%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$51.6 MVR 796
$159 £120
-67.59%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Hulhumale
London
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,118 MVR 17.2K
$2,853 £2,156
-60.80%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$786 MVR 12.1K
$2,301 £1,739
-65.83%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,270 MVR 35.0K
$5,201 £3,931
-56.35%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,293 MVR 35.4K
$3,723 £2,813
-38.41%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,453 MVR 84.1K
$19.0K £14.4K
-71.32%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$506 MVR 7,802
$7,881 £5,955
-93.58%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Hulhumale
London
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$710 MVR 10.9K
$4,818 £3,641
-85.26%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
14
4.65
201.08%

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

Last update for Hulhumale: October 4, 2026

Last update for London: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Hulhumale
$786
London
$2.3K 193% $1.5K
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Hulhumale
$204
London
$434 112% $230
Groceries & Markets
Hulhumale
$195
London
$349 78.9% $154
Eating Out
Hulhumale
$128
London
$397 209% $268
Clothing & Footwear
Hulhumale
$102
London
$205 100% $103
Sport & Entertainment
Hulhumale
$20 *
London
$97 394% $77
Getting Around
Hulhumale
$11 *
London
$288 2421% $276

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 $1,118 in Hulhumale and $2,853 in London. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

London pays 579% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $39.00 in Hulhumale vs $108 in London for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $195 vs $349 per month, with Hulhumale cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇲🇻 Hulhumale
🇬🇧 London
🕒 Local time
17:18 5:18 PM
13:18 1:18 PM
4 h behind Hulhumale
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
5,000
8,908,083 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, USD, EUR to MVR – Maldivian Rufiyaa Converter

Maldivian Rufiyaa exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 15.42 MVR (100 MVR = 6.49 USD). 1 EUR = 17.28 MVR (100 MVR = 5.79 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.756 GBP (1 GBP = 1.32 USD). 1 EUR = 0.847 GBP (1 GBP = 1.18 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Hulhumale London 8,520 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Hulhumale
  • London

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 London: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Hulhumale or London?
Hulhumale wins on cost – living expenses run 182% lower than in London. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Hulhumale the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
Are salaries higher in Hulhumale or in London?
On paper, salaries run 579% lower in London. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Hulhumale compared to London?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,118 in Hulhumale versus $2,853 in London. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do childcare costs compare in Hulhumale and in London?
Childcare runs $186 in Hulhumale versus $2,865 in London. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
How do dining costs compare in Hulhumale and in London?
Dining out is cheaper in Hulhumale – a meal for two runs $39.00 versus $108 in London. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Hulhumale or in London?
At $1,450 in Hulhumale versus $4,086 in London, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Hulhumale but tight or insufficient in London. The gap between the two cities makes Hulhumale the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Hulhumale or London?
Both work as nomad bases, but Hulhumale delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,450 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Hulhumale hard to pass up.
How safe is Hulhumale compared to London?
Safety-wise, Hulhumale and London are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Which city is more affordable for expats?
Expats usually find Hulhumale gentler on the wallet – expenses run 182% less than in London. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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