Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hulhumale and Male

For one person, living is cheaper in Hulhumale: $1,420 a month against $1,503 in Male, rent and utilities included – about $1,000 less a year. The total is higher in Male despite lower rent and utilities.

69

Cost of Living Index in Hulhumale
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Hulhumale Living Index
73

Cost of Living Index in Male
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Male Living Index

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Hulhumale

🇲🇻 Maldives

$1,420

/mo nomad

Male

🇲🇻 Maldives

$1,503

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Hulhumale and in Male

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,420 in Hulhumale versus $1,503 in Male.

Hulhumale $1,420
Male $1,503

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,583 in Hulhumale versus $2,416 in Male.

Hulhumale $2,583
Male $2,416

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,747 in Hulhumale versus $3,329 in Male.

Hulhumale $3,747
Male $3,329

Living in Hulhumale costs roughly 5% less than in Male, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Hulhumale 4% above, Male 10% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.09 MVR 93.9

$5.82 MVR 89.8

4.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.34 MVR 607

$39.22 MVR 605

0.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.58 MVR 148

$9.64 MVR 149

-0.62%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.78 MVR 73.7

$4.81 MVR 74.2

-0.62%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.90 MVR 75.5

$4.82 MVR 74.3

1.66%

Cappuccino

$3.47 MVR 53.5

$3.50 MVR 53.9

-0.86%

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

$1.60 MVR 24.64

$1.60 MVR 24.74

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 MVR 4.46

$0.31 MVR 4.85

-6.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.54 MVR 23.70

$2.07 MVR 31.97

-25.60%

White Bread (500g)

$1.62 MVR 24.97

$1.69 MVR 26.03

-4.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.33 MVR 5.10

$1.20 MVR 18.58

-72.50%

Eggs

$1.84 MVR 28.39

$1.87 MVR 28.91

-1.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.29 MVR 50.8

$10.46 MVR 161

-68.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.94 MVR 91.5

$6.20 MVR 95.6

-4.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.36 MVR 144

$9.20 MVR 142

1.74%

Apples (1kg)

$4.02 MVR 61.9

$3.99 MVR 61.5

0.75%

Banana (1kg)

$3.14 MVR 48.43

$3.14 MVR 48.37

Oranges (1kg)

$2.84 MVR 43.72

$4.17 MVR 64.3

-31.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.65 MVR 40.87

$2.71 MVR 41.77

-2.21%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 MVR 19.00

$2.09 MVR 32.19

-41.15%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 MVR 17.66

$1.94 MVR 29.91

-40.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.08 MVR 32.15

$2.16 MVR 33.27

-3.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 MVR 9.00

$0.63 MVR 9.69

-7.94%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$12.13 MVR 187

$12.41 MVR 191

-2.26%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.71 MVR 41.78

$2.68 MVR 41.38

1.12%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 MVR 29.90

$2.00 MVR 30.86

-3.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.99 MVR 200

$14.69 MVR 227

-11.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.63 MVR 9.71

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.62 MVR 457

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.99 MVR 30.74

$1.93 MVR 29.70

3.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.92 MVR 29.58

$1.96 MVR 30.19

-2.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.09 MVR 156

$10.14 MVR 156

-0.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.98 MVR 15.04

$0.98 MVR 15.05

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

$32.6K MVR 502.7K

$32.8K MVR 505.8K

-0.62%

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

$28.9K MVR 444.9K

$29.9K MVR 461.0K

-3.50%

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

$105 MVR 1,617

$118 MVR 1,812

-10.77%

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

$29.88 MVR 461

$29.67 MVR 457

0.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.5 MVR 1,103

$73.0 MVR 1,126

-2.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$69.9 MVR 1,078

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$33.50 MVR 517

Cinema Ticket

$9.57 MVR 148

$9.69 MVR 149

-1.24%

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

$183 MVR 2,825

$188 MVR 2,896

-2.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,027 MVR 46.7K

$2,954 MVR 45.6K

2.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$38.84 MVR 599

$39.54 MVR 610

-1.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.67 MVR 766

$50.1 MVR 773

-0.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.7 MVR 1,321

$85.9 MVR 1,325

-0.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$52.3 MVR 806

$52.9 MVR 816

-1.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,147 MVR 17.7K

$939 MVR 14.5K

22.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$762 MVR 11.8K

$686 MVR 10.6K

11.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,237 MVR 34.5K

$2,019 MVR 31.1K

10.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,299 MVR 35.5K

$1,530 MVR 23.6K

50.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,433 MVR 83.8K

$2,275 MVR 35.1K

138.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$506 MVR 7,798

$1,398 MVR 21.6K

-63.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$721 MVR 11.1K

$833 MVR 12.8K

-13.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

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

Last update for Hulhumale: October 27, 2026

Last update for Male: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hulhumale

$762 53.7%

Male

$686 45.7% 9.9% $76

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hulhumale

$206 14.5%

Male

$220 14.7% 6.8% $14

Groceries & Markets

Hulhumale

$193 13.6%

Male

$235 15.7% 22% $42

Eating Out

Hulhumale

$127 8.9%

Male

$125 8.3% 1.2% $1.6

Clothing & Footwear

Hulhumale

$102 7.2%

Male

$103 6.8% 0.9% $0.9

Sport & Entertainment

Hulhumale

$19 * 1.4%

Male

$89 5.9% 366% $70

Getting Around

Hulhumale

$12 * 0.8%

Male

$44 2.9% 279% $32

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 $939 in Male. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Male pays 16% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $39 in Hulhumale vs $39 in Male for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $193 vs $235 per month, with Hulhumale cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇻 Hulhumale

🇲🇻 Male

🕒 Local time

18:11 6:11 PM

Same time as Hulhumale

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,000

103,693 Capital

💱 Currency

Maldivian Rufiyaa MVR Rf

📈 Exchange rate

100 MVR = 6.49 USD

100 MVR = 5.81 EUR

100 MVR = 6.49 USD

100 MVR = 5.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Hulhumale Male 6 km

From you

Hulhumale
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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 Male: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hulhumale wins on cost – living expenses run 5% lower than in Male. 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 13% 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 $939 in Male. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,420 per month in Hulhumale versus $1,503 in Male – Hulhumale is about 5% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Supermarket bills run roughly 22% higher in Male. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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.

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