Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hulhumale and Sunny Beach

For one person, living is cheaper in Sunny Beach: $1,038 a month against $1,438 in Hulhumale, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Hulhumale outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

70

Cost of Living Index in Hulhumale
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Hulhumale Living Index
50

Cost of Living Index in Sunny Beach
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Sunny Beach Living Index

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Hulhumale

🇲🇻 Maldives

$1,438

/mo nomad

Sunny Beach

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,038

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Hulhumale and in Sunny Beach

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,438 in Hulhumale versus $1,038 in Sunny Beach.

Hulhumale $1,438
Sunny Beach $1,038

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,595 in Hulhumale versus $1,578 in Sunny Beach.

Hulhumale $2,595
Sunny Beach $1,578

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,752 in Hulhumale versus $2,117 in Sunny Beach.

Hulhumale $3,752
Sunny Beach $2,117

Living in Hulhumale is roughly 38% more expensive than in Sunny Beach, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

The two cities straddle the global median: Hulhumale is 6% above, Sunny Beach is 23% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.07 MVR 93.6

$8.39 BGN 14.59

-27.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.45 MVR 608

$44.87 BGN 78.1

-12.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.24 MVR 142

$9.63 BGN 16.75

-4.05%

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

$2.86 BGN 4.98

26.22%

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

$1.66 MVR 25.66

$1.74 BGN 3.02

-4.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 MVR 4.84

$1.56 BGN 2.71

-80.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.31 BGN 4.03

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 BGN 3.02

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 MVR 24.59

$1.76 BGN 3.06

-9.66%

White Bread (500g)

$1.69 MVR 26.11

$0.75 BGN 1.30

125.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.34 MVR 5.17

$2.18 BGN 3.79

-84.40%

Eggs

$1.85 MVR 28.50

$3.69 BGN 6.42

-49.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.32 MVR 51.3

$8.40 BGN 14.61

-60.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.97 MVR 92.1

$8.56 BGN 14.90

-30.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.40 MVR 145

$14.28 BGN 24.85

-34.17%

Apples (1kg)

$3.94 MVR 60.7

$1.70 BGN 2.95

131.76%

Banana (1kg)

$3.13 MVR 48.34

$1.77 BGN 3.08

76.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.92 MVR 45.05

$1.91 BGN 3.32

52.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.71 MVR 41.78

$2.63 BGN 4.57

3.04%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 MVR 19.12

$1.07 BGN 1.87

15.89%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 MVR 17.72

$1.05 BGN 1.83

9.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.14 MVR 33.05

$1.16 BGN 2.02

84.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 MVR 9.58

$0.71 BGN 1.24

-12.68%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$12.39 MVR 191

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)

$12.72 MVR 196

$4.10 BGN 7.13

210.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.27 BGN 10.92

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 BGN 1.96

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 BGN 3.58

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.13 BGN 1.97

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.96 MVR 30.27

$1.27 BGN 2.21

54.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.90 MVR 29.36

$0.65 BGN 1.12

192.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.11 MVR 156

$10.32 BGN 17.96

-2.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 MVR 15.22

$1.58 BGN 2.75

-37.34%

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

$32.0K MVR 493.5K

$29.6K BGN 51.5K

8.23%

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

$29.4K MVR 453.9K

$24.4K BGN 42.5K

20.55%

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

$104 MVR 1,597

$114 BGN 199

-9.31%

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

$29.71 MVR 458

$18.46 BGN 32.12

60.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$73.0 MVR 1,125

$15.66 BGN 27.25

365.96%

Cinema Ticket

$9.84 MVR 152

$8.90 BGN 15.48

10.56%

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

$187 MVR 2,882

$519 BGN 902

-63.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,984 MVR 46.0K

$5,550 BGN 9,658

-46.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.39 MVR 607

$33.86 BGN 58.9

16.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.44 MVR 762

$41.32 BGN 71.9

19.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.4 MVR 1,332

$95.8 BGN 167

-9.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$52.9 MVR 816

$103 BGN 180

-48.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,121 MVR 17.3K

$565 BGN 984

98.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$775 MVR 11.9K

$341 BGN 593

127.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,292 MVR 35.3K

$679 BGN 1,181

237.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,294 MVR 35.4K

$513 BGN 893

347.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,300 MVR 81.7K

$1,328 BGN 2,310

299.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$499 MVR 7,689

$1,135 BGN 1,976

-56.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$725 MVR 11.2K

$920 BGN 1,601

-21.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.1

351.61%

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

Last update for Hulhumale: October 11, 2026

Last update for Sunny Beach: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hulhumale

$775 53.9%

Sunny Beach

$341 32.9% 56% $434

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hulhumale

$206 14.4%

Sunny Beach

$148 14.3% 28.1% $58

Groceries & Markets

Hulhumale

$195 13.6%

Sunny Beach

$240 23.1% 22.9% $45

Eating Out

Hulhumale

$128 8.9%

Sunny Beach

$159 15.3% 24.3% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Hulhumale

$103 7.1%

Sunny Beach

$123 11.9% 20.3% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Hulhumale

$20 * 1.4%

Sunny Beach

$18 * 1.7% 9.6% $1.9

Getting Around

Hulhumale

$11 * 0.8%

Sunny Beach

$9 * 0.9% 21.4% $2.5

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 $1,121 in Hulhumale and $565 in Sunny Beach. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sunny Beach pays 27% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $39.00 in Hulhumale vs $45.00 in Sunny Beach for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $195 vs $240 per month, with Hulhumale cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇻 Hulhumale

🇧🇬 Sunny Beach

🕒 Local time

16:36 4:36 PM

14:36 2:36 PM

2 h behind Hulhumale

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,000

13,347

💱 Currency

Maldivian Rufiyaa MVR Rf

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

100 MVR = 6.49 USD

100 MVR = 5.77 EUR

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to MVR – Maldivian Rufiyaa Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇻 Maldivian Rufiyaa (Rf)

Maldivian Rufiyaa exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 15.42 MVR (100 MVR = 6.49 USD). 1 EUR = 17.34 MVR (100 MVR = 5.77 EUR).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.511 EUR).

USD to MVR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Hulhumale Sunny Beach 6,220 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Hulhumale
Sunny Beach

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 Sunny Beach: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sunny Beach wins on cost – living expenses run 38% lower than in Hulhumale. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Sunny Beach the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 27% lower in Sunny Beach. 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: $1,121 in Hulhumale versus $565 in Sunny Beach. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $187 in Hulhumale versus $519 in Sunny Beach. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Sunny Beach – a meal for two runs $45.00 versus $39.00 in Hulhumale. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,038 in Sunny Beach versus $1,438 in Hulhumale, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Sunny Beach but tight or insufficient in Hulhumale. The gap between the two cities makes Sunny Beach 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, Hulhumale and Sunny Beach 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 Sunny Beach gentler on the wallet – expenses run 38% less than in Hulhumale. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.