Cost of Living Comparison Between Italy and Maldives Cost of Living Comparison Between Italy and Maldives

Name: Maldives
Address: MV

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,719 in Italy versus $962 in Maldives.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,625 in Italy versus $1,569 in Maldives.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,531 in Italy versus $2,175 in Maldives.

Living in Italy is roughly 79% more expensive than Maldives on average.

Italy (28% above) and Maldives (28% below) straddle the global median.

Italy ($1,156–$2,452) and Maldives ($43.00–$1,521) have similar cost spreads. Where you settle within each country has roughly equal impact on the budget.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.02 €14.75

$6.11 MVR 94.3

178.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$82.3 €71.4

$48.93 MVR 755

68.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.62 €10.07

$9.46 MVR 146

22.83%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.57 MVR 70.5

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.09 MVR 93.9

Cappuccino

$1.91 €1.65

$3.13 MVR 48.23

-38.98%

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

$3.02 €2.62

$1.39 MVR 21.43

117.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 €1.14

$0.32 MVR 4.89

309.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.81 €5.04

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.12 €4.44

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 €1.43

$1.69 MVR 26.02

-2.96%

White Bread (500g)

$2.42 €2.10

$1.56 MVR 24.04

55.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.92 €2.53

$1.16 MVR 17.96

151.72%

Eggs

$4.12 €3.57

$1.62 MVR 25.01

154.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.70 €14.47

$7.76 MVR 120

115.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.60 €10.92

$6.32 MVR 97.5

99.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.61 €17.86

$9.66 MVR 149

113.35%

Apples (1kg)

$2.48 €2.15

$3.98 MVR 61.4

-37.69%

Banana (1kg)

$2.15 €1.86

$3.82 MVR 58.9

-43.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.72 €2.36

$3.79 MVR 58.4

-28.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.25 €2.82

$3.56 MVR 54.9

-8.71%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 €1.68

$1.47 MVR 22.73

31.97%

Onion (1kg)

$1.81 €1.57

$1.22 MVR 18.86

48.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 €1.28

$2.41 MVR 37.23

-38.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 €0.47

$0.62 MVR 9.51

-12.90%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$11.19 MVR 173

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.76 MVR 42.50

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.09 MVR 125

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.82 €5.91

$7.98 MVR 123

-14.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.33 €6.36

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 €1.56

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.20

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.01 €1.74

$0.62 MVR 9.62

224.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.70 €36.14

$28.15 MVR 434

48.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.90 €5.12

$1.99 MVR 30.66

196.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.52 €1.31

$1.90 MVR 29.28

-20.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.23 €29.67

$8.10 MVR 125

322.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 €1.84

$0.98 MVR 15.05

117.35%

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

$32.8K €28.4K

$32.2K MVR 497.1K

1.82%

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

$33.5K €29.0K

$30.0K MVR 463.3K

11.50%

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

$226 €196

$114 MVR 1,763

97.35%

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

$13.32 €11.54

$41.80 MVR 645

-68.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.26 €27.10

$70.6 MVR 1,089

-55.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.9 €49.31

$76.9 MVR 1,185

-25.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.71 €22.28

$35.52 MVR 548

-27.62%

Cinema Ticket

$10.35 €8.97

$9.18 MVR 141

12.75%

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

$579 €502

$171 MVR 2,638

238.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K €9,130

$3,357 MVR 51.8K

213.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.2 €78.2

$42.07 MVR 649

114.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.79 €35.36

$50.1 MVR 772

-18.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.7 €85.6

$81.9 MVR 1,262

20.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 €115

$53.2 MVR 820

150.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$853 €739

$979 MVR 15.1K

-12.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 €578

$689 MVR 10.6K

-3.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,517 €1,315

$1,666 MVR 25.7K

-8.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,083 €938

$1,395 MVR 21.5K

-22.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,767 €3,264

$2,607 MVR 40.2K

44.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,403 €2,083

$843 MVR 13.0K

184.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,986 €1,721

$799 MVR 12.3K

148.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.41

12.4

-64.44%

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

Last update for Italy: June 9, 2026

Last update for Maldives: June 7, 2026

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $742 in Italy, $642 in Maldives. Capital cities: $1,368 in Rome vs $949 in Male.

National salary averages: $1,931 in Italy, $741 in Maldives. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 16% higher in Italy.

Dining out costs 393% more in Italy.

Public transport is 267% more expensive in Italy.

Salaries are 161% higher in Italy, giving Italy stronger purchasing power.

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

Italy vs Maldives: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $1,804 per month in Italy and $782 in Maldives, there's a 131% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Maldives is simply cheaper day-to-day: lower food prices, cheaper commutes, smaller household bills. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent in Italy beats Maldives across the board, especially in major cities. Housing is usually the single biggest driver of the overall cost difference between the two countries.

In Maldives, $2,000 covers most cities easily. In Italy, it works in regional areas but falls short in the capital – you'll need to make trade-offs on housing or lifestyle.

It depends on what you're after. Maldives wins on affordability; Italy may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.