Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Fuvahmulah

For one person, living is cheaper in Fuvahmulah: $774 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $17,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Fuvahmulah

🇲🇻 Maldives

$774

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Fuvahmulah

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,223 in Lisbon versus $774 in Fuvahmulah.

Lisbon $2,223
Fuvahmulah $774

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,271 in Lisbon versus $1,109 in Fuvahmulah.

Lisbon $3,271
Fuvahmulah $1,109

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,319 in Lisbon versus $1,443 in Fuvahmulah.

Lisbon $4,319
Fuvahmulah $1,443

Living in Lisbon is roughly 187% more expensive than in Fuvahmulah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 65% above, Fuvahmulah is 43% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.50 €14.67

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 €54.5

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.27 €10.03

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

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

$2.26 €2.01

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 €1.54

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.39 €3.02

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 €3.02

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.64 MVR 25.22

-31.71%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.65

$0.92 MVR 14.15

102.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 €1.36

$0.47 MVR 7.20

225.53%

Eggs

$3.96 €3.53

$1.53 MVR 23.64

158.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.76 €11.35

$6.57 MVR 101

94.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.02

$4.65 MVR 71.8

69.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.97 €15.09

$13.08 MVR 202

29.74%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$3.27 MVR 50.4

-30.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$1.28 MVR 19.67

36.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$3.34 MVR 51.4

-44.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.57 €2.28

$1.64 MVR 25.30

56.71%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.13 MVR 17.42

64.60%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$1.11 MVR 17.12

81.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.67 MVR 25.69

-13.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 €0.73

$0.67 MVR 10.31

22.39%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$3.82 MVR 59.0

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.56 €5.83

$6.82 MVR 105

-3.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.62 €5.00

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 €1.14

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 €1.84

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.35 €2.09

$0.66 MVR 10.18

256.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.18 €39.30

$19.12 MVR 295

131.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.99 €3.55

$1.58 MVR 24.29

152.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 €0.97

$1.67 MVR 25.69

-34.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.64 €14.81

$6.64 MVR 102

150.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$1.30 MVR 20.05

75.38%

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

$33.7K €30.0K

$19.7K MVR 303.1K

71.30%

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

$39.3K €35.0K

$22.7K MVR 350.2K

73.02%

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

$167 €149

$162 MVR 2,494

3.56%

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

$18.80 €16.72

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.09 €29.43

$38.76 MVR 598

-14.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.01 €40.93

$22.86 MVR 353

101.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.19 €17.07

$13.05 MVR 201

47.05%

Cinema Ticket

$9.84 €8.75

$6.41 MVR 98.8

53.51%

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

$677 €602

$157 MVR 2,416

332.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K €15.1K

$2,222 MVR 34.3K

661.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €90.1

$28.80 MVR 444

251.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.76 €40.70

$19.41 MVR 299

135.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100.0 €88.9

$38.30 MVR 591

161.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 €109

$51.6 MVR 796

137.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 €1,436

$328 MVR 5,054

392.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 €1,065

$263 MVR 4,053

355.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,862 €2,545

$549 MVR 8,465

421.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,990 €1,770

$508 MVR 7,840

291.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,577 €6,740

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,307 €3,831

$342 MVR 5,279

1158.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,588 €1,412

$649 MVR 10.0K

144.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Last update for Fuvahmulah: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9%

Fuvahmulah

–

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$269 12.1%

Fuvahmulah

–

Eating Out

Lisbon

$242 10.9%

Fuvahmulah

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$219 9.9%

Fuvahmulah

–

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Fuvahmulah

–

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$66 3%

Fuvahmulah

–

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.8%

Fuvahmulah

–

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,614 in Lisbon and $328 in Fuvahmulah. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 144% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇲🇻 Fuvahmulah

🕒 Local time

13:34 1:34 PM

17:34 5:34 PM

4 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

11,140

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Maldivian Rufiyaa MVR Rf

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 MVR = 6.49 USD

100 MVR = 5.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MVR, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

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).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Fuvahmulah 9,380 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

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Lisbon
Fuvahmulah

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

Lisbon vs Fuvahmulah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Fuvahmulah is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 187% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 144% higher in Lisbon, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,614 in Lisbon versus $328 in Fuvahmulah. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $677 in Lisbon versus $157 in Fuvahmulah. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

A monthly transit pass in Fuvahmulah runs roughly 131% less than in Lisbon. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $774 in Fuvahmulah versus $2,223 in Lisbon, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Fuvahmulah but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Fuvahmulah the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Fuvahmulah is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Lisbon, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Lisbon and Fuvahmulah 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 Fuvahmulah gentler on the wallet – expenses run 187% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.