Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Hulhumale

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.

196

Cost of Living Index in London
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London Living Index
70

Cost of Living Index in Hulhumale
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Hulhumale Living Index

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London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$4,086

/mo nomad

Hulhumale

🇲🇻 Maldives

$1,450

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in London and in Hulhumale

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

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

London $4,086
Hulhumale $1,450

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

London $5,816
Hulhumale $2,606

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

London $7,546
Hulhumale $3,762

Living in London is roughly 182% more expensive than in Hulhumale, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.62 £20.11

$6.15 MVR 94.9

332.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$108 £81.3

$38.70 MVR 597

178.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.39 £7.85

$9.60 MVR 148

8.23%

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

$5.79 £4.38

$3.56 MVR 54.8

62.64%

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

$3.01 £2.27

$1.61 MVR 24.81

86.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 £1.63

$0.31 MVR 4.83

593.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.35 £7.06

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.84 £5.93

Milk (1 liter)

$1.79 £1.35

$1.60 MVR 24.63

11.87%

White Bread (500g)

$2.06 £1.56

$1.64 MVR 25.27

25.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.31 £1.74

$0.33 MVR 5.11

600.00%

Eggs

$5.05 £3.82

$1.85 MVR 28.55

172.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.57 £9.50

$3.30 MVR 50.8

280.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.66 £8.05

$6.17 MVR 95.2

72.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.13 £12.94

$9.60 MVR 148

78.44%

Apples (1kg)

$3.03 £2.29

$3.91 MVR 60.3

-22.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.41 £1.07

$3.08 MVR 47.48

-54.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.05 £2.31

$2.82 MVR 43.56

8.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.38 £2.56

$2.71 MVR 41.71

24.72%

Potato (1kg)

$1.67 £1.26

$1.22 MVR 18.88

36.89%

Onion (1kg)

$1.73 £1.31

$1.11 MVR 17.10

55.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.41 £1.07

$2.12 MVR 32.72

-33.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 £1.35

$0.62 MVR 9.50

188.71%

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)

$23.22 £17.55

$12.87 MVR 198

80.42%

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

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.87 £2.93

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$250 £189

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.71 £4.31

$1.89 MVR 29.12

202.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 £2.51

$1.91 MVR 29.39

74.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$57.9 £43.76

$10.07 MVR 155

475.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.04 £1.54

$0.98 MVR 15.12

108.16%

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

$37.5K £28.4K

$33.0K MVR 508.2K

13.93%

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

$40.9K £30.9K

$29.5K MVR 455.6K

38.41%

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

$376 £284

$102 MVR 1,568

269.88%

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

$17.88 £13.51

$30.38 MVR 469

-41.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.01 £30.24

$72.4 MVR 1,117

-44.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.2 £46.22

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.07 £15.93

Cinema Ticket

$17.95 £13.57

$9.82 MVR 151

82.79%

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

$2,865 £2,165

$186 MVR 2,863

1443.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.3K £26.7K

$3,007 MVR 46.4K

1075.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$116 £87.7

$38.95 MVR 601

197.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.1 £40.87

$50.3 MVR 775

7.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 £95.7

$86.9 MVR 1,340

45.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$159 £120

$51.6 MVR 796

208.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,853 £2,156

$1,118 MVR 17.2K

155.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,301 £1,739

$786 MVR 12.1K

192.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,201 £3,931

$2,270 MVR 35.0K

129.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,723 £2,813

$2,293 MVR 35.4K

62.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$19.0K £14.4K

$5,453 MVR 84.1K

248.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,881 £5,955

$506 MVR 7,802

1457.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,818 £3,641

$710 MVR 10.9K

578.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.65

-66.79%

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

Last update for London: October 4, 2026

Last update for Hulhumale: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

London

$2.3K 56.5%

Hulhumale

$786 54.3% 65.8% $1.5K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

London

$434 10.7%

Hulhumale

$204 14.1% 52.9% $230

Eating Out

London

$397 9.7%

Hulhumale

$128 8.9% 67.6% $268

Groceries & Markets

London

$349 8.6%

Hulhumale

$195 13.5% 44.1% $154

Getting Around

London

$288 7.1%

Hulhumale

$11 * 0.8% 96% $276

Clothing & Footwear

London

$205 5%

Hulhumale

$102 7.1% 50.1% $103

Sport & Entertainment

London

$97 2.4%

Hulhumale

$20 * 1.4% 79.8% $77

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 $2,853 in London and $1,118 in Hulhumale. 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: $108 in London vs $39.00 in Hulhumale for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $349 vs $195 per month, with Hulhumale cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇧 London

🇲🇻 Hulhumale

🕒 Local time

13:17 1:17 PM

17:17 5:17 PM

4 h ahead of London

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,908,083 Capital

5,000

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Maldivian Rufiyaa MVR Rf

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.32 USD

1 GBP = 1.18 EUR

100 MVR = 6.49 USD

100 MVR = 5.79 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MVR, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

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).

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).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

London Hulhumale 8,520 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

London
Hulhumale

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

London vs Hulhumale: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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.

Average pay runs 579% higher in London, 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: $2,853 in London versus $1,118 in Hulhumale. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,865 in London versus $186 in Hulhumale. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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.

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.

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.

Safety-wise, London and Hulhumale 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 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.