Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Male

For one person, living is cheaper in Male: $1,524 a month against $4,086 in London, rent and utilities included – about $30,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

196

Cost of Living Index in London
Learn more

London Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Male
Learn more

Male Living Index

Jump to prices

London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$4,086

/mo nomad

Male

🇲🇻 Maldives

$1,524

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in London 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 London and in Male actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $4,086 per month in London vs $1,524 in Male, rent included.

London $4,086
Male $1,524

A couple spends around $5,816 per month in London vs $2,454 in Male, rent included.

London $5,816
Male $2,454

A family of three spends $7,546 per month in London vs $3,385 in Male, rent included.

London $7,546
Male $3,385

London costs about 168% more than Male, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both London and Male sit above the global median – London by 205%, Male by 14%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.62 £20.12

$5.86 MVR 90.3

354.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$108 £81.3

$38.10 MVR 587

182.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.39 £7.86

$9.73 MVR 150

6.78%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.73 MVR 72.9

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.78 MVR 73.7

Cappuccino

$5.79 £4.38

$3.49 MVR 53.8

65.90%

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

$3.01 £2.27

$1.63 MVR 25.14

84.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 £1.63

$0.31 MVR 4.80

593.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.35 £7.07

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.84 £5.93

Milk (1 liter)

$1.79 £1.35

$1.98 MVR 30.50

-9.60%

White Bread (500g)

$2.06 £1.56

$1.60 MVR 24.74

28.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.31 £1.74

$1.21 MVR 18.59

90.91%

Eggs

$5.05 £3.82

$1.94 MVR 29.89

160.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.57 £9.50

$10.48 MVR 162

19.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.66 £8.05

$6.01 MVR 92.7

77.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.13 £12.95

$9.67 MVR 149

77.15%

Apples (1kg)

$3.03 £2.29

$4.05 MVR 62.5

-25.19%

Banana (1kg)

$1.41 £1.07

$3.13 MVR 48.26

-54.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.05 £2.31

$3.98 MVR 61.4

-23.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.38 £2.56

$2.66 MVR 41.00

27.07%

Potato (1kg)

$1.67 £1.26

$2.02 MVR 31.10

-17.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.73 £1.31

$1.88 MVR 28.95

-7.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.41 £1.07

$2.12 MVR 32.75

-33.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 £1.35

$0.61 MVR 9.47

193.44%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$12.24 MVR 189

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.68 MVR 41.39

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 MVR 29.35

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.22 £17.55

$15.01 MVR 231

54.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.99 £9.82

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.18 £2.41

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 £3.34

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.87 £2.93

$0.63 MVR 9.74

514.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$250 £189

$30.22 MVR 466

727.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.71 £4.31

$1.98 MVR 30.56

188.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 £2.51

$1.90 MVR 29.35

75.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$57.9 £43.77

$10.18 MVR 157

468.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.04 £1.54

$0.99 MVR 15.24

106.06%

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

$37.5K £28.4K

$32.9K MVR 506.6K

14.29%

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

$40.9K £30.9K

$28.8K MVR 443.6K

42.17%

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

$376 £284

$117 MVR 1,808

220.79%

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

$17.88 £13.51

$30.56 MVR 471

-41.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.01 £30.25

$71.8 MVR 1,107

-44.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.2 £46.23

$72.0 MVR 1,110

-15.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.07 £15.93

$34.45 MVR 531

-38.84%

Cinema Ticket

$17.95 £13.57

$9.90 MVR 153

81.31%

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

$2,865 £2,166

$185 MVR 2,860

1444.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.3K £26.7K

$3,048 MVR 47.0K

1059.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$116 £87.7

$39.25 MVR 605

195.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.1 £40.88

$49.98 MVR 771

8.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 £95.7

$85.8 MVR 1,323

47.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$159 £120

$51.5 MVR 794

209.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,853 £2,157

$948 MVR 14.6K

200.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,301 £1,740

$709 MVR 10.9K

224.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,201 £3,932

$2,035 MVR 31.4K

155.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,723 £2,814

$1,524 MVR 23.5K

144.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$19.0K £14.4K

$2,282 MVR 35.2K

732.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,881 £5,957

$1,391 MVR 21.5K

466.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,818 £3,642

$837 MVR 12.9K

475.83%

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 Male: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

London

$2.3K 56.5%

Male

$709 46.5% 69.2% $1.6K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

London

$434 10.7%

Male

$220 14.4% 49.4% $214

Eating Out

London

$397 9.7%

Male

$126 8.2% 68.3% $271

Groceries & Markets

London

$349 8.6%

Male

$233 15.3% 33.4% $117

Getting Around

London

$288 7.1%

Male

$44 2.9% 84.6% $244

Clothing & Footwear

London

$205 5%

Male

$102 6.7% 50.3% $103

Sport & Entertainment

London

$97 2.4%

Male

$92 6% 5.5% $5.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,853 in London versus $948 in Male. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 476% higher in London, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $108 in London versus $38.00 in Male. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $349 vs $233 – making Male the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 London

🇲🇻 Male

🕒 Local time

11:44 11:44 AM

15:44 3:44 PM

4 h ahead of London

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,908,083 Capital

103,693 Capital

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

London Male 8,520 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

London
Male

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 Male: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $4,086 in London, $1,524 in Male – roughly 168% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $6,129 per month in London and $2,285 in Male. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Male, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 50% more in London, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $108 in London and $38.00 in Male. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Male, where all-in costs run around $1,524, than in London at $4,086. In Male it covers expenses comfortably, while in London it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. London has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,524 in Male to $4,086 in London. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Male. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, London makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.