Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between the Maldives and Australia

Name: Australia
Address: AU

For one person, living is cheaper in the Maldives: $1,476 a month against $2,626 in Australia, rent and utilities included – about $13,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

71

Cost of Living Index in the Maldives
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Maldives Living Index
125

Cost of Living Index in Australia
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Australia Living Index

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🇲🇻 Maldives

$1,476

/mo nomad

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,626

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in the Maldives and in Australia

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

A single person spends $1,476 per month in the Maldives vs $2,626 in Australia, rent included.

Maldives $1,476
Australia $2,626

A couple spends around $2,376 per month in the Maldives vs $3,810 in Australia, rent included.

Maldives $2,376
Australia $3,810

A family of three spends $3,276 per month in the Maldives vs $4,994 in Australia, rent included.

Maldives $3,276
Australia $4,994

The regional cost range is wider in Australia ($1,068–$3,303) than in the Maldives ($45–$1,503), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in the Maldives is roughly 44% lower than in Australia on average.

Both the Maldives and Australia are pricier than the global median – the Maldives by 8%, Australia by 93%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.31 MVR 97.3

$17.65 A$25.08

-64.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.4 MVR 778

$85.2 A$121

-40.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.74 MVR 150

$11.09 A$15.76

-12.17%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.95 MVR 76.4

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.89 MVR 153

Cappuccino

$3.31 MVR 51.0

$3.90 A$5.54

-15.13%

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

$1.59 MVR 24.46

$2.85 A$4.05

-44.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 MVR 4.44

$2.31 A$3.29

-87.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.53 A$10.70

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.59 A$12.20

Milk (1 liter)

$1.85 MVR 28.58

$1.76 A$2.50

5.11%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 MVR 24.10

$2.81 A$3.99

-44.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.04 MVR 16.04

$2.24 A$3.19

-53.57%

Eggs

$1.74 MVR 26.81

$5.02 A$7.14

-65.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.33 MVR 97.6

$9.87 A$14.02

-35.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.49 MVR 100

$9.32 A$13.24

-30.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.13 MVR 156

$14.86 A$21.13

-31.83%

Apples (1kg)

$4.00 MVR 61.6

$3.82 A$5.42

4.71%

Banana (1kg)

$3.00 MVR 46.33

$2.92 A$4.16

2.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.86 MVR 59.5

$3.13 A$4.46

23.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.58 MVR 39.79

$4.81 A$6.83

-46.36%

Potato (1kg)

$1.76 MVR 27.08

$2.80 A$3.98

-37.14%

Onion (1kg)

$1.75 MVR 27.05

$2.38 A$3.38

-26.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.11 MVR 32.53

$2.37 A$3.37

-10.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 MVR 9.37

$1.65 A$2.35

-63.03%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$11.13 MVR 172

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.47 MVR 38.09

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.63 MVR 71.4

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$15.03 MVR 232

$39.13 A$55.6

-61.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.93 A$19.80

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.96 A$7.05

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.17 A$7.35

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.62 MVR 9.54

$2.42 A$3.44

-74.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.37 MVR 437

$94.6 A$134

-70.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.97 MVR 30.35

$3.49 A$4.97

-43.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.90 MVR 29.24

$1.60 A$2.27

18.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.30 MVR 128

$39.84 A$56.6

-79.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 MVR 15.29

$1.39 A$1.97

-28.78%

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

$31.9K MVR 492.1K

$30.0K A$42.7K

6.37%

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

$30.8K MVR 474.3K

$25.8K A$36.6K

19.43%

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

$129 MVR 1,993

$205 A$291

-36.95%

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

$30.04 MVR 463

$28.33 A$40.27

6.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.3 MVR 1,054

$58.8 A$83.5

16.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.7 MVR 967

$55.7 A$79.1

12.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.86 MVR 322

$19.57 A$27.82

6.59%

Cinema Ticket

$8.98 MVR 139

$15.38 A$21.86

-41.61%

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

$181 MVR 2,795

$2,145 A$3,049

-91.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,834 MVR 43.7K

$18.3K A$26.1K

-84.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$38.11 MVR 588

$78.3 A$111

-51.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.0 MVR 771

$56.3 A$80.0

-11.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.1 MVR 1,327

$115 A$164

-25.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$52.4 MVR 808

$123 A$175

-57.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$930 MVR 14.3K

$1,591 A$2,261

-41.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$678 MVR 10.5K

$1,293 A$1,837

-47.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,939 MVR 29.9K

$2,524 A$3,588

-23.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,484 MVR 22.9K

$2,005 A$2,850

-25.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,663 MVR 41.1K

$8,751 A$12.4K

-69.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$776 MVR 12.0K

$6,260 A$8,898

-87.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$781 MVR 12.0K

$3,984 A$5,663

-80.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.93

136.09%

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

Last update for the Maldives: October 25, 2026

Last update for Australia: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Maldives

$678 46%

Australia

$1.3K 49.2% 90.5% $614

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Maldives

$228 15.4%

Australia

$292 11.1% 28.3% $65

Groceries & Markets

Maldives

$218 14.8%

Australia

$374 14.3% 71.7% $156

Eating Out

Maldives

$127 8.6%

Australia

$297 11.3% 134% $170

Clothing & Footwear

Maldives

$102 6.9%

Australia

$168 6.4% 64.6% $66

Sport & Entertainment

Maldives

$81 5.5%

Australia

$86 3.3% 7.1% $5.7

Getting Around

Maldives

$42 2.9%

Australia

$116 4.4% 174% $73

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $805 in the Maldives vs $1,383 in Australia. For reference, capital cities sit at $939 in Male and $1,749 in Canberra.

Average salary: $736 in the Maldives vs $3,874 in Australia. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 72% higher in Australia.

Dining out costs 115% more in Australia.

Public transport is 236% more expensive in Australia.

Salaries are about 5.3 times higher in Australia, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Australia.

Good to know

🇲🇻 Maldives

🇦🇺 Australia

🕒 Local time

23:08 11:08 PM

05:08 5:08 AM

6 h ahead of the Maldives

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

436,330

26,473,055

💱 Currency

Maldivian Rufiyaa MVR Rf

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MVR = 6.49 USD

100 MVR = 5.81 EUR

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, USD, EUR to MVR – Maldivian Rufiyaa Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇻 Maldivian Rufiyaa (Rf)

Maldivian Rufiyaa exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 15.42 MVR (100 MVR = 6.49 USD). 1 EUR = 17.22 MVR (100 MVR = 5.81 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.704 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 AUD (1 AUD = 0.63 EUR).

USD to MVR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Maldives Australia 8,980 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Maldives
Australia

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

Maldives vs Australia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

The Maldives is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 44% lower on average.

Housing costs more in Australia: a central one-bedroom averages $1,383 versus $805 in the Maldives.

Groceries, public transport, and eating out all cost less in the Maldives – part of why living there is about 44% cheaper overall.

$2,000 buys a comfortable lifestyle in the Maldives, but in Australia it only works with careful planning outside the capital. Same money, very different lives.

The Maldives is the budget-friendly choice for expats. But cost isn’t everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.