Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between the Maldives and Brazil

For one person, living is cheaper in Brazil: $865 a month against $1,476 in the Maldives, rent and utilities included – about $7,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Maldives
Brazil
🇲🇻 Maldives
$1,476
/mo nomad
🇧🇷 Brazil
$865
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Brazil actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,476 per month in the Maldives vs $865 in Brazil, rent included.

  • Maldives $1,476
  • Brazil $865

A couple spends around $2,376 per month in the Maldives vs $1,373 in Brazil, rent included.

  • Maldives $2,376
  • Brazil $1,373

A family of three spends $3,276 per month in the Maldives vs $1,880 in Brazil, rent included.

  • Maldives $3,276
  • Brazil $1,880

The regional cost range is wider in the Maldives ($45–$1,503) than in Brazil ($569–$1,349), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in the Maldives is about 71% higher than in Brazil on average.

The Maldives sits 8% above the global median, while Brazil is 36% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Maldives
Brazil
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$6.31 MVR 97.3
$6.55 R$35.28
-3.66%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$50.4 MVR 778
$30.71 R$165
64.25%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.74 MVR 150
$7.45 R$40.12
30.74%
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
$1.91 R$10.28
73.30%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.59 MVR 24.46
$1.15 R$6.21
38.26%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.29 MVR 4.44
$0.76 R$4.07
-61.84%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
-
$1.85 R$9.95
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$2.86 R$15.37
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Maldives
Brazil
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.85 MVR 28.58
$1.03 R$5.55
79.61%
White Bread (500g)
$1.56 MVR 24.10
$1.57 R$8.43
-0.64%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.04 MVR 16.04
$1.24 R$6.65
-16.13%
Eggs
$1.74 MVR 26.81
$2.10 R$11.32
-17.14%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$6.33 MVR 97.6
$8.87 R$47.72
-28.64%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.49 MVR 100
$3.99 R$21.49
62.66%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.13 MVR 156
$7.76 R$41.74
30.54%
Apples (1kg)
$4.00 MVR 61.6
$2.15 R$11.60
86.05%
Banana (1kg)
$3.00 MVR 46.33
$1.27 R$6.84
136.22%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.86 MVR 59.5
$1.16 R$6.22
232.76%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.58 MVR 39.79
$1.53 R$8.23
68.63%
Potato (1kg)
$1.76 MVR 27.08
$1.16 R$6.25
51.72%
Onion (1kg)
$1.75 MVR 27.05
$1.02 R$5.49
71.57%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.11 MVR 32.53
$0.74 R$3.99
185.14%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.61 MVR 9.37
$0.72 R$3.86
-15.28%
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
$2.25 R$12.13
568.00%
Wine (Bottle)
-
$7.65 R$41.17
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
-
$1.30 R$7.01
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$2.16 R$11.65
-
🚌 Getting Around
Maldives
Brazil
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.62 MVR 9.54
$0.94 R$5.06
-34.04%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$28.37 MVR 437
$44.00 R$237
-35.52%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.97 MVR 30.35
$1.23 R$6.61
60.16%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.90 MVR 29.24
$0.96 R$5.14
97.92%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.30 MVR 128
$7.42 R$39.93
11.86%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.99 MVR 15.29
$1.21 R$6.53
-18.18%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$31.9K MVR 492.1K
$22.1K R$119.2K
44.12%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$30.8K MVR 474.3K
$31.6K R$169.9K
-2.56%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Maldives
Brazil
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$129 MVR 1,993
$77.2 R$415
67.49%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$30.04 MVR 463
$12.44 R$66.9
141.48%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$68.3 MVR 1,054
$19.80 R$107
245.10%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Maldives
Brazil
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$62.7 MVR 967
$24.36 R$131
157.51%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$20.86 MVR 322
$25.46 R$137
-18.07%
Cinema Ticket
$8.98 MVR 139
$6.98 R$37.58
28.65%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Maldives
Brazil
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$181 MVR 2,795
$316 R$1,700
-42.62%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$2,834 MVR 43.7K
$8,298 R$44.7K
-65.85%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Maldives
Brazil
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$38.11 MVR 588
$49.37 R$266
-22.81%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$50.0 MVR 771
$45.73 R$246
9.34%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$86.1 MVR 1,327
$83.4 R$449
3.14%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$52.4 MVR 808
$65.6 R$353
-20.10%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Maldives
Brazil
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$930 MVR 14.3K
$373 R$2,008
149.37%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$678 MVR 10.5K
$251 R$1,348
170.82%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,939 MVR 29.9K
$719 R$3,869
169.70%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,484 MVR 22.9K
$490 R$2,639
202.73%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,663 MVR 41.1K
$1,795 R$9,660
48.36%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$776 MVR 12.0K
$1,269 R$6,830
-38.87%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Maldives
Brazil
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$781 MVR 12.0K
$496 R$2,672
57.40%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
14
11.17
25.34%

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

Last update for the Maldives: October 25, 2026

Last update for Brazil: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Maldives
$678
Brazil
$251 63.1% $428
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Maldives
$228
Brazil
$109 51.9% $118
Groceries & Markets
Maldives
$218
Brazil
$183 16% $35
Eating Out
Maldives
$127
Brazil
$120 5.2% $6.5
Clothing & Footwear
Maldives
$102
Brazil
$110 7.8% $7.9
Sport & Entertainment
Maldives
$81
Brazil
$38 52.5% $42
Getting Around
Maldives
$42
Brazil
$54 27.1% $11

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $805 in the Maldives vs $335 in Brazil. For reference, capital cities sit at $939 in Male and $517 in Brasilia.

Average salary: $736 in the Maldives vs $468 in Brazil. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 140% higher in the Maldives.

Dining out costs 34% more in the Maldives.

Public transport is 72% more expensive in Brazil.

Salaries are 57% higher in the Maldives.

Good to know
🇲🇻 Maldives
🇧🇷 Brazil
🕒 Local time
16:40 4:40 PM
08:40 8:40 AM
8 h behind the Maldives
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
436,330
203,062,512
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, USD, EUR to MVR – Maldivian Rufiyaa Converter

Maldivian Rufiyaa exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 15.42 MVR (100 MVR = 6.49 USD). 1 EUR = 17.21 MVR (100 MVR = 5.81 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 5.38 BRL (1 BRL = 0.186 USD). 1 EUR = 6.01 BRL (1 BRL = 0.167 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Maldives Brazil 13,490 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Maldives
  • Brazil

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 Brazil: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do Brazil and the Maldives compare in cost of living?
Brazil is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 41% lower on average.
How do rents compare between Brazil and the Maldives?
Housing costs more in the Maldives: a central one-bedroom averages $805 versus $335 in Brazil.
How do I choose between living in Brazil and in the Maldives?
Brazil is the budget-friendly choice for expats. But cost isn’t everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.

Maldives vs other spots: cost of living compared

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