Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between the Maldives and Canada

Name: Canada
Address: CA

For one person, living is cheaper in the Maldives: $1,476 a month against $2,310 in Canada, rent and utilities included – about $10,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

71

Cost of Living Index in the Maldives
Learn more

Maldives Living Index
111

Cost of Living Index in Canada
Learn more

Canada Living Index

Jump to prices

🇲🇻 Maldives

$1,476

/mo nomad

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,310

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,476 per month in the Maldives vs $2,310 in Canada, rent included.

Maldives $1,476
Canada $2,310

A couple spends around $2,376 per month in the Maldives vs $3,356 in Canada, rent included.

Maldives $2,376
Canada $3,356

A family of three spends $3,276 per month in the Maldives vs $4,403 in Canada, rent included.

Maldives $3,276
Canada $4,403

The regional cost range is wider in Canada ($889–$3,737) than in the Maldives ($45–$1,503), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in the Maldives is roughly 36% lower than in Canada on average.

Both the Maldives and Canada are pricier than the global median – the Maldives by 8%, Canada by 70%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.31 MVR 97.3

$18.16 CA$25.38

-65.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.4 MVR 778

$71.2 CA$99.5

-29.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.74 MVR 150

$10.81 CA$15.11

-9.90%

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

$3.78 CA$5.28

-12.43%

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

$1.59 MVR 24.46

$2.11 CA$2.96

-24.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 MVR 4.44

$1.66 CA$2.32

-82.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.62 CA$7.85

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.72 CA$7.99

Milk (1 liter)

$1.85 MVR 28.58

$2.17 CA$3.04

-14.75%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 MVR 24.10

$2.60 CA$3.64

-40.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.04 MVR 16.04

$3.65 CA$5.11

-71.51%

Eggs

$1.74 MVR 26.81

$3.63 CA$5.07

-52.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.33 MVR 97.6

$10.76 CA$15.04

-41.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.49 MVR 100

$11.90 CA$16.62

-45.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.13 MVR 156

$15.42 CA$21.55

-34.31%

Apples (1kg)

$4.00 MVR 61.6

$4.03 CA$5.63

-0.74%

Banana (1kg)

$3.00 MVR 46.33

$1.38 CA$1.94

117.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.86 MVR 59.5

$3.88 CA$5.41

-0.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.58 MVR 39.79

$4.08 CA$5.70

-36.76%

Potato (1kg)

$1.76 MVR 27.08

$2.57 CA$3.59

-31.52%

Onion (1kg)

$1.75 MVR 27.05

$2.48 CA$3.46

-29.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.11 MVR 32.53

$2.65 CA$3.70

-20.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 MVR 9.37

$1.71 CA$2.40

-64.33%

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

$14.32 CA$20.01

4.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.49 CA$18.85

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.84 CA$3.97

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.30 CA$4.62

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.62 MVR 9.54

$2.55 CA$3.57

-75.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.37 MVR 437

$71.9 CA$101

-60.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.97 MVR 30.35

$3.18 CA$4.44

-38.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.90 MVR 29.24

$1.54 CA$2.15

23.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.30 MVR 128

$26.69 CA$37.30

-68.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 MVR 15.29

$1.24 CA$1.74

-20.16%

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

$31.9K MVR 492.1K

$27.9K CA$39.0K

14.49%

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

$30.8K MVR 474.3K

$21.1K CA$29.4K

46.00%

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

$129 MVR 1,993

$147 CA$206

-12.29%

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

$30.04 MVR 463

$41.80 CA$58.4

-28.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.3 MVR 1,054

$60.2 CA$84.1

13.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.7 MVR 967

$39.01 CA$54.5

60.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.86 MVR 322

$19.06 CA$26.64

9.44%

Cinema Ticket

$8.98 MVR 139

$11.21 CA$15.66

-19.89%

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

$181 MVR 2,795

$721 CA$1,008

-74.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,834 MVR 43.7K

$14.8K CA$20.7K

-80.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$38.11 MVR 588

$55.3 CA$77.2

-31.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.0 MVR 771

$38.95 CA$54.4

28.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.1 MVR 1,327

$87.4 CA$122

-1.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$52.4 MVR 808

$101 CA$142

-48.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$930 MVR 14.3K

$1,290 CA$1,803

-27.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$678 MVR 10.5K

$1,130 CA$1,579

-39.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,939 MVR 29.9K

$2,036 CA$2,845

-4.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,484 MVR 22.9K

$1,731 CA$2,418

-14.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,663 MVR 41.1K

$4,769 CA$6,664

-44.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$776 MVR 12.0K

$3,730 CA$5,211

-79.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$781 MVR 12.0K

$3,070 CA$4,289

-74.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.87

187.47%

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

Last update for the Maldives: October 25, 2026

Last update for Canada: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Maldives

$678 46%

Canada

$1.1K 48.9% 66.5% $452

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Maldives

$228 15.4%

Canada

$249 10.8% 9.6% $22

Groceries & Markets

Maldives

$218 14.8%

Canada

$371 16.1% 70.2% $153

Eating Out

Maldives

$127 8.6%

Canada

$278 12% 119% $151

Clothing & Footwear

Maldives

$102 6.9%

Canada

$127 5.5% 24.9% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Maldives

$81 5.5%

Canada

$61 2.7% 23.9% $19

Getting Around

Maldives

$42 2.9%

Canada

$93 4% 120% $51

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $805 in the Maldives vs $1,250 in Canada. For reference, capital cities sit at $939 in Male and $1,434 in Ottawa.

Average salary: $736 in the Maldives vs $2,968 in Canada. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 55% higher in Canada.

Dining out costs 64% more in Canada.

Public transport is 164% more expensive in Canada.

Salaries are about 4 times higher in Canada, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Canada.

Good to know

🇲🇻 Maldives

🇨🇦 Canada

🕒 Local time

19:50 7:50 PM

09:50 9:50 AM

10 h behind the Maldives

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

436,330

36,991,981

💱 Currency

Maldivian Rufiyaa MVR Rf

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MVR = 6.49 USD

100 MVR = 5.81 EUR

1 CAD = 0.716 USD

1 CAD = 0.641 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, 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).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.716 USD). 1 EUR = 1.56 CAD (1 CAD = 0.641 EUR).

USD to MVR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Maldives Canada 13,710 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Maldives
Canada

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 Canada: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

The Maldives is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 36% lower on average.

Housing costs more in Canada: a central one-bedroom averages $1,250 versus $805 in the Maldives.

Groceries, public transport, and eating out all cost less in the Maldives – part of why living there is about 36% cheaper overall.

$2,000 buys a comfortable lifestyle in the Maldives, but in Canada 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.