Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between the Maldives and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $906 a month against $1,501 in the Maldives, rent and utilities included – about $7,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

72

Cost of Living Index in the Maldives
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Maldives Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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🇲🇻 Maldives

$1,501

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$906

/mo nomad

😐 Solo nomad: The Maldives is 21.9% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 65.7% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: The Maldives is 28.6% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 76% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.54 MVR 101

$2.13 ฿71.7

207.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.62 MVR 765

$19.40 ฿652

155.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.00 MVR 154

$5.47 ฿184

82.82%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.97 MVR 76.6

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.82 MVR 151

Cappuccino

$3.27 MVR 50.4

$1.68 ฿56.7

94.64%

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

$1.51 MVR 23.32

$0.66 ฿22.19

128.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 MVR 4.81

$0.34 ฿11.56

-8.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.42 ฿81.3

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.73 ฿126

Milk (1 liter)

$1.88 MVR 29.01

$2.06 ฿69.2

-8.74%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 MVR 24.10

$1.46 ฿48.98

6.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.04 MVR 16.04

$1.35 ฿45.27

-22.96%

Eggs

$1.75 MVR 27.04

$2.27 ฿76.3

-22.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.18 MVR 95.4

$16.31 ฿548

-62.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.75 MVR 104

$2.70 ฿90.7

150.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.03 MVR 155

$9.20 ฿309

9.02%

Apples (1kg)

$3.98 MVR 61.3

$2.39 ฿80.5

66.53%

Banana (1kg)

$2.99 MVR 46.12

$1.04 ฿34.80

187.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.88 MVR 59.8

$1.60 ฿53.9

142.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.56 MVR 39.48

$1.44 ฿48.57

77.78%

Potato (1kg)

$1.75 MVR 26.93

$1.30 ฿43.77

34.62%

Onion (1kg)

$1.75 MVR 26.99

$1.11 ฿37.45

57.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.23 MVR 34.38

$0.70 ฿23.65

218.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 MVR 9.25

$0.51 ฿17.06

17.65%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$11.14 MVR 172

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.53 MVR 39.01

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 MVR 71.1

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$15.06 MVR 232

$4.13 ฿139

264.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.78 ฿598

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ฿54.9

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.87 ฿96.4

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 MVR 10.51

$0.86 ฿28.88

-20.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.89 MVR 446

$53.2 ฿1,787

-45.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.89 MVR 29.15

$1.22 ฿40.99

54.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.95 MVR 30.12

$0.56 ฿18.89

248.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.02 MVR 124

$2.31 ฿77.8

247.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 MVR 15.19

$1.50 ฿50.4

-34.00%

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

$31.7K MVR 489.3K

$20.9K ฿701.2K

52.15%

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

$29.9K MVR 460.5K

$26.7K ฿898.8K

11.71%

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

$132 MVR 2,038

$61.3 ฿2,059

115.74%

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

$30.76 MVR 474

$12.50 ฿420

146.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.3 MVR 1,052

$20.36 ฿685

235.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.4 MVR 978

$37.94 ฿1,275

67.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.44 MVR 331

$3.77 ฿127

468.70%

Cinema Ticket

$9.03 MVR 139

$6.60 ฿222

36.82%

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

$183 MVR 2,826

$774 ฿26.0K

-76.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,922 MVR 45.1K

$14.4K ฿485.3K

-79.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$37.67 MVR 581

$54.8 ฿1,842

-31.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.1 MVR 772

$25.26 ฿849

98.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.1 MVR 1,327

$90.6 ฿3,045

-4.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$51.9 MVR 800

$73.3 ฿2,463

-29.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$911 MVR 14.0K

$459 ฿15.4K

98.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$672 MVR 10.4K

$294 ฿9,877

128.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 MVR 29.7K

$919 ฿30.9K

109.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,467 MVR 22.6K

$552 ฿18.6K

165.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,641 MVR 40.7K

$1,917 ฿64.5K

37.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$781 MVR 12.0K

$1,445 ฿48.6K

-45.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$783 MVR 12.1K

$592 ฿19.9K

32.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

151.35%

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

Last update for the Maldives: October 5, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Maldives

$672 45.5%

Chiang Mai

$294 31.8% 56.3% $378

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Maldives

$231 15.7%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2% 59.3% $137

Groceries & Markets

Maldives

$219 14.8%

Chiang Mai

$236 25.6% 7.8% $17

Eating Out

Maldives

$129 8.7%

Chiang Mai

$77 8.4% 40% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Maldives

$102 6.9%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.9% 8.1% $8.2

Sport & Entertainment

Maldives

$81 5.5%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 37.2% $30

Getting Around

Maldives

$43 2.9%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 40.1% $17

Good to know

🇲🇻 Maldives

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

13:45 1:45 PM

15:45 3:45 PM

2 h ahead of the Maldives

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

436,330

127,240

💱 Currency

Maldivian Rufiyaa MVR Rf

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 MVR = 6.49 USD

100 MVR = 5.78 EUR

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to MVR – Maldivian Rufiyaa Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇻 Maldivian Rufiyaa (Rf)

Maldivian Rufiyaa exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 15.42 MVR (100 MVR = 6.49 USD). 1 EUR = 17.29 MVR (100 MVR = 5.78 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 33.62 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.71 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to MVR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Maldives Chiang Mai 3,210 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Maldives
Chiang Mai

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 other spots: cost of living compared

Cost of Living Comparison Between the Maldives and Chiang Mai

THB, USD, EUR to MVR – Maldivian Rufiyaa Converter

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

Maldives

Chiang Mai

Maldives

Chiang Mai

Maldives vs other spots: cost of living compared

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