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Cost of Living Comparison Between Maldives and China Cost of Living Comparison Between Maldives and China

😐 Solo nomad: Maldives is 40.3% more expensive than China without rent, and 93.2% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Maldives is 50.4% more expensive than China without rent, and 82.7% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Maldives
China
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$5.89 MVR 90.9
$2.77 ¥19.31
112.64%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$48.03 MVR 742
$24.14 ¥169
98.96%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.47 MVR 146
$4.75 ¥33.15
99.37%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.69 MVR 72.5
-
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.86 MVR 90.5
-
-
Cappuccino
$3.11 MVR 48.05
$3.02 ¥21.06
2.98%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.38 MVR 21.32
$0.44 ¥3.06
213.64%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.32 MVR 4.93
$0.27 ¥1.87
18.52%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
-
$0.96 ¥6.67
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$2.04 ¥14.21
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Maldives
China
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.68 MVR 25.92
$1.75 ¥12.21
-4.00%
White Bread (500g)
$1.52 MVR 23.54
$1.69 ¥11.79
-10.06%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.11 MVR 17.18
$0.98 ¥6.85
13.27%
Eggs
$1.63 MVR 25.22
$1.60 ¥11.19
1.87%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.82 MVR 121
$13.34 ¥93.1
-41.38%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.18 MVR 95.6
$3.27 ¥22.82
88.99%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.78 MVR 151
$10.63 ¥74.2
-8.00%
Apples (1kg)
$3.99 MVR 61.7
$1.74 ¥12.16
129.31%
Banana (1kg)
$3.82 MVR 59.0
$1.26 ¥8.76
203.17%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.77 MVR 58.2
$1.45 ¥10.13
160.00%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.58 MVR 55.3
$1.19 ¥8.28
200.84%
Potato (1kg)
$1.42 MVR 21.89
$0.73 ¥5.08
94.52%
Onion (1kg)
$1.18 MVR 18.21
$0.86 ¥5.99
37.21%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.44 MVR 37.63
$0.62 ¥4.30
293.55%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.66 MVR 10.19
$0.53 ¥3.71
24.53%
Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)
$9.99 MVR 154
-
-
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.66 MVR 41.13
-
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$8.27 MVR 128
-
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$7.97 MVR 123
$3.44 ¥24.03
131.69%
Wine (Bottle)
-
$11.63 ¥81.2
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
-
$0.84 ¥5.88
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$1.62 ¥11.30
-
🚌 Getting Around
Maldives
China
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.67 MVR 10.42
$0.44 ¥3.07
52.27%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$28.73 MVR 444
$20.71 ¥145
38.73%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.98 MVR 30.52
$1.42 ¥9.91
39.44%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.89 MVR 29.27
$0.33 ¥2.27
472.73%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.28 MVR 128
$6.51 ¥45.42
27.19%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.89 MVR 13.81
$1.17 ¥8.19
-23.93%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$32.5K MVR 502.5K
$19.2K ¥133.9K
69.59%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$30.2K MVR 466.1K
$16.6K ¥116.1K
81.36%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Maldives
China
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$116 MVR 1,792
$51.4 ¥359
125.64%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$41.19 MVR 636
$9.63 ¥67.2
327.73%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$71.3 MVR 1,102
$11.22 ¥78.3
535.56%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Maldives
China
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$74.9 MVR 1,158
$39.09 ¥273
91.66%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$35.95 MVR 555
$14.70 ¥103
144.56%
Cinema Ticket
$9.11 MVR 141
$6.14 ¥42.89
48.37%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Maldives
China
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$171 MVR 2,643
$416 ¥2,905
-58.90%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,269 MVR 50.5K
$17.9K ¥125.0K
-81.75%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Maldives
China
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$42.21 MVR 652
$45.24 ¥316
-6.70%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$50.6 MVR 782
$32.59 ¥228
55.26%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$82.2 MVR 1,270
$73.0 ¥509
12.66%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$54.5 MVR 841
$72.8 ¥508
-25.16%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Maldives
China
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$980 MVR 15.1K
$432 ¥3,018
126.59%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$698 MVR 10.8K
$253 ¥1,767
175.77%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,679 MVR 25.9K
$923 ¥6,441
81.92%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,368 MVR 21.1K
$546 ¥3,811
150.60%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,822 MVR 43.6K
$5,324 ¥37.2K
-46.99%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,064 MVR 16.4K
$2,784 ¥19.4K
-61.80%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Maldives
China
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$905 MVR 14.0K
$1,037 ¥7,240
-12.74%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
12.4
4.06
205.42%

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

Last update for Maldives: January 13, 2026

Last update for China: January 11, 2026

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