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

😐 Solo nomad: Maldives is 37.9% more expensive than China without rent, and 89.9% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Maldives is 46.7% more expensive than China without rent, and 78.5% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Maldives
China
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$5.89 MVR 90.9
$2.86 ¥19.51
105.94%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$49.55 MVR 766
$23.89 ¥163
107.41%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.89 MVR 153
$4.77 ¥32.61
107.34%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.67 MVR 72.2
-
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.97 MVR 92.3
-
-
Cappuccino
$3.13 MVR 48.33
$3.08 ¥21.02
1.62%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.39 MVR 21.50
$0.44 ¥2.99
215.91%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.34 MVR 5.26
$0.27 ¥1.84
25.93%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
-
$0.93 ¥6.36
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$2.04 ¥13.96
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Maldives
China
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.71 MVR 26.41
$1.78 ¥12.16
-3.93%
White Bread (500g)
$1.56 MVR 24.05
$1.60 ¥10.94
-2.50%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.12 MVR 17.37
$0.98 ¥6.70
14.29%
Eggs
$1.63 MVR 25.13
$1.55 ¥10.60
5.16%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.86 MVR 121
$13.22 ¥90.3
-40.54%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.12 MVR 94.5
$3.39 ¥23.13
80.53%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.88 MVR 153
$10.52 ¥71.9
-6.08%
Apples (1kg)
$4.18 MVR 64.6
$1.84 ¥12.59
127.17%
Banana (1kg)
$3.70 MVR 57.2
$1.30 ¥8.89
184.62%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.76 MVR 58.0
$1.47 ¥10.03
155.78%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.49 MVR 53.9
$1.15 ¥7.83
203.48%
Potato (1kg)
$1.48 MVR 22.86
$0.72 ¥4.94
105.56%
Onion (1kg)
$1.17 MVR 18.00
$0.94 ¥6.40
24.47%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.41 MVR 37.31
$0.61 ¥4.16
295.08%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.65 MVR 10.08
$0.53 ¥3.61
22.64%
Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)
$11.50 MVR 178
-
-
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.71 MVR 41.84
-
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.99 MVR 123
-
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$8.00 MVR 124
$3.54 ¥24.15
125.99%
Wine (Bottle)
-
$11.89 ¥81.2
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
-
$0.79 ¥5.39
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$1.69 ¥11.51
-
🚌 Getting Around
Maldives
China
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.66 MVR 10.21
$0.44 ¥2.98
50.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$28.11 MVR 434
$20.98 ¥143
33.98%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.93 MVR 29.84
$1.38 ¥9.39
39.86%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.93 MVR 29.84
$0.35 ¥2.40
451.43%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$7.99 MVR 123
$6.75 ¥46.13
18.37%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.89 MVR 13.82
$1.16 ¥7.93
-23.28%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$33.1K MVR 510.7K
$19.7K ¥134.8K
67.45%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$30.7K MVR 473.6K
$16.9K ¥115.8K
80.87%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Maldives
China
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$117 MVR 1,805
$50.3 ¥344
132.33%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$40.91 MVR 632
$10.04 ¥68.5
307.47%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$71.5 MVR 1,104
$11.39 ¥77.8
527.57%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Maldives
China
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$77.5 MVR 1,198
$40.16 ¥274
93.08%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$35.99 MVR 556
$14.68 ¥100
145.16%
Cinema Ticket
$9.09 MVR 140
$6.21 ¥42.39
46.38%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Maldives
China
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$169 MVR 2,613
$402 ¥2,746
-57.94%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,327 MVR 51.4K
$17.4K ¥119.1K
-80.92%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Maldives
China
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$41.81 MVR 646
$46.39 ¥317
-9.87%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$50.0 MVR 772
$32.60 ¥223
53.37%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$81.7 MVR 1,262
$71.3 ¥487
14.59%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$54.2 MVR 838
$74.8 ¥511
-27.51%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Maldives
China
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$997 MVR 15.4K
$429 ¥2,931
132.43%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$697 MVR 10.8K
$261 ¥1,783
167.16%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,654 MVR 25.6K
$915 ¥6,253
80.67%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,366 MVR 21.1K
$545 ¥3,725
150.54%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,601 MVR 40.2K
$5,127 ¥35.0K
-49.27%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,052 MVR 16.3K
$2,614 ¥17.9K
-59.75%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Maldives
China
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$784 MVR 12.1K
$1,061 ¥7,244
-26.05%
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: April 11, 2026

Last update for China: April 12, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
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