Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between the Maldives and China

Name: China
Address: CN

For one person, living is cheaper in China: $791 a month against $1,476 in the Maldives, rent and utilities included – about $8,200 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
38

Cost of Living Index in China
Learn more

China Living Index

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🇲🇻 Maldives

$1,476

/mo nomad

🇨🇳 China

$791

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,476 in the Maldives versus $791 in China.

Maldives $1,476
China $791

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,376 in the Maldives versus $1,251 in China.

Maldives $2,376
China $1,251

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,276 in the Maldives versus $1,711 in China.

Maldives $3,276
China $1,711

Internal cost variation is higher in the Maldives: monthly costs span $45 to $1,503, compared to $465–$1,222 in China. City choice carries more weight in the Maldives.

Living in the Maldives is roughly 86% more expensive than in China on average.

The Maldives (8% above) and China (42% below) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.31 MVR 97.3

$2.98 ¥19.78

111.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.4 MVR 778

$22.09 ¥147

128.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.74 MVR 150

$5.20 ¥34.55

87.31%

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

$2.97 ¥19.71

11.45%

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

$1.59 MVR 24.46

$0.48 ¥3.18

231.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 MVR 4.44

$0.30 ¥2.00

-3.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.08 ¥7.17

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 ¥15.13

Milk (1 liter)

$1.85 MVR 28.58

$1.80 ¥11.94

2.78%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 MVR 24.10

$1.68 ¥11.13

-7.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.04 MVR 16.04

$0.92 ¥6.13

13.04%

Eggs

$1.74 MVR 26.81

$1.61 ¥10.72

8.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.33 MVR 97.6

$13.38 ¥88.9

-52.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.49 MVR 100

$3.35 ¥22.25

93.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.13 MVR 156

$11.35 ¥75.4

-10.75%

Apples (1kg)

$4.00 MVR 61.6

$1.82 ¥12.11

119.78%

Banana (1kg)

$3.00 MVR 46.33

$1.31 ¥8.68

129.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.86 MVR 59.5

$1.49 ¥9.88

159.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.58 MVR 39.79

$1.27 ¥8.46

103.15%

Potato (1kg)

$1.76 MVR 27.08

$0.71 ¥4.73

147.89%

Onion (1kg)

$1.75 MVR 27.05

$0.93 ¥6.20

88.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.11 MVR 32.53

$0.62 ¥4.11

240.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 MVR 9.37

$0.56 ¥3.73

8.93%

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

$3.78 ¥25.12

297.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.13 ¥80.6

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 ¥5.53

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 ¥11.19

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.62 MVR 9.54

$0.29 ¥1.91

113.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.37 MVR 437

$17.83 ¥118

59.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.97 MVR 30.35

$1.49 ¥9.88

32.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.90 MVR 29.24

$0.37 ¥2.49

413.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.30 MVR 128

$7.10 ¥47.17

16.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 MVR 15.29

$1.26 ¥8.36

-21.43%

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

$31.9K MVR 492.1K

$19.4K ¥129.2K

64.13%

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

$30.8K MVR 474.3K

$17.5K ¥116.5K

75.39%

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

$129 MVR 1,993

$54.6 ¥363

136.93%

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

$30.04 MVR 463

$8.73 ¥58.0

244.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.3 MVR 1,054

$11.07 ¥73.5

517.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.7 MVR 967

$40.77 ¥271

53.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.86 MVR 322

$14.48 ¥96.2

44.06%

Cinema Ticket

$8.98 MVR 139

$6.78 ¥45.05

32.45%

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

$181 MVR 2,795

$517 ¥3,433

-64.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,834 MVR 43.7K

$19.8K ¥131.6K

-85.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$38.11 MVR 588

$46.53 ¥309

-18.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.0 MVR 771

$35.66 ¥237

40.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.1 MVR 1,327

$77.0 ¥512

11.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$52.4 MVR 808

$80.3 ¥533

-34.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$930 MVR 14.3K

$386 ¥2,564

141.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$678 MVR 10.5K

$235 ¥1,558

189.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,939 MVR 29.9K

$822 ¥5,461

135.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,484 MVR 22.9K

$453 ¥3,011

227.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,663 MVR 41.1K

$4,697 ¥31.2K

-43.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$776 MVR 12.0K

$2,372 ¥15.8K

-67.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$781 MVR 12.0K

$1,093 ¥7,264

-28.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.46

304.62%

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

Last update for the Maldives: October 25, 2026

Last update for China: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Maldives

$678 46%

China

$235 29.6% 65.4% $444

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Maldives

$228 15.4%

China

$74 9.4% 67.3% $153

Groceries & Markets

Maldives

$218 14.8%

China

$210 26.5% 3.6% $7.9

Eating Out

Maldives

$127 8.6%

China

$88 11.1% 30.6% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Maldives

$102 6.9%

China

$108 13.6% 5.7% $5.8

Sport & Entertainment

Maldives

$81 5.5%

China

$54 6.9% 32.7% $26

Getting Around

Maldives

$42 2.9%

China

$22 2.8% 47.2% $20

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $805 in the Maldives, $298 in China. Capital cities: $939 in Male vs $933 in Beijing (Pekin).

National salary averages: $736 in the Maldives, $873 in China. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 170% higher in the Maldives.

Dining out costs 77% more in the Maldives.

Public transport is 39% more expensive in the Maldives.

Salaries are 19% higher in China, and purchasing power comes out stronger in China.

Good to know

🇲🇻 Maldives

🇨🇳 China

🕒 Local time

09:37 9:37 AM

12:37 12:37 PM

3 h ahead of the Maldives

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

436,330

1,442,965,000

💱 Currency

Maldivian Rufiyaa MVR Rf

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 MVR = 6.49 USD

100 MVR = 5.81 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, USD, EUR to MVR – Maldivian Rufiyaa Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇻 Maldivian Rufiyaa (Rf)

Maldivian Rufiyaa exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 15.42 MVR (100 MVR = 6.49 USD). 1 EUR = 17.22 MVR (100 MVR = 5.81 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 6.64 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.42 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

USD to MVR in detail →

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Maldives China 5,850 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Maldives
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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 China: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $791 per month in China and $1,476 in the Maldives, China comes out about 46% cheaper. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Day-to-day life is cheaper in China: lower grocery prices, cheaper commutes, and more affordable meals out. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $805 in the Maldives and $298 in China. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

It depends on what you’re after: China wins on affordability, while salaries, visas, language, and lifestyle can tip the balance either way.