Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between the Maldives and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in the Maldives: $1,501 a month against $1,589 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. The total is higher in Medellin despite lower rent and utilities.

🇲🇻 Maldives
$1,501
/mo nomad
Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,589
/mo nomad
🙂 Solo nomad: The Maldives is 14.7% cheaper than Medellin without rent, and 5.6% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: The Maldives is 14% cheaper than Medellin without rent, and 4.5% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Maldives
Medellin
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$6.54 MVR 101
$8.01 COP 25.8K
-18.35%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$49.62 MVR 765
$46.55 COP 149.9K
6.60%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.00 MVR 154
$9.43 COP 30.4K
6.04%
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
$2.91 COP 9,374
12.37%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.51 MVR 23.32
$1.75 COP 5,643
-13.71%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.31 MVR 4.81
$1.32 COP 4,263
-76.52%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
-
$3.13 COP 10.1K
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$5.55 COP 17.9K
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Maldives
Medellin
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.88 MVR 29.01
$1.41 COP 4,542
33.33%
White Bread (500g)
$1.56 MVR 24.10
$2.44 COP 7,858
-36.07%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.04 MVR 16.04
$1.63 COP 5,245
-36.20%
Eggs
$1.75 MVR 27.04
$2.82 COP 9,084
-37.94%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$6.18 MVR 95.4
$9.69 COP 31.2K
-36.22%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.75 MVR 104
$9.32 COP 30.0K
-27.58%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.03 MVR 155
$13.46 COP 43.3K
-25.48%
Apples (1kg)
$3.98 MVR 61.3
$4.00 COP 12.9K
-0.50%
Banana (1kg)
$2.99 MVR 46.12
$1.48 COP 4,768
102.03%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.88 MVR 59.8
$2.12 COP 6,839
83.02%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.56 MVR 39.48
$2.25 COP 7,253
13.78%
Potato (1kg)
$1.75 MVR 26.93
$1.91 COP 6,155
-8.38%
Onion (1kg)
$1.75 MVR 26.99
$1.62 COP 5,214
8.02%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.23 MVR 34.38
$1.15 COP 3,696
93.91%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.60 MVR 9.25
$1.26 COP 4,063
-52.38%
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
$3.82 COP 12.3K
294.24%
Wine (Bottle)
-
$13.11 COP 42.2K
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
-
$1.60 COP 5,136
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$2.26 COP 7,263
-
🚌 Getting Around
Maldives
Medellin
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.68 MVR 10.51
$1.17 COP 3,770
-41.88%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$28.89 MVR 446
$75.0 COP 241.5K
-61.49%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.89 MVR 29.15
$1.27 COP 4,098
48.82%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.95 MVR 30.12
$2.05 COP 6,600
-4.88%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.02 MVR 124
$8.20 COP 26.4K
-2.20%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.99 MVR 15.19
$1.27 COP 4,088
-22.05%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$31.7K MVR 489.3K
$26.8K COP 86.2M
18.52%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$29.9K MVR 460.5K
$34.4K COP 110.8M
-13.20%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Maldives
Medellin
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$132 MVR 2,038
$162 COP 522.3K
-18.53%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$30.76 MVR 474
$13.12 COP 42.3K
134.45%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$68.3 MVR 1,052
$28.09 COP 90.5K
142.97%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Maldives
Medellin
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$63.4 MVR 978
$44.33 COP 142.7K
43.09%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$21.44 MVR 331
$16.33 COP 52.6K
31.29%
Cinema Ticket
$9.03 MVR 139
$6.09 COP 19.6K
48.28%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Maldives
Medellin
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$183 MVR 2,826
$764 COP 2.5M
-76.03%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$2,922 MVR 45.1K
$8,904 COP 28.7M
-67.18%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Maldives
Medellin
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$37.67 MVR 581
$85.0 COP 273.6K
-55.67%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$50.1 MVR 772
$57.5 COP 185.1K
-12.87%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$86.1 MVR 1,327
$132 COP 424.2K
-34.68%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$51.9 MVR 800
$95.8 COP 308.3K
-45.82%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Maldives
Medellin
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$911 MVR 14.0K
$1,028 COP 3.3M
-11.45%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$672 MVR 10.4K
$604 COP 1.9M
11.15%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,927 MVR 29.7K
$1,802 COP 5.8M
6.94%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,467 MVR 22.6K
$993 COP 3.2M
47.77%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,641 MVR 40.7K
$3,921 COP 12.6M
-32.65%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$781 MVR 12.0K
$1,639 COP 5.3M
-52.33%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Maldives
Medellin
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$783 MVR 12.1K
$626 COP 2.0M
25.07%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
14
10.94
27.97%

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

Last update for the Maldives: October 5, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Maldives
$672
Medellin
$604 10% $67
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Maldives
$231
Medellin
$203 12% $28
Groceries & Markets
Maldives
$219
Medellin
$288 31.7% $69
Eating Out
Maldives
$129
Medellin
$166 29.1% $37
Clothing & Footwear
Maldives
$102
Medellin
$166 63.9% $65
Sport & Entertainment
Maldives
$81
Medellin
$57 30.7% $25
Getting Around
Maldives
$43
Medellin
$91 111% $48
Good to know
🇲🇻 Maldives
🇨🇴 Medellin
🕒 Local time
08:32 8:32 AM
22:32 10:32 PM
10 h behind the Maldives
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
436,330
2,486,723
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to MVR – Maldivian Rufiyaa Converter

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).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3,220 COP (10,000 COP = 3.11 USD). 1 EUR = 3,611 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Maldives Medellin 16,390 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Maldives
  • Medellin

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

Similar countries

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?