Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between the Maldives and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,190 a month against $1,501 in the Maldives, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 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
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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🇲🇻 Maldives

$1,501

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,190

/mo nomad

😐 Solo nomad: The Maldives is 4.1% more expensive than Phuket without rent, and 26.1% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: The Maldives is 6.3% more expensive than Phuket without rent, and 16.3% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.54 MVR 101

$4.35 ฿146

50.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.62 MVR 765

$32.45 ฿1,087

52.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.00 MVR 154

$8.42 ฿282

18.76%

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

$2.81 ฿94.0

16.37%

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

$1.51 MVR 23.32

$0.87 ฿29.29

73.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 MVR 4.81

$0.46 ฿15.39

-32.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ฿86.6

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.64 ฿122

Milk (1 liter)

$1.88 MVR 29.01

$1.71 ฿57.2

9.94%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 MVR 24.10

$1.45 ฿48.42

7.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.04 MVR 16.04

$1.56 ฿52.3

-33.33%

Eggs

$1.75 MVR 27.04

$2.10 ฿70.3

-16.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.18 MVR 95.4

$19.53 ฿654

-68.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.75 MVR 104

$3.40 ฿114

98.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.03 MVR 155

$11.14 ฿373

-9.96%

Apples (1kg)

$3.98 MVR 61.3

$2.83 ฿94.8

40.64%

Banana (1kg)

$2.99 MVR 46.12

$1.62 ฿54.3

84.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.88 MVR 59.8

$2.22 ฿74.5

74.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.56 MVR 39.48

$2.15 ฿71.9

19.07%

Potato (1kg)

$1.75 MVR 26.93

$1.49 ฿49.95

17.45%

Onion (1kg)

$1.75 MVR 26.99

$1.33 ฿44.40

31.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.23 MVR 34.38

$1.07 ฿35.72

108.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 MVR 9.25

$0.51 ฿17.01

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

$4.38 ฿147

243.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.77 ฿629

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.3

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿92.9

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 MVR 10.51

$2.17 ฿72.6

-68.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.89 MVR 446

$22.28 ฿746

29.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.89 MVR 29.15

$3.02 ฿101

-37.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.95 MVR 30.12

$1.06 ฿35.43

83.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.02 MVR 124

$3.71 ฿124

116.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 MVR 15.19

$1.43 ฿47.88

-30.77%

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

$31.7K MVR 489.3K

$26.3K ฿882.1K

20.45%

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

$29.9K MVR 460.5K

$26.2K ฿877.3K

13.97%

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

$132 MVR 2,038

$96.7 ฿3,236

36.73%

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

$30.76 MVR 474

$11.41 ฿382

169.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.3 MVR 1,052

$17.11 ฿573

298.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.4 MVR 978

$52.8 ฿1,768

20.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.44 MVR 331

$11.07 ฿371

93.68%

Cinema Ticket

$9.03 MVR 139

$7.65 ฿256

18.04%

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

$183 MVR 2,826

$555 ฿18.6K

-66.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,922 MVR 45.1K

$11.3K ฿377.7K

-74.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$37.67 MVR 581

$63.4 ฿2,123

-40.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.1 MVR 772

$28.61 ฿958

75.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.1 MVR 1,327

$96.7 ฿3,238

-11.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$51.9 MVR 800

$88.6 ฿2,967

-41.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$911 MVR 14.0K

$735 ฿24.6K

23.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$672 MVR 10.4K

$458 ฿15.3K

46.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 MVR 29.7K

$2,102 ฿70.4K

-8.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,467 MVR 22.6K

$1,187 ฿39.7K

23.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,641 MVR 40.7K

$3,493 ฿116.9K

-24.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$781 MVR 12.0K

$2,491 ฿83.4K

-68.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$783 MVR 12.1K

$501 ฿16.8K

56.33%

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 Phuket: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Maldives

$672 45.5%

Phuket

$458 38.1% 31.8% $214

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Maldives

$231 15.7%

Phuket

$125 10.4% 45.9% $106

Groceries & Markets

Maldives

$219 14.8%

Phuket

$268 22.3% 22.4% $49

Eating Out

Maldives

$129 8.7%

Phuket

$119 9.9% 7.4% $9.6

Clothing & Footwear

Maldives

$102 6.9%

Phuket

$125 10.4% 22.9% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Maldives

$81 5.5%

Phuket

$68 5.7% 16.4% $13

Getting Around

Maldives

$43 2.9%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 9.3% $4

Good to know

🇲🇻 Maldives

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

16:30 4:30 PM

18:30 6:30 PM

2 h ahead of the Maldives

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

436,330

79,308

💱 Currency

Maldivian Rufiyaa MVR Rf

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 MVR = 6.49 USD

100 MVR = 5.79 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.67 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 = 17.28 MVR (100 MVR = 5.79 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 33.48 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

USD to MVR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Maldives Phuket 2,780 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Maldives
Phuket

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 Phuket

THB, USD, EUR to MVR – Maldivian Rufiyaa Converter

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

Maldives

Phuket

Maldives

Phuket

Maldives vs other spots: cost of living compared

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