Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between the Maldives and Sao Paulo

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Paulo: $1,244 a month against $1,501 in the Maldives, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in the Maldives outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

72

Cost of Living Index in the Maldives
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Maldives Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Sao Paulo
Learn more

Sao Paulo Living Index

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🇲🇻 Maldives

$1,501

/mo nomad

Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,244

/mo nomad

🙂 Solo nomad: The Maldives is 4.5% cheaper than Sao Paulo without rent, and 20.6% more expensive with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: The Maldives is 5.9% cheaper than Sao Paulo without rent, and 12.1% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.54 MVR 101

$8.94 R$44.64

-26.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.62 MVR 765

$49.46 R$247

0.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.00 MVR 154

$9.22 R$46.01

8.46%

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

$2.54 R$12.70

28.74%

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

$1.51 MVR 23.32

$1.45 R$7.25

4.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 MVR 4.81

$0.91 R$4.55

-65.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.07 R$15.31

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 R$21.75

Milk (1 liter)

$1.88 MVR 29.01

$1.27 R$6.32

48.03%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 MVR 24.10

$1.84 R$9.17

-15.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.04 MVR 16.04

$1.41 R$7.05

-26.24%

Eggs

$1.75 MVR 27.04

$2.84 R$14.20

-38.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.18 MVR 95.4

$12.56 R$62.7

-50.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.75 MVR 104

$5.37 R$26.81

25.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.03 MVR 155

$10.72 R$53.5

-6.44%

Apples (1kg)

$3.98 MVR 61.3

$2.74 R$13.67

45.26%

Banana (1kg)

$2.99 MVR 46.12

$1.81 R$9.03

65.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.88 MVR 59.8

$1.55 R$7.74

150.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.56 MVR 39.48

$1.98 R$9.90

29.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.75 MVR 26.93

$1.47 R$7.34

19.05%

Onion (1kg)

$1.75 MVR 26.99

$1.24 R$6.20

41.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.23 MVR 34.38

$1.27 R$6.35

75.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 MVR 9.25

$0.96 R$4.79

-37.50%

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

$3.04 R$15.16

395.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.19 R$50.8

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 R$8.64

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.64 R$13.19

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 MVR 10.51

$1.04 R$5.18

-34.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.89 MVR 446

$48.10 R$240

-39.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.89 MVR 29.15

$1.82 R$9.07

3.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.95 MVR 30.12

$1.02 R$5.07

91.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.02 MVR 124

$10.16 R$50.7

-21.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 MVR 15.19

$1.27 R$6.35

-22.05%

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

$31.7K MVR 489.3K

$24.3K R$121.4K

30.48%

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

$29.9K MVR 460.5K

$34.0K R$169.8K

-12.18%

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

$132 MVR 2,038

$104 R$519

27.15%

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

$30.76 MVR 474

$16.16 R$80.7

90.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.3 MVR 1,052

$22.59 R$113

202.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.4 MVR 978

$36.27 R$181

74.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.44 MVR 331

$47.78 R$239

-55.13%

Cinema Ticket

$9.03 MVR 139

$9.85 R$49.19

-8.32%

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

$183 MVR 2,826

$525 R$2,622

-65.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,922 MVR 45.1K

$16.6K R$82.8K

-82.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$37.67 MVR 581

$66.9 R$334

-43.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.1 MVR 772

$62.3 R$311

-19.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.1 MVR 1,327

$101 R$505

-14.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$51.9 MVR 800

$90.9 R$454

-42.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$911 MVR 14.0K

$663 R$3,309

37.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$672 MVR 10.4K

$423 R$2,110

58.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 MVR 29.7K

$1,527 R$7,622

26.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,467 MVR 22.6K

$1,009 R$5,035

45.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,641 MVR 40.7K

$2,744 R$13.7K

-3.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$781 MVR 12.0K

$2,068 R$10.3K

-62.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$783 MVR 12.1K

$881 R$4,396

-11.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.68

19.86%

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

Last update for the Maldives: October 5, 2026

Last update for Sao Paulo: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Maldives

$672 45.5%

Sao Paulo

$423 34.3% 37.1% $249

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Maldives

$231 15.7%

Sao Paulo

$143 11.6% 38.3% $88

Groceries & Markets

Maldives

$219 14.8%

Sao Paulo

$243 19.8% 11.1% $24

Eating Out

Maldives

$129 8.7%

Sao Paulo

$163 13.3% 26.7% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Maldives

$102 6.9%

Sao Paulo

$145 11.7% 42.3% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Maldives

$81 5.5%

Sao Paulo

$56 4.6% 31.3% $26

Getting Around

Maldives

$43 2.9%

Sao Paulo

$59 4.8% 36.7% $16

Good to know

🇲🇻 Maldives

🇧🇷 Sao Paulo

🕒 Local time

17:28 5:28 PM

09:28 9:28 AM

8 h behind the Maldives

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

436,330

11,451,999

💱 Currency

Maldivian Rufiyaa MVR Rf

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 MVR = 6.49 USD

100 MVR = 5.79 EUR

1 BRL = 0.2 USD

1 BRL = 0.179 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, 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).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.99 BRL (1 BRL = 0.2 USD). 1 EUR = 5.59 BRL (1 BRL = 0.179 EUR).

USD to MVR in detail →

On the map

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Maldives Sao Paulo 13,260 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Maldives
Sao Paulo

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 Sao Paulo

BRL, USD, EUR to MVR – Maldivian Rufiyaa Converter

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

Maldives

Sao Paulo

Maldives

Sao Paulo

Maldives vs other spots: cost of living compared

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