Cost of Living Comparison Between Maldives and Spain Cost of Living Comparison Between Maldives and Spain

Name: Spain
Address: ES

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $967 in Maldives versus $1,642 in Spain.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,566 in Maldives versus $2,392 in Spain.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,165 in Maldives versus $3,142 in Spain.

Living in Maldives costs about 41% less than in Spain on average.

Maldives (27% below) and Spain (23% above) straddle the global median.

Internal cost variation is higher in Spain: monthly costs span $1,122 to $3,254, compared to $44.00–$1,550 in Maldives. City choice carries more weight in Spain.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.07 MVR 93.6

$16.06 €13.91

-62.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.95 MVR 755

$56.9 €49.24

-13.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.88 MVR 152

$10.30 €8.92

-4.08%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.84 MVR 74.7

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.99 MVR 92.3

Cappuccino

$3.11 MVR 47.94

$2.32 €2.01

34.05%

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

$1.40 MVR 21.56

$2.60 €2.26

-46.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.34 MVR 5.27

$1.84 €1.59

-81.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.43 €2.97

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.97 €3.44

Milk (1 liter)

$1.71 MVR 26.29

$1.19 €1.03

43.70%

White Bread (500g)

$1.50 MVR 23.06

$1.52 €1.32

-1.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.17 MVR 18.07

$1.67 €1.45

-29.94%

Eggs

$1.57 MVR 24.19

$2.98 €2.58

-47.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.16 MVR 126

$14.42 €12.49

-43.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.07 MVR 93.6

$8.59 €7.44

-29.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.09 MVR 156

$15.95 €13.81

-36.74%

Apples (1kg)

$4.01 MVR 61.8

$2.51 €2.17

59.76%

Banana (1kg)

$3.71 MVR 57.2

$2.07 €1.80

79.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.73 MVR 57.5

$2.04 €1.77

82.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.56 MVR 55.0

$2.64 €2.28

34.85%

Potato (1kg)

$1.42 MVR 21.93

$1.76 €1.52

-19.32%

Onion (1kg)

$1.17 MVR 18.08

$1.98 €1.71

-40.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.52 MVR 38.81

$1.35 €1.17

86.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.65 MVR 9.95

$0.74 €0.64

-12.16%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$11.46 MVR 177

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.65 MVR 40.85

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.21 MVR 127

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.78 MVR 120

$6.27 €5.43

24.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.75 €4.98

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 €1.13

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 €1.78

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.63 MVR 9.66

$1.77 €1.53

-64.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.53 MVR 440

$34.49 €29.87

-17.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.96 MVR 30.26

$4.49 €3.89

-56.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.01 MVR 30.96

$1.32 €1.15

52.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 MVR 125

$27.12 €23.48

-70.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.92 MVR 14.22

$1.80 €1.56

-48.89%

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

$32.5K MVR 501.7K

$38.2K €33.1K

-14.87%

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

$30.5K MVR 469.6K

$30.8K €26.7K

-1.15%

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

$116 MVR 1,790

$149 €129

-21.97%

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

$40.88 MVR 630

$20.14 €17.44

102.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.9 MVR 1,093

$33.50 €29.01

111.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.7 MVR 1,198

$46.30 €40.10

67.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.00 MVR 540

$15.61 €13.52

124.22%

Cinema Ticket

$9.07 MVR 140

$9.40 €8.14

-3.51%

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

$171 MVR 2,630

$522 €452

-67.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,328 MVR 51.3K

$9,880 €8,556

-66.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.24 MVR 651

$88.1 €76.3

-52.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.74 MVR 767

$35.98 €31.16

38.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.2 MVR 1,268

$89.0 €77.1

-7.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$54.1 MVR 835

$108 €93.6

-49.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$979 MVR 15.1K

$1,039 €900

-5.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$684 MVR 10.5K

$820 €710

-16.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,631 MVR 25.1K

$1,689 €1,462

-3.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,402 MVR 21.6K

$1,214 €1,051

15.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,622 MVR 40.4K

$4,301 €3,725

-39.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$757 MVR 11.7K

$2,604 €2,255

-70.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$779 MVR 12.0K

$1,982 €1,716

-60.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.4

3.51

253.28%

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

Last update for Maldives: July 28, 2026

Last update for Spain: July 27, 2026

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $651 in Maldives, $898 in Spain. Capital cities: $961 in Male vs $1,561 in Madrid.

National salary averages: $732 in Maldives, $1,989 in Spain. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 38% higher in Spain.

Dining out costs 253% more in Spain.

Public transport is 175% more expensive in Spain.

Salaries are 172% higher in Spain, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Spain.

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 Spain: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $797 per month in Maldives and $2,188 in Spain, there's a 175% gap. 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 simply cheaper in Maldives: lower food prices, cheaper commutes, smaller household bills. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent in Spain is consistently higher than in Maldives across the board, especially in major cities. Housing is usually the single biggest driver of the overall cost difference between the two countries.

In Maldives, $2,000 covers most cities easily; in Spain it stretches only to regional areas and falls short in the capital – you'll need to make trade-offs on housing or lifestyle.

It depends on what you're after: Maldives wins on affordability; Spain may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.