Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between the Maldives and the United States

Name: United States
Address: US

For one person, living is cheaper in the Maldives: $1,476 a month against $2,734 in the United States, rent and utilities included – about $15,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

71

Cost of Living Index in the Maldives
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Maldives Living Index
131

Cost of Living Index in the United States
Learn more

United States Living Index

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🇲🇻 Maldives

$1,476

/mo nomad

🇺🇸 United States

$2,734

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in the Maldives and in the United States

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 the United States actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,476 in the Maldives versus $2,734 in the United States.

Maldives $1,476
United States $2,734

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,376 in the Maldives versus $3,985 in the United States.

Maldives $2,376
United States $3,985

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,276 in the Maldives versus $5,235 in the United States.

Maldives $3,276
United States $5,235

Internal cost variation is higher in the United States: monthly costs span $979 to $5,160, compared to $45–$1,503 in the Maldives. City choice carries more weight in the United States.

Living in the Maldives costs about 46% less than in the United States on average.

Both countries sit above the global median: the Maldives 8% above, the United States 101% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.31 MVR 97.3

$20.03 $20.03

-68.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.4 MVR 778

$80.0 $80.0

-36.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.74 MVR 150

$11.80 $11.80

-17.46%

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

$5.55 $5.55

-40.36%

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

$1.59 MVR 24.46

$2.66 $2.66

-40.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 MVR 4.44

$2.17 $2.17

-86.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.12 $6.12

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.94 $7.94

Milk (1 liter)

$1.85 MVR 28.58

$1.04 $1.04

77.88%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 MVR 24.10

$3.59 $3.59

-56.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.04 MVR 16.04

$4.52 $4.52

-76.99%

Eggs

$1.74 MVR 26.81

$4.28 $4.28

-59.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.33 MVR 97.6

$13.22 $13.22

-52.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.49 MVR 100

$12.60 $12.60

-48.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.13 MVR 156

$17.60 $17.60

-42.44%

Apples (1kg)

$4.00 MVR 61.6

$5.30 $5.30

-24.53%

Banana (1kg)

$3.00 MVR 46.33

$1.69 $1.69

77.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.86 MVR 59.5

$4.44 $4.44

-13.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.58 MVR 39.79

$4.77 $4.77

-45.91%

Potato (1kg)

$1.76 MVR 27.08

$2.97 $2.97

-40.74%

Onion (1kg)

$1.75 MVR 27.05

$3.15 $3.15

-44.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.11 MVR 32.53

$2.20 $2.20

-4.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 MVR 9.37

$2.35 $2.35

-74.04%

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

$10.98 $10.98

36.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.05 $15.05

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.06 $2.06

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.79 $3.79

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.62 MVR 9.54

$1.94 $1.94

-68.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.37 MVR 437

$59.4 $59.4

-52.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.97 MVR 30.35

$3.58 $3.58

-44.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.90 MVR 29.24

$1.88 $1.88

1.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.30 MVR 128

$29.84 $29.84

-72.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 MVR 15.29

$1.02 $1.02

-2.94%

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

$31.9K MVR 492.1K

$28.8K $28.8K

10.99%

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

$30.8K MVR 474.3K

$26.2K $26.2K

17.36%

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

$129 MVR 1,993

$218 $218

-40.69%

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

$30.04 MVR 463

$62.5 $62.5

-51.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.3 MVR 1,054

$74.5 $74.5

-8.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.7 MVR 967

$41.86 $41.86

49.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.86 MVR 322

$22.81 $22.81

-8.55%

Cinema Ticket

$8.98 MVR 139

$14.70 $14.70

-38.91%

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

$181 MVR 2,795

$1,489 $1,489

-87.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,834 MVR 43.7K

$25.3K $25.3K

-88.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$38.11 MVR 588

$54.3 $54.3

-29.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.0 MVR 771

$42.71 $42.71

17.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.1 MVR 1,327

$94.1 $94.1

-8.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$52.4 MVR 808

$114 $114

-53.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$930 MVR 14.3K

$1,659 $1,659

-43.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$678 MVR 10.5K

$1,348 $1,348

-49.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,939 MVR 29.9K

$2,682 $2,682

-27.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,484 MVR 22.9K

$2,169 $2,169

-31.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,663 MVR 41.1K

$3,283 $3,283

-18.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$776 MVR 12.0K

$2,482 $2,482

-68.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$781 MVR 12.0K

$4,296 $4,296

-81.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.55

113.74%

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

Last update for the Maldives: October 25, 2026

Last update for the United States: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Maldives

$678 46%

United States

$1.3K 49.3% 98.6% $669

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Maldives

$228 15.4%

United States

$355 13% 55.9% $127

Groceries & Markets

Maldives

$218 14.8%

United States

$415 15.2% 90.6% $197

Eating Out

Maldives

$127 8.6%

United States

$328 12% 159% $201

Clothing & Footwear

Maldives

$102 6.9%

United States

$137 5% 34.5% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Maldives

$81 5.5%

United States

$71 2.6% 11.7% $9.4

Getting Around

Maldives

$42 2.9%

United States

$80 2.9% 89.5% $38

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $805 in the Maldives, $1,620 in the United States. Capital cities: $939 in Male vs $2,768 in Washington, DC.

National salary averages: $736 in the Maldives, $4,549 in the United States. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 101% higher in the United States.

Dining out costs 92% more in the United States.

Public transport is 152% more expensive in the United States.

Salaries are about 6.2 times higher in the United States, and purchasing power comes out stronger in the United States.

Good to know

🇲🇻 Maldives

🇺🇸 United States

🕒 Local time

21:44 9:44 PM

12:44 12:44 PM

9 h behind the Maldives

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

436,330

340,110,988

💱 Currency

Maldivian Rufiyaa MVR Rf

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MVR = 6.49 USD

100 MVR = 5.83 EUR

1 USD = 0.899 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to MVR – Maldivian Rufiyaa Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇻 Maldivian Rufiyaa (Rf)

Maldivian Rufiyaa exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 15.42 MVR (100 MVR = 6.49 USD). 1 EUR = 17.16 MVR (100 MVR = 5.83 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.899 EUR).

USD to MVR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Maldives United States 15,150 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Maldives
United States

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 United States: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $1,476 per month in the Maldives and $2,734 in the United States, there’s a 85% 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 cheaper in the Maldives: 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 $1,620 in the United States and $805 in the Maldives. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

In the Maldives, $2,000 covers most cities easily; in the United States 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: the Maldives wins on affordability; the United States may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.