Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Male and Athens

For one person, living is cheaper in Male: $1,505 a month against $1,779 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

72

Cost of Living Index in Male
Learn more

Male Living Index
85

Cost of Living Index in Athens
Learn more

Athens Living Index

Jump to prices

Male

🇲🇻 Maldives

$1,505

/mo nomad

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,779

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Male and in Athens

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Male and in Athens actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,505 in Male versus $1,779 in Athens.

Male $1,505
Athens $1,779

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,419 in Male versus $2,721 in Athens.

Male $2,419
Athens $2,721

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,332 in Male versus $3,663 in Athens.

Male $3,332
Athens $3,663

Living in Male costs roughly 15% less than in Athens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Male 11% above, Athens 32% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.03 MVR 93.0

$16.83 €14.99

-64.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.48 MVR 593

$66.0 €58.8

-41.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.86 MVR 152

$11.21 €9.98

-12.04%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.90 MVR 75.6

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.17 MVR 111

Cappuccino

$3.49 MVR 53.9

$4.08 €3.64

-14.46%

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

$1.64 MVR 25.25

$2.77 €2.47

-40.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 MVR 4.79

$0.54 €0.48

-42.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.70 €5.07

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.26 €5.58

Milk (1 liter)

$1.98 MVR 30.55

$1.84 €1.64

7.61%

White Bread (500g)

$1.60 MVR 24.70

$1.43 €1.27

11.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.21 MVR 18.64

$2.67 €2.38

-54.68%

Eggs

$1.88 MVR 28.99

$4.95 €4.41

-62.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.53 MVR 162

$15.09 €13.44

-30.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.94 MVR 91.7

$10.99 €9.79

-45.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.38 MVR 145

$19.77 €17.60

-52.55%

Apples (1kg)

$4.04 MVR 62.3

$2.12 €1.89

90.57%

Banana (1kg)

$2.85 MVR 43.95

$1.98 €1.76

43.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.00 MVR 61.7

$1.33 €1.18

200.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.38 MVR 36.68

$2.16 €1.92

10.19%

Potato (1kg)

$2.15 MVR 33.08

$1.06 €0.94

102.83%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 MVR 30.67

$1.15 €1.02

73.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.16 MVR 33.37

$1.08 €0.96

100.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 MVR 9.01

$0.85 €0.75

-31.76%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$12.50 MVR 193

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.72 MVR 41.97

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.01 MVR 30.95

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.90 MVR 230

$5.46 €4.86

172.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.03 €8.93

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 €1.82

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 €2.12

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.66 MVR 10.22

$1.35 €1.20

-51.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.48 MVR 455

$30.52 €27.18

-3.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.90 MVR 29.30

$3.81 €3.39

-50.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.95 MVR 30.09

$1.03 €0.92

89.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.06 MVR 155

$16.49 €14.68

-38.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.04 MVR 16.07

$2.34 €2.09

-55.56%

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

$25.5K MVR 393.9K

$27.8K €24.7K

-8.01%

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

$27.9K MVR 430.3K

$26.6K €23.7K

4.90%

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

$118 MVR 1,817

$202 €180

-41.72%

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

$29.90 MVR 461

$26.81 €23.87

11.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$73.6 MVR 1,135

$30.49 €27.14

141.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.9 MVR 1,108

$54.1 €48.14

32.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$33.66 MVR 519

$27.40 €24.40

22.85%

Cinema Ticket

$9.48 MVR 146

$10.44 €9.30

-9.20%

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

$182 MVR 2,812

$568 €505

-67.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,813 MVR 74.2K

$15.2K €13.5K

-68.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$38.62 MVR 596

$90.7 €80.7

-57.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.25 MVR 759

$39.32 €35.01

25.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.3 MVR 1,315

$105 €93.7

-18.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$52.4 MVR 809

$129 €115

-59.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$961 MVR 14.8K

$742 €661

29.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$691 MVR 10.7K

$648 €577

6.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,054 MVR 31.7K

$1,271 €1,132

61.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,546 MVR 23.8K

$1,122 €999

37.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,234 MVR 34.5K

$3,999 €3,561

-44.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,402 MVR 21.6K

$3,281 €2,921

-57.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$830 MVR 12.8K

$1,245 €1,109

-33.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.44

215.32%

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

Last update for Male: November 3, 2026

Last update for Athens: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Male

$691 45.9%

Athens

$648 36.4% 6.2% $43

Groceries & Markets

Male

$229 15.2%

Athens

$316 17.8% 38.2% $87

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Male

$221 14.7%

Athens

$260 14.6% 17.2% $38

Eating Out

Male

$128 8.5%

Athens

$272 15.3% 113% $144

Clothing & Footwear

Male

$102 6.7%

Athens

$164 9.2% 61.4% $62

Sport & Entertainment

Male

$91 6%

Athens

$75 4.2% 17.5% $16

Getting Around

Male

$44 2.9%

Athens

$45 2.5% 2.5% $1.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $961 in Male and $742 in Athens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens pays 50% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $38 in Male vs $66 in Athens for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $229 vs $316 per month, with Male cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇻 Male

🇬🇷 Athens

🕒 Local time

14:39 2:39 PM

11:39 11:39 AM

3 h behind Male

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

103,693 Capital

3,090,508 Capital

💱 Currency

Maldivian Rufiyaa MVR Rf

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 MVR = 6.49 USD

100 MVR = 5.77 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to MVR – Maldivian Rufiyaa Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇻 Maldivian Rufiyaa (Rf)

Maldivian Rufiyaa exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 15.42 MVR (100 MVR = 6.49 USD). 1 EUR = 17.32 MVR (100 MVR = 5.77 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.89 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to MVR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Male Athens 6,280 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Male
Athens

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

Male vs Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Male wins on cost – living expenses run 15% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Male the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 33% lower in Male. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $961 in Male versus $742 in Athens. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Male – a meal for two runs $38 versus $66 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,505 per month in Male versus $1,779 in Athens – Male is about 15% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,500. Male is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Male and Athens are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Male wins on affordability, Athens on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.