Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Male and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Male: $1,530 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $8,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Male
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Male Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Male

🇲🇻 Maldives

$1,530

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Male and in Lisbon

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 Lisbon actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,530 in Male versus $2,223 in Lisbon.

Male $1,530
Lisbon $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,451 in Male versus $3,271 in Lisbon.

Male $2,451
Lisbon $3,271

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,373 in Male versus $4,319 in Lisbon.

Male $3,373
Lisbon $4,319

Living in Male costs roughly 31% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Male 13% above, Lisbon 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.82 MVR 89.7

$16.50 €14.67

-64.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.04 MVR 602

$61.3 €54.5

-36.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.84 MVR 152

$11.27 €10.03

-12.69%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.80 MVR 74.0

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.89 MVR 75.5

Cappuccino

$3.51 MVR 54.1

$3.06 €2.72

14.71%

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

$1.67 MVR 25.69

$2.26 €2.01

-26.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 MVR 4.80

$1.73 €1.54

-82.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.39 €3.02

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 €3.02

Milk (1 liter)

$1.99 MVR 30.68

$1.12 €1.00

77.68%

White Bread (500g)

$1.69 MVR 26.08

$1.86 €1.65

-9.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.25 MVR 19.33

$1.53 €1.36

-18.30%

Eggs

$1.88 MVR 29.07

$3.96 €3.53

-52.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.61 MVR 164

$12.76 €11.35

-16.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.16 MVR 95.0

$7.90 €7.02

-22.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.56 MVR 147

$16.97 €15.09

-43.67%

Apples (1kg)

$3.98 MVR 61.4

$2.27 €2.02

75.33%

Banana (1kg)

$2.98 MVR 45.98

$1.75 €1.55

70.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.03 MVR 62.1

$1.85 €1.64

117.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.73 MVR 42.16

$2.57 €2.28

6.23%

Potato (1kg)

$2.08 MVR 32.01

$1.86 €1.65

11.83%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 MVR 28.77

$2.02 €1.80

-7.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.12 MVR 32.73

$1.44 €1.28

47.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 MVR 9.09

$0.82 €0.73

-28.05%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$12.47 MVR 192

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.65 MVR 40.81

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.91 MVR 29.47

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$15.18 MVR 234

$6.56 €5.83

131.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.62 €5.00

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 €1.14

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 €1.84

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.67 MVR 10.26

$2.35 €2.09

-71.49%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.32 MVR 467

$44.18 €39.30

-31.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.99 MVR 30.69

$3.99 €3.55

-50.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.98 MVR 30.55

$1.09 €0.97

81.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.20 MVR 157

$16.64 €14.81

-38.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.98 MVR 15.19

$2.28 €2.03

-57.02%

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

$32.1K MVR 495.0K

$33.7K €30.0K

-4.67%

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

$29.2K MVR 451.0K

$39.3K €35.0K

-25.56%

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

$119 MVR 1,829

$167 €149

-29.18%

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

$30.12 MVR 465

$18.80 €16.72

60.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$73.9 MVR 1,140

$33.09 €29.43

123.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.4 MVR 1,100

$46.01 €40.93

55.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$33.67 MVR 519

$19.19 €17.07

75.46%

Cinema Ticket

$9.76 MVR 150

$9.84 €8.75

-0.81%

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

$181 MVR 2,797

$677 €602

-73.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,056 MVR 47.1K

$16.9K €15.1K

-81.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.52 MVR 609

$101 €90.1

-60.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.45 MVR 763

$45.76 €40.70

8.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.8 MVR 1,323

$100.0 €88.9

-14.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$52.6 MVR 812

$123 €109

-57.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$938 MVR 14.5K

$1,614 €1,436

-41.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$709 MVR 10.9K

$1,197 €1,065

-40.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,012 MVR 31.0K

$2,862 €2,545

-29.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,570 MVR 24.2K

$1,990 €1,770

-21.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,213 MVR 34.1K

$7,577 €6,740

-70.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,385 MVR 21.4K

$4,307 €3,831

-67.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$842 MVR 13.0K

$1,588 €1,412

-46.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

263.64%

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

Last update for Male: October 12, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Male

$709 46.4%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9% 68.8% $488

Groceries & Markets

Male

$234 15.3%

Lisbon

$269 12.1% 15.2% $36

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Male

$223 14.6%

Lisbon

$219 9.9% 1.5% $3.3

Eating Out

Male

$126 8.2%

Lisbon

$242 10.9% 92.1% $116

Clothing & Footwear

Male

$102 6.7%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 62.6% $64

Sport & Entertainment

Male

$91 5.9%

Lisbon

$66 3% 27.7% $25

Getting Around

Male

$45 2.9%

Lisbon

$63 2.8% 40.4% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $938 in Male and $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 89% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $39.00 in Male vs $61.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $234 vs $269 per month, with Male cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇻 Male

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

11:21 11:21 AM

07:21 7:21 AM

4 h behind Male

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

103,693 Capital

545,923 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 October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 15.42 MVR (100 MVR = 6.49 USD). 1 EUR = 17.34 MVR (100 MVR = 5.77 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to MVR in detail →

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Between locations

Male Lisbon 9,080 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Male
Lisbon

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 Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Male and Lisbon differ by about 45% in total monthly costs ($1,530 vs $2,223 including rent). Male is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 89% lower in Lisbon. 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: $938 in Male versus $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $181 in Male versus $677 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 15% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,530 in Male versus $2,223 in Lisbon, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Male but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Male the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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 Lisbon are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Male gentler on the wallet – expenses run 45% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.