Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Male and Nablus

For one person, living is cheaper in Nablus: $1,119 a month against $1,530 in Male, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Male outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Male
🇲🇻 Maldives
$1,530
/mo nomad
Nablus
🇵🇸 Palestine
$1,119
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Male and in Nablus

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,530 in Male versus $1,119 in Nablus.

  • Male $1,530
  • Nablus $1,119

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,451 in Male versus $2,386 in Nablus.

  • Male $2,451
  • Nablus $2,386

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,373 in Male versus $3,653 in Nablus.

  • Male $3,373
  • Nablus $3,653

Living in Male is roughly 37% more expensive than in Nablus, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Male is 13% above, Nablus is 17% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Male
Nablus
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$5.82 MVR 89.7
$7.28 ₪22.65
-20.05%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$39.04 MVR 602
$38.30 ₪119
1.93%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.84 MVR 152
$11.47 ₪35.69
-14.21%
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
$3.24 ₪10.07
8.33%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.67 MVR 25.69
$1.03 ₪3.20
62.14%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.31 MVR 4.80
$0.64 ₪1.99
-51.56%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
-
$4.61 ₪14.33
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$4.90 ₪15.25
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Male
Nablus
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.99 MVR 30.68
$2.26 ₪7.02
-11.95%
White Bread (500g)
$1.69 MVR 26.08
$0.82 ₪2.56
106.10%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.25 MVR 19.33
$3.29 ₪10.24
-62.01%
Eggs
$1.88 MVR 29.07
$2.10 ₪6.54
-10.48%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.61 MVR 164
$12.89 ₪40.11
-17.69%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.16 MVR 95.0
$11.55 ₪35.92
-46.67%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.56 MVR 147
$19.41 ₪60.4
-50.75%
Apples (1kg)
$3.98 MVR 61.4
$3.20 ₪9.95
24.37%
Banana (1kg)
$2.98 MVR 45.98
$2.54 ₪7.90
17.32%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.03 MVR 62.1
$1.97 ₪6.13
104.57%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.73 MVR 42.16
$1.99 ₪6.20
37.19%
Potato (1kg)
$2.08 MVR 32.01
$1.01 ₪3.15
105.94%
Onion (1kg)
$1.87 MVR 28.77
$0.94 ₪2.91
98.94%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.12 MVR 32.73
$1.66 ₪5.15
27.71%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.59 MVR 9.09
$0.94 ₪2.92
-37.23%
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
$9.88 ₪30.75
53.64%
🚌 Getting Around
Male
Nablus
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.67 MVR 10.26
$1.61 ₪5.02
-58.39%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$30.32 MVR 467
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.99 MVR 30.69
$6.61 ₪20.57
-69.89%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.98 MVR 30.55
-
-
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$10.20 MVR 157
-
-
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.98 MVR 15.19
$2.85 ₪8.87
-65.61%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$32.1K MVR 495.0K
$52.5K ₪163.3K
-38.83%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$29.2K MVR 451.0K
$47.0K ₪146.2K
-37.76%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Male
Nablus
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$119 MVR 1,829
$89.0 ₪277
33.33%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$30.12 MVR 465
$38.88 ₪121
-22.53%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$73.9 MVR 1,140
$65.4 ₪203
13.07%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Male
Nablus
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$71.4 MVR 1,100
$81.8 ₪254
-12.73%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$33.67 MVR 519
$38.61 ₪120
-12.79%
Cinema Ticket
$9.76 MVR 150
$11.31 ₪35.20
-13.70%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Male
Nablus
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$181 MVR 2,797
$257 ₪798
-29.29%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,056 MVR 47.1K
$3,949 ₪12.3K
-22.61%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Male
Nablus
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$39.52 MVR 609
$49.08 ₪153
-19.48%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$49.45 MVR 763
$71.8 ₪223
-31.12%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$85.8 MVR 1,323
$115 ₪357
-25.24%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$52.6 MVR 812
$65.7 ₪205
-19.91%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Male
Nablus
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$938 MVR 14.5K
$292 ₪907
221.70%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$709 MVR 10.9K
$223 ₪695
217.61%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,012 MVR 31.0K
$1,118 ₪3,480
79.90%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,570 MVR 24.2K
$1,640 ₪5,102
-4.27%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,213 MVR 34.1K
$844 ₪2,626
162.10%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,385 MVR 21.4K
$628 ₪1,954
120.47%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Male
Nablus
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$842 MVR 13.0K
$735 ₪2,287
14.58%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
14
6.3
122.22%

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

Last update for Male: October 12, 2026

Last update for Nablus: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Male
$709
Nablus
$223 68.5% $486
Groceries & Markets
Male
$234
Nablus
$279 * 19.3% $45
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Male
$223
Nablus
$193 13.2% $29
Eating Out
Male
$126
Nablus
$171 35.6% $45
Clothing & Footwear
Male
$102
Nablus
$136 32.5% $33
Sport & Entertainment
Male
$91
Nablus
$104 14.9% $14
Getting Around
Male
$45
Nablus
$13 * 70.9% $32

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $938 in Male and $292 in Nablus. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Male pays 15% 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 $38.00 in Nablus. Groceries flip the comparison at $234 vs $279, with Male cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇲🇻 Male
🇵🇸 Nablus
🕒 Local time
15:05 3:05 PM
13:05 1:05 PM
2 h behind Male
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
103,693 Capital
130,326
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

ILS, USD, EUR to MVR – Maldivian Rufiyaa Converter

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).

Israeli New Shekel exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 3.11 ILS (1 ILS = 0.321 USD). 1 EUR = 3.5 ILS (1 ILS = 0.286 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Male Nablus 5,060 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Male
  • Nablus

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 Nablus: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Nablus cheaper than Male?
Nablus is cheaper overall, especially in transport. The 37% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Male or Nablus?
Average pay runs 15% higher in Male, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
What is the rent difference between Male and Nablus?
Rent for a central apartment: $938 in Male versus $292 in Nablus. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do food prices compare in Male and in Nablus?
Shoppers in Male pay roughly 19% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.
What are total monthly expenses in Male and in Nablus?
All in, you'll spend $1,530 per month in Male versus $1,119 in Nablus – a 37% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Male or in Nablus?
At $1,119 in Nablus versus $1,530 in Male, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Nablus but tight or insufficient in Male. The gap between the two cities makes Nablus the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is it better to live in Male or in Nablus?
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.
Which city is safer, Male or Nablus?
Safety-wise, Male and Nablus are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Nablus gentler on the wallet – expenses run 37% less than in Male. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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