Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sunny Beach and Hulhumale

For one person, living is cheaper in Sunny Beach: $1,038 a month against $1,438 in Hulhumale, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Hulhumale outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

50

Cost of Living Index in Sunny Beach
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Sunny Beach Living Index
70

Cost of Living Index in Hulhumale
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Hulhumale Living Index

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Sunny Beach

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,038

/mo nomad

Hulhumale

🇲🇻 Maldives

$1,438

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sunny Beach and in Hulhumale

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,038 in Sunny Beach versus $1,438 in Hulhumale.

Sunny Beach $1,038
Hulhumale $1,438

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,578 in Sunny Beach versus $2,595 in Hulhumale.

Sunny Beach $1,578
Hulhumale $2,595

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,117 in Sunny Beach versus $3,752 in Hulhumale.

Sunny Beach $2,117
Hulhumale $3,752

Living in Sunny Beach costs roughly 28% less than in Hulhumale, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sunny Beach is 23% below, Hulhumale is 6% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.39 BGN 14.59

$6.07 MVR 93.6

38.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.87 BGN 78.1

$39.45 MVR 608

13.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.63 BGN 16.75

$9.24 MVR 142

4.22%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.72 MVR 72.8

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.87 MVR 75.1

Cappuccino

$2.86 BGN 4.98

$3.61 MVR 55.7

-20.78%

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

$1.74 BGN 3.02

$1.66 MVR 25.66

4.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.56 BGN 2.71

$0.31 MVR 4.84

403.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.31 BGN 4.03

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 BGN 3.02

Milk (1 liter)

$1.76 BGN 3.06

$1.59 MVR 24.59

10.69%

White Bread (500g)

$0.75 BGN 1.30

$1.69 MVR 26.11

-55.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.18 BGN 3.79

$0.34 MVR 5.17

541.18%

Eggs

$3.69 BGN 6.42

$1.85 MVR 28.50

99.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.40 BGN 14.61

$3.32 MVR 51.3

153.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.56 BGN 14.90

$5.97 MVR 92.1

43.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.28 BGN 24.85

$9.40 MVR 145

51.91%

Apples (1kg)

$1.70 BGN 2.95

$3.94 MVR 60.7

-56.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.77 BGN 3.08

$3.13 MVR 48.34

-43.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.91 BGN 3.32

$2.92 MVR 45.05

-34.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.63 BGN 4.57

$2.71 MVR 41.78

-2.95%

Potato (1kg)

$1.07 BGN 1.87

$1.24 MVR 19.12

-13.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.05 BGN 1.83

$1.15 MVR 17.72

-8.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.16 BGN 2.02

$2.14 MVR 33.05

-45.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 BGN 1.24

$0.62 MVR 9.58

14.52%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$12.39 MVR 191

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.78 MVR 42.84

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.01 MVR 31.07

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.10 BGN 7.13

$12.72 MVR 196

-67.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.27 BGN 10.92

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 BGN 1.96

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 BGN 3.58

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.13 BGN 1.97

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 BGN 2.21

$1.96 MVR 30.27

-35.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.65 BGN 1.12

$1.90 MVR 29.36

-65.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.32 BGN 17.96

$10.11 MVR 156

2.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 BGN 2.75

$0.99 MVR 15.22

59.60%

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

$29.6K BGN 51.5K

$32.0K MVR 493.5K

-7.60%

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

$24.4K BGN 42.5K

$29.4K MVR 453.9K

-17.04%

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

$114 BGN 199

$104 MVR 1,597

10.27%

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

$18.46 BGN 32.12

$29.71 MVR 458

-37.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.66 BGN 27.25

$73.0 MVR 1,125

-78.54%

Cinema Ticket

$8.90 BGN 15.48

$9.84 MVR 152

-9.55%

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

$519 BGN 902

$187 MVR 2,882

177.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,550 BGN 9,658

$2,984 MVR 46.0K

85.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$33.86 BGN 58.9

$39.39 MVR 607

-14.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.32 BGN 71.9

$49.44 MVR 762

-16.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.8 BGN 167

$86.4 MVR 1,332

10.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 BGN 180

$52.9 MVR 816

95.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$565 BGN 984

$1,121 MVR 17.3K

-49.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$341 BGN 593

$775 MVR 11.9K

-55.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$679 BGN 1,181

$2,292 MVR 35.3K

-70.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$513 BGN 893

$2,294 MVR 35.4K

-77.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,328 BGN 2,310

$5,300 MVR 81.7K

-74.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,135 BGN 1,976

$499 MVR 7,689

127.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$920 BGN 1,601

$725 MVR 11.2K

27.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.1

-77.86%

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

Last update for Sunny Beach: October 12, 2026

Last update for Hulhumale: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sunny Beach

$341 32.9%

Hulhumale

$775 53.9% 127% $434

Groceries & Markets

Sunny Beach

$240 23.1%

Hulhumale

$195 13.6% 18.6% $45

Eating Out

Sunny Beach

$159 15.3%

Hulhumale

$128 8.9% 19.5% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sunny Beach

$148 14.3%

Hulhumale

$206 14.4% 39% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Sunny Beach

$123 11.9%

Hulhumale

$103 7.1% 16.9% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Sunny Beach

$18 * 1.7%

Hulhumale

$20 * 1.4% 10.6% $1.9

Getting Around

Sunny Beach

$9 * 0.9%

Hulhumale

$11 * 0.8% 27.3% $2.5

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 $565 in Sunny Beach and $1,121 in Hulhumale. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sunny Beach pays 27% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $45.00 in Sunny Beach vs $39.00 in Hulhumale for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $240 vs $195 per month, with Hulhumale cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sunny Beach

🇲🇻 Hulhumale

🕒 Local time

15:34 3:34 PM

17:34 5:34 PM

2 h ahead of Sunny Beach

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,347

5,000

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Maldivian Rufiyaa MVR Rf

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

100 MVR = 6.49 USD

100 MVR = 5.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MVR, USD, EUR to BGN – Bulgarian Lev Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇬 Bulgarian Lev (лв.)

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.511 EUR).

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).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Sunny Beach Hulhumale 6,220 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Sunny Beach
Hulhumale

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

Sunny Beach vs Hulhumale: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sunny Beach wins on cost – living expenses run 38% lower than in Hulhumale. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Sunny Beach the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 27% higher in Sunny Beach, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $565 in Sunny Beach versus $1,121 in Hulhumale. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $519 in Sunny Beach versus $187 in Hulhumale. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Sunny Beach – a meal for two runs $45.00 versus $39.00 in Hulhumale. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,038 in Sunny Beach versus $1,438 in Hulhumale, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Sunny Beach but tight or insufficient in Hulhumale. The gap between the two cities makes Sunny Beach 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, Sunny Beach and Hulhumale 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 Sunny Beach gentler on the wallet – expenses run 38% less than in Hulhumale. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.