Cost of Living Comparison Between United Kingdom and Maldives Cost of Living Comparison Between United Kingdom and Maldives

Name: Maldives
Address: MV

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,401 in United Kingdom versus $945 in Maldives.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,517 in United Kingdom versus $1,554 in Maldives.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,632 in United Kingdom versus $2,163 in Maldives.

Living in United Kingdom is roughly 154% more expensive than in Maldives on average.

United Kingdom (76% above) and Maldives (31% below) straddle the global median.

Internal cost variation is higher in United Kingdom: monthly costs span $1,129 to $4,094, compared to $43.00–$1,534 in Maldives. City choice carries more weight in United Kingdom.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.78 £16.31

$6.58 MVR 102

231.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$86.7 £64.9

$51.1 MVR 789

69.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.00 £8.23

$9.93 MVR 153

10.78%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.01 MVR 77.3

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.44 MVR 146

Cappuccino

$4.79 £3.59

$3.45 MVR 53.1

38.84%

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

$2.60 £1.95

$1.53 MVR 23.52

69.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 £1.37

$0.31 MVR 4.79

490.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.60 £4.94

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.83 £5.11

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 £1.30

$1.85 MVR 28.56

-6.49%

White Bread (500g)

$1.73 £1.29

$1.51 MVR 23.23

14.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.26 £1.69

$1.02 MVR 15.76

121.57%

Eggs

$4.12 £3.08

$1.82 MVR 28.07

126.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.52 £7.13

$6.26 MVR 96.5

52.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.42 £7.05

$6.59 MVR 102

42.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.83 £11.10

$9.92 MVR 153

49.50%

Apples (1kg)

$3.10 £2.32

$4.12 MVR 63.5

-24.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 £1.26

$3.00 MVR 46.25

-43.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.88 £2.15

$3.74 MVR 57.7

-22.99%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.36 £2.52

$2.57 MVR 39.65

30.74%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 £1.38

$1.84 MVR 28.45

0.54%

Onion (1kg)

$1.57 £1.17

$1.77 MVR 27.33

-11.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.26 £0.94

$2.15 MVR 33.20

-41.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 £1.27

$0.66 MVR 10.17

157.58%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$11.14 MVR 172

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.46 MVR 37.93

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 MVR 71.2

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.75 £17.78

$14.79 MVR 228

60.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.95 £8.20

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.95 £2.21

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 £2.59

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.34 £2.50

$0.63 MVR 9.65

430.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$106 £79.0

$29.00 MVR 447

263.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.44 £4.07

$2.01 MVR 30.96

170.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.29 £1.71

$1.90 MVR 29.35

20.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.80 £20.07

$8.08 MVR 125

231.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 £1.47

$1.03 MVR 15.86

90.29%

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

$39.2K £29.3K

$32.9K MVR 507.3K

19.09%

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

$40.9K £30.6K

$29.9K MVR 461.5K

36.66%

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

$328 £245

$130 MVR 2,006

152.06%

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

$18.19 £13.62

$30.35 MVR 468

-40.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.01 £32.20

$69.1 MVR 1,066

-37.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.44 £34.77

$62.6 MVR 966

-25.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.15 £13.59

$21.23 MVR 327

-14.51%

Cinema Ticket

$13.61 £10.19

$9.12 MVR 141

49.23%

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

$1,773 £1,327

$181 MVR 2,793

878.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.4K £17.5K

$2,851 MVR 44.0K

721.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$92.7 £69.4

$37.56 MVR 579

146.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.67 £34.94

$49.11 MVR 757

-4.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 £77.0

$88.5 MVR 1,364

16.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 £75.8

$52.4 MVR 808

93.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,372 £1,027

$938 MVR 14.5K

46.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,111 £832

$685 MVR 10.6K

62.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,206 £1,651

$1,917 MVR 29.6K

15.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,808 £1,353

$1,486 MVR 22.9K

21.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,687 £4,258

$2,595 MVR 40.0K

119.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,425 £3,313

$758 MVR 11.7K

483.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,419 £2,560

$765 MVR 11.8K

347.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.33

-61.93%

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

Last update for United Kingdom: September 13, 2026

Last update for Maldives: September 14, 2026

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $1,274 in United Kingdom, $609 in Maldives. Capital cities: $2,976 in London vs $966 in Male.

National salary averages: $3,281 in United Kingdom, $733 in Maldives. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 109% higher in United Kingdom.

Dining out costs 342% more in United Kingdom.

Public transport is 562% more expensive in United Kingdom.

Salaries are 348% higher in United Kingdom, and purchasing power comes out stronger in United Kingdom.

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

United Kingdom vs Maldives: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $789 per month in Maldives and $2,612 in United Kingdom, there's a 231% 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 simply cheaper in Maldives: lower food prices, cheaper commutes, smaller household bills. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent in United Kingdom is consistently higher than in Maldives across the board, especially in major cities. Housing is usually the single biggest driver of the overall cost difference between the two countries.

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