Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between the United States and the Maldives

Name: Maldives
Address: MV

For one person, living is cheaper in the Maldives: $1,476 a month against $2,734 in the United States, rent and utilities included – about $15,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

131

Cost of Living Index in the United States
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United States Living Index
71

Cost of Living Index in the Maldives
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Maldives Living Index

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🇺🇸 United States

$2,734

/mo nomad

🇲🇻 Maldives

$1,476

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in the United States and in the Maldives

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,734 in the United States versus $1,476 in the Maldives.

United States $2,734
Maldives $1,476

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,985 in the United States versus $2,376 in the Maldives.

United States $3,985
Maldives $2,376

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,235 in the United States versus $3,276 in the Maldives.

United States $5,235
Maldives $3,276

Internal cost variation is higher in the United States: monthly costs span $979 to $5,160, compared to $45–$1,503 in the Maldives. City choice carries more weight in the United States.

Living in the United States is roughly 85% more expensive than in the Maldives on average.

Both countries sit above the global median: the United States 101% above, the Maldives 8% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.03 $20.03

$6.31 MVR 97.3

217.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.0 $80.0

$50.4 MVR 778

58.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.80 $11.80

$9.74 MVR 150

21.15%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.95 MVR 76.4

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.89 MVR 153

Cappuccino

$5.55 $5.55

$3.31 MVR 51.0

67.67%

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

$2.66 $2.66

$1.59 MVR 24.46

67.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 $2.17

$0.29 MVR 4.44

648.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.12 $6.12

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.94 $7.94

Milk (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.85 MVR 28.58

-43.78%

White Bread (500g)

$3.59 $3.59

$1.56 MVR 24.10

130.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.52 $4.52

$1.04 MVR 16.04

334.62%

Eggs

$4.28 $4.28

$1.74 MVR 26.81

145.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.22 $13.22

$6.33 MVR 97.6

108.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.60 $12.60

$6.49 MVR 100

94.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.60 $17.60

$10.13 MVR 156

73.74%

Apples (1kg)

$5.30 $5.30

$4.00 MVR 61.6

32.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 $1.69

$3.00 MVR 46.33

-43.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.44 $4.44

$3.86 MVR 59.5

15.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.77 $4.77

$2.58 MVR 39.79

84.88%

Potato (1kg)

$2.97 $2.97

$1.76 MVR 27.08

68.75%

Onion (1kg)

$3.15 $3.15

$1.75 MVR 27.05

80.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.20 $2.20

$2.11 MVR 32.53

4.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.35 $2.35

$0.61 MVR 9.37

285.25%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$11.13 MVR 172

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.47 MVR 38.09

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.63 MVR 71.4

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.98 $10.98

$15.03 MVR 232

-26.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.05 $15.05

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.06 $2.06

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.79 $3.79

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.94 $1.94

$0.62 MVR 9.54

212.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.4 $59.4

$28.37 MVR 437

109.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.58 $3.58

$1.97 MVR 30.35

81.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.88 $1.88

$1.90 MVR 29.24

-1.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.84 $29.84

$8.30 MVR 128

259.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 $1.02

$0.99 MVR 15.29

3.03%

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

$28.8K $28.8K

$31.9K MVR 492.1K

-9.90%

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

$26.2K $26.2K

$30.8K MVR 474.3K

-14.79%

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

$218 $218

$129 MVR 1,993

68.61%

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

$62.5 $62.5

$30.04 MVR 463

107.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$74.5 $74.5

$68.3 MVR 1,054

8.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.86 $41.86

$62.7 MVR 967

-33.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.81 $22.81

$20.86 MVR 322

9.35%

Cinema Ticket

$14.70 $14.70

$8.98 MVR 139

63.70%

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

$1,489 $1,489

$181 MVR 2,795

721.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.3K $25.3K

$2,834 MVR 43.7K

790.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.3 $54.3

$38.11 MVR 588

42.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.71 $42.71

$50.0 MVR 771

-14.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.1 $94.1

$86.1 MVR 1,327

9.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 $114

$52.4 MVR 808

116.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,659 $1,659

$930 MVR 14.3K

78.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,348 $1,348

$678 MVR 10.5K

98.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,682 $2,682

$1,939 MVR 29.9K

38.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,169 $2,169

$1,484 MVR 22.9K

46.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,283 $3,283

$2,663 MVR 41.1K

23.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,482 $2,482

$776 MVR 12.0K

219.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,296 $4,296

$781 MVR 12.0K

449.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.55

-53.21%

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

Last update for the United States: October 25, 2026

Last update for the Maldives: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

United States

$1.3K 49.3%

Maldives

$678 46% 49.7% $669

Groceries & Markets

United States

$415 15.2%

Maldives

$218 14.8% 47.5% $197

Monthly Utilities & Internet

United States

$355 13%

Maldives

$228 15.4% 35.9% $127

Eating Out

United States

$328 12%

Maldives

$127 8.6% 61.3% $201

Clothing & Footwear

United States

$137 5%

Maldives

$102 6.9% 25.6% $35

Getting Around

United States

$80 2.9%

Maldives

$42 2.9% 47.2% $38

Sport & Entertainment

United States

$71 2.6%

Maldives

$81 5.5% 13.2% $9.4

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $1,620 in the United States, $805 in the Maldives. Capital cities: $2,768 in Washington, DC vs $939 in Male.

National salary averages: $4,549 in the United States, $736 in the Maldives. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 101% higher in the United States.

Dining out costs 92% more in the United States.

Public transport is 152% more expensive in the United States.

Salaries are about 6.2 times higher in the United States, and purchasing power comes out stronger in the United States.

Good to know

🇺🇸 United States

🇲🇻 Maldives

🕒 Local time

13:33 1:33 PM

22:33 10:33 PM

9 h ahead of the United States

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

340,110,988

436,330

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Maldivian Rufiyaa MVR Rf

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

100 MVR = 6.49 USD

100 MVR = 5.83 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MVR, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇲🇻 Maldivian Rufiyaa (Rf)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

Maldivian Rufiyaa exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 15.42 MVR (100 MVR = 6.49 USD). 1 EUR = 17.17 MVR (100 MVR = 5.83 EUR).

MVR to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

United States Maldives 15,150 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

United States
Maldives

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

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

At $1,476 per month in the Maldives and $2,734 in the United States, there’s a 85% 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 cheaper in the Maldives: lower grocery prices, cheaper commutes, and more affordable meals out. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $1,620 in the United States and $805 in the Maldives. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

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