Cost of Living Comparison Between Maldives and United States

Or please fill:

* Free use is limited to personal, academic and journalistic purposes only.
For commercial purposes, please obtain a Data License, Insights or API access

For major cities in those countries you get more relevant data by specifying cities.

City in Maldives:
City in United States:

Indices Difference
Cost of Living in United States is 43.9% higher than in Maldives (excluding rent)
Cost of Living Including Rent in United States is 49.3% higher than in Maldives
Rent Prices in United States are 62.8% higher than in Maldives
Restaurant Prices in United States are 74.8% higher than in Maldives
Groceries Prices in United States are 40.0% higher than in Maldives
Local Purchasing Power in United States is 265.5% higher than in Maldives

Currency: Sticky Currency Switch to metric measurement units

Restaurants	Maldives Edit	United States Edit	Difference
Meal at an Inexpensive Restaurant	100.00 Rf (6.47 $)	309.20 Rf (20.00 $)	+209.2 %
Meal for Two at a Mid-Range Restaurant (Three Courses, Without Drinks)	750.00 Rf (48.51 $)	1,187.66 Rf (76.82 $)	+58.4 %
Combo Meal at McDonald's (or Equivalent Fast-Food Meal)	150.00 Rf (9.70 $)	185.52 Rf (12.00 $)	+23.7 %
Domestic Draft Beer (1 Pint)	72.50 Rf (4.69 $)	92.76 Rf (6.00 $)	+27.9 %
Imported Beer (12 oz Small Bottle)	150.00 Rf (9.70 $)	115.95 Rf (7.50 $)	-22.7 %
Cappuccino (Regular Size)	46.11 Rf (2.98 $)	83.01 Rf (5.37 $)	+80.0 %
Soft Drink (Coca-Cola or Pepsi, 12 oz Small Bottle)	21.72 Rf (1.40 $)	40.90 Rf (2.65 $)	+88.3 %
Bottled Water (12 oz)	4.69 Rf (0.30 $)	32.90 Rf (2.13 $)	+600.8 %

Markets	Maldives Edit	United States Edit
Milk (Regular, 1 Liter)	27.27 Rf (1.76 $)	16.43 Rf (1.06 $)	-39.8 %
Fresh White Bread (1 lb Loaf)	20.97 Rf (1.36 $)	51.11 Rf (3.31 $)	+143.8 %
White Rice (1 lb)	6.52 Rf (0.42 $)	32.16 Rf (2.08 $)	+393.6 %
Eggs (12, Large Size)	25.98 Rf (1.68 $)	67.76 Rf (4.38 $)	+160.8 %
Local Cheese (1 lb)	44.64 Rf (2.89 $)	91.16 Rf (5.90 $)	+104.2 %
Chicken Fillets (1 lb)	41.05 Rf (2.66 $)	86.12 Rf (5.57 $)	+109.8 %
Beef Round or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat (1 lb)	70.17 Rf (4.54 $)	117.62 Rf (7.61 $)	+67.6 %
Apples (1 lb)	28.78 Rf (1.86 $)	36.64 Rf (2.37 $)	+27.3 %
Bananas (1 lb)	23.11 Rf (1.49 $)	11.77 Rf (0.76 $)	-49.1 %
Oranges (1 lb)	27.22 Rf (1.76 $)	31.16 Rf (2.02 $)	+14.5 %
Tomatoes (1 lb)	21.19 Rf (1.37 $)	34.24 Rf (2.21 $)	+61.6 %
Potatoes (1 lb)	12.93 Rf (0.84 $)	20.28 Rf (1.31 $)	+56.9 %
Onions (1 lb)	11.88 Rf (0.77 $)	21.47 Rf (1.39 $)	+80.7 %
Lettuce (1 Head)	34.28 Rf (2.22 $)	34.41 Rf (2.23 $)	+0.4 %
Bottled Water (50 oz)	9.83 Rf (0.64 $)	35.09 Rf (2.27 $)	+256.8 %
Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range)	175.00 Rf (11.32 $)	231.90 Rf (15.00 $)	+32.5 %
Domestic Beer (16.9 oz Bottle)	41.97 Rf (2.71 $)	31.77 Rf (2.05 $)	-24.3 %
Imported Beer (12 oz Small Bottle)	70.31 Rf (4.55 $)	56.15 Rf (3.63 $)	-20.1 %
Cigarettes (Pack of 20, Marlboro)	230.00 Rf (14.88 $)	160.78 Rf (10.40 $)	-30.1 %

Transportation	Maldives Edit	United States Edit
One-Way Ticket (Local Transport)	10.00 Rf (0.65 $)	38.65 Rf (2.50 $)	+286.5 %
Monthly Public Transport Pass (Regular Price)	475.00 Rf (30.72 $)	1,004.90 Rf (65.00 $)	+111.6 %
Taxi Start (Standard Tariff)	30.00 Rf (1.94 $)	54.11 Rf (3.50 $)	+80.4 %
Taxi 1 mile (Standard Tariff)	48.28 Rf (3.12 $)	46.03 Rf (2.98 $)	-4.7 %
Taxi 1 Hour Waiting (Standard Tariff)	154.60 Rf (10.00 $)	463.80 Rf (30.00 $)	+200.0 %
Gasoline (1 Liter)	14.58 Rf (0.94 $)	13.71 Rf (0.89 $)	-6.0 %
Volkswagen Golf 1.5 (or Equivalent New Compact Car)	500,000.00 Rf (32,341.53 $)	547,361.30 Rf (35,405.00 $)	+9.5 %
Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6 (or Equivalent New Mid-Size Car)	466,666.67 Rf (30,185.42 $)	400,664.30 Rf (25,916.19 $)	-14.1 %

Utilities (Monthly)	Maldives Edit	United States Edit
Basic Utilities for 915 Square Feet Apartment (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage)	2,100.00 Rf (135.83 $)	3,291.76 Rf (212.92 $)	+56.8 %
Mobile Phone Plan (Monthly, with Calls and 10GB+ Data)	464.29 Rf (30.03 $)	949.68 Rf (61.43 $)	+104.5 %
Broadband Internet (Unlimited Data, 60 Mbps or Higher)	1,125.00 Rf (72.77 $)	1,127.59 Rf (72.94 $)	+0.2 %

Sports And Leisure	Maldives Edit	United States Edit
Monthly Fitness Club Membership	1,091.90 Rf (70.63 $)	703.26 Rf (45.49 $)	-35.6 %
Tennis Court Rental (1 Hour, Weekend)	325.00 Rf (21.02 $)	354.25 Rf (22.91 $)	+9.0 %
Cinema Ticket (International Release)	142.50 Rf (9.22 $)	231.90 Rf (15.00 $)	+62.7 %

Childcare	Maldives Edit	United States Edit
Private Full-Day Preschool or Kindergarten, Monthly Fee per Child	2,853.00 Rf (184.54 $)	22,625.54 Rf (1,463.49 $)	+693.0 %
International Primary School, Annual Tuition per Child	47,586.40 Rf (3,078.03 $)	389,920.54 Rf (25,221.25 $)	+719.4 %

Clothing And Shoes	Maldives Edit	United States Edit
Jeans (Levi's 501 or Similar)	557.98 Rf (36.09 $)	817.38 Rf (52.87 $)	+46.5 %
Summer Dress in a Chain Store (e.g. Zara or H&M)	698.73 Rf (45.20 $)	666.88 Rf (43.14 $)	-4.6 %
Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range)	1,191.58 Rf (77.08 $)	1,416.47 Rf (91.62 $)	+18.9 %
Men's Leather Business Shoes	808.50 Rf (52.30 $)	1,774.43 Rf (114.78 $)	+119.5 %

Rent Per Month	Maldives Edit	United States Edit
1 Bedroom Apartment in City Centre	13,511.11 Rf (873.94 $)	25,841.42 Rf (1,671.50 $)	+91.3 %
1 Bedroom Apartment Outside of City Centre	9,944.44 Rf (643.24 $)	20,975.34 Rf (1,356.75 $)	+110.9 %
3 Bedroom Apartment in City Centre	29,377.78 Rf (1,900.24 $)	41,592.07 Rf (2,690.30 $)	+41.6 %
3 Bedroom Apartment Outside of City Centre	22,612.50 Rf (1,462.65 $)	34,437.23 Rf (2,227.51 $)	+52.3 %

Buy Apartment Price	Maldives Edit	United States Edit
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre	3,757.74 Rf (243.06 $)	4,872.41 Rf (315.16 $)	+29.7 %
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre	1,535.23 Rf (99.30 $)	3,819.08 Rf (247.03 $)	+148.8 %

Salaries And Financing	Maldives Edit	United States Edit
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)	12,247.72 Rf (792.22 $)	66,845.50 Rf (4,323.77 $)	+445.8 %
Annual Mortgage Interest Rate (20-Year Fixed, in %)	14.00	6.26	-55.3 %
Last update:	16 February 2026	25 March 2026
Contributors in the past 12 months:	19	7163