Malé at a glance
- Malé is the most expensive of Maldives's 2 priced cities: $1,198 a month in essentials, 111% above Fuvahmulah at $568.
- The average net salary of $827 covers that 0.7×.
- 187.5 men per 100 women aged 20–39, measured at atoll level.
- PM2.5 averages 9.2 µg/m³ a year, 2× the WHO guideline of 5.
Green is the better side of each figure. Every line is computed from the tables below.
Monthly cost breakdown
Rent outside centre plus utilities, groceries, dining and local transport make up the essentials figure. Not a full lifestyle budget.
| Essentials, monthlyrent outside centre + bills + food + transit | $1,198 |
|---|---|
| Rent, 1-bed outside centremonthly, USD | $698 |
| Rent, 1-bed city centremonthly, USD | $948 |
| Groceriesmonthly, one person | $130 |
| Dining outmonthly, one person | $148 |
| Utilitiesmonthly: power, water, heating, internet | $191 |
| Local transportmonthly pass or fare equivalent | $31 |
| Average net salarymonthly, after tax; average, not median | $827 |
| Rent, 3-bed outside centremonthly, USD | $1,551 |
| Rent, 3-bed city centremonthly, USD | $2,037 |
Single person, USD. Data updated September 8, 2026.
Everyday prices
What single items cost in Malé, in USD. The monthly figures above are built from these. Cheaper side of each row in green.
Eating out
| Meal, inexpensive restaurant | $5.98 |
|---|---|
| Meal for 2, mid-range, three courses | $38.81 |
| McMeal at McDonald's | $9.70 |
| Cappuccino, regular | $3.54 |
| Coke/Pepsi, 0.33 L | $1.62 |
| Water, 0.33 L bottle | $0.30 |
Groceries
| Milk, 1 L | $2.03 |
|---|---|
| White bread, 500 g | $1.65 |
| White rice, 1 kg | $1.22 |
| Eggs, 12 | $1.92 |
| Local cheese, 1 kg | $10.64 |
| Chicken fillets, 1 kg | $6.08 |
| Apples, 1 kg | $3.96 |
| Bananas, 1 kg | $3.05 |
| Tomatoes, 1 kg | $2.68 |
| Potatoes, 1 kg | $2.05 |
| Onions, 1 kg | $1.89 |
| Water, 1.5 L bottle | $0.60 |
Transport & bills
| One-way ticket, local transport | $0.65 |
|---|---|
| Monthly transit pass | $30.72 |
| Taxi start | $1.94 |
| Taxi, 1 km | $1.94 |
| Gasoline, 1 L | $0.98 |
| Basic utilities, 85 m² flat | $118.59 |
| Internet, 60 Mbps+ | $72.77 |
| Mobile plan, monthly | $30.03 |
Leisure
| Gym, monthly | $70.63 |
|---|---|
| Cinema, one seat | $9.70 |
Dating-age sex ratio
Malé has 187.5 men per 100 women aged 20–39 (atoll level). That is the 2nd-highest of 4 Maldives cities we track.
A supply figure, 20–39. The dating-pool model is in Pro.
How Malé ranks against every city we track
Malé sits ahead of 68% of the 1069 cities we track on clean air. On local salary it is ahead of 51% of 995. Its weakest measure is women aged 20–39, ahead of only 1% of 1074.
Longer is better on every row: bar length is where Malé sits among all the cities carrying that measure, which is why the count differs by row.
Put Malé on the board
Ratio, cost and visa for Malé beside every other city we measure. Free, no sign-in.
Open Malé in the research deskOr unlock the Maldives deep-dive: visa, tax, scams, and the sub-national map.
Photo: Shahee Ilyas, CC BY-SA 3.0.
Data updated