Cost of living comparison

compared to

Saudi Arabia vs. Maldives Cost of Living Summary

Saudi Arabia is 7.7% more expensive than Maldives overall.

Restaurants: pay 16.7% less in Saudi Arabia
Groceries: pay 17.9% less in Saudi Arabia
Transportation: pay 7.7% less in Saudi Arabia
Housing: pay 22.1% less in Saudi Arabia
Childcare: pay 97.2% more in Saudi Arabia
Entertainment and Sports: pay 4.8% more in Saudi Arabia
Clothing: pay 16.4% more in Saudi Arabia

The cost of childcare, clothing, and entertainment and sports in Saudi Arabia are more expensive than in Maldives. Expenses including housing, groceries, restaurants, and transportation are lower in Saudi Arabia. Notably, childcare is significantly more expensive in Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Arabia vs. Maldives Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Saudi Arabia instead of Maldives, you would:

Display currency: USD

pay 16.7% less for restaurants

	Maldives	Saudi Arabia
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant	$5.56 MVR85.56	$6.32 SAR23.70	+13.7%
Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar	$9.80 MVR150.98	$7.73 SAR29.00	-21.1%
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz)	$1.45 MVR22.29	$0.74 SAR2.79	-48.7%
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz)	$0.31 MVR4.70	$0.27 SAR1.02	-10.6%
Average			-16.7%

Maldives vs. Saudi Arabia - Cost of restaurants

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pay 17.9% less for groceries

	Maldives	Saudi Arabia
Bread 1 loaf	$1.59 MVR24.49	$0.92 SAR3.43	-42.5%
Local cheese (8 oz)	$4.58 MVR70.46	$3.62 SAR13.56	-21.0%
Milk (1 gallon)	$6.95 MVR107.00	$6.74 SAR25.26	-3.1%
Eggs 1 dozen	$1.67 MVR25.67	$2.52 SAR9.47	+51.5%
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb)	$2.82 MVR43.37	$3.28 SAR12.28	+16.3%
Apples (1 lb)	$1.84 MVR28.31	$0.97 SAR3.63	-47.3%
Bananas (1 lb)	$1.73 MVR26.63	$0.78 SAR2.91	-55.1%
Oranges (1 lb)	$1.96 MVR30.25	$0.80 SAR3.00	-59.3%
Tomatoes (1 lb)	$1.48 MVR22.83	$0.74 SAR2.77	-50.2%
Potatoes (1 lb)	$0.70 MVR10.77	$0.66 SAR2.49	-5.0%
Onions (1 lb)	$0.55 MVR8.45	$0.65 SAR2.43	+18.3%
Average			-17.9%

Maldives vs. Saudi Arabia - Cost of groceries

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pay 7.7% less for transportation

	Maldives	Saudi Arabia
Gasoline (1 gallon)	$3.54 MVR54.53	$2.32 SAR8.72	-34.4%
Monthly public transit pass	$28.91 MVR445.28	$33.84 SAR126.92	+17.0%
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition)	$32,679.74 MVR503,267.97	$25,756.63 SAR96,608.57	-21.2%
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles)	$17.65 MVR271.76	$19.00 SAR71.26	+7.7%
Average			-7.7%

Maldives vs. Saudi Arabia - Cost of transportation

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pay 22.1% less for housing

	Maldives	Saudi Arabia
Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl	$61.82 MVR952.02	$74.04 SAR277.70	+19.8%
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area	$1,136.53 MVR17,502.54	$434.87 SAR1,631.13	-61.7%
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center	$731.21 MVR11,260.62	$360.33 SAR1,351.52	-50.7%
Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating	$93.30 MVR1,436.78	$97.42 SAR365.42	+4.4%
Average			-22.1%

Maldives vs. Saudi Arabia - Cost of housing

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pay 97.2% more for childcare

	Maldives	Saudi Arabia
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly	$164.38 MVR2,531.44	$350.88 SAR1,316.09	+113.5%
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters	$3,587.42 MVR55,246.24	$6,485.70 SAR24,326.72	+80.8%
Average			+97.2%

Maldives vs. Saudi Arabia - Cost of childcare

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pay 4.8% more for entertainment and sports

	Maldives	Saudi Arabia
Domestic/local beer (1 pint)	$4.74 MVR72.97	$1.89 SAR7.09	-60.1%
Cappuccino in mid-range area	$3.31 MVR50.96	$3.48 SAR13.06	+5.2%
Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar	$13.07 MVR201.31	$7.47 SAR28.00	-42.9%
Monthly membership at local gym	$72.98 MVR1,123.97	$106.43 SAR399.18	+45.8%
Movie ticket to theater/cinema	$9.80 MVR150.98	$17.24 SAR64.67	+75.9%
Average			+4.8%

Maldives vs. Saudi Arabia - Cost of entertainment and sports

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pay 16.4% more for clothing

	Maldives	Saudi Arabia
Regular jeans Levi's brand	$43.03 MVR662.64	$48.71 SAR182.69	+13.2%
Regular dress from H&M or similar store	$56.86 MVR875.69	$57.50 SAR215.68	+1.1%
Running shoes Nike or Adidas	$90.20 MVR1,389.02	$88.56 SAR332.16	-1.8%
Men's business shoes (leather)	$51.74 MVR796.84	$79.17 SAR296.96	+53.0%
Average			+16.4%

Maldives vs. Saudi Arabia - Cost of clothing

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The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you. We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: December 2025

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