Cost of living comparison
compared to
Maldives vs. South Africa Cost of Living Summary
Maldives is 30.5% more expensive than South Africa overall.
- Restaurants
-
pay 12.5% less in Maldives
- Groceries
-
pay 35.4% more in Maldives
- Transportation
-
pay 20.5% less in Maldives
- Housing
-
pay 89.6% more in Maldives
- Childcare
-
pay 24.8% less in Maldives
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 94.8% more in Maldives
- Clothing
-
pay 12.8% less in Maldives
The cost of entertainment and sports, housing, and groceries in Maldives are more expensive than in South Africa. Expenses including childcare, transportation, clothing, and restaurants are lower in Maldives. Notably, entertainment and sports and housing are significantly more expensive in Maldives.
Maldives vs. South Africa Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Maldives instead of South Africa, you would:
pay 12.5% less for restaurants
|
South Africa
|
Maldives
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$10.21
ZAR170.75
|
$6.00
MVR92.74
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$5.91
ZAR98.83
|
$9.57
MVR147.88
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$1.08
ZAR18.12
|
$1.63
MVR25.12
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.84
ZAR13.97
|
$0.30
MVR4.59
|
|
South Africa vs. Maldives - Cost of restaurants
pay 35.4% more for groceries
|
South Africa
|
Maldives
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.07
ZAR17.83
|
$1.65
MVR25.57
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$4.08
ZAR68.25
|
$3.48
MVR53.75
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.58
ZAR76.53
|
$6.83
MVR105.52
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$2.56
ZAR42.86
|
$1.87
MVR28.89
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$2.31
ZAR38.68
|
$2.76
MVR42.72
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$0.81
ZAR13.58
|
$1.80
MVR27.83
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.74
ZAR12.30
|
$1.39
MVR21.40
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$0.79
ZAR13.13
|
$1.59
MVR24.56
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.77
ZAR12.88
|
$1.22
MVR18.83
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.64
ZAR10.77
|
$0.75
MVR11.63
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.66
ZAR11.00
|
$0.69
MVR10.63
|
|
South Africa vs. Maldives - Cost of groceries
pay 20.5% less for transportation
|
South Africa
|
Maldives
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$5.49
ZAR91.77
|
$3.81
MVR58.81
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$65.15
ZAR1,089.26
|
$30.82
MVR476.23
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$32,517.32
ZAR544K
|
$32,446.46
MVR501K
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$7.35
ZAR122.86
|
$17.52
MVR270.70
|
|
South Africa vs. Maldives - Cost of transportation
pay 89.6% more for housing
|
South Africa
|
Maldives
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$38.93
ZAR650.96
|
$73.00
MVR1,127.92
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$421.37
ZAR7,045.19
|
$1,043.39
MVR16,120.31
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$369.24
ZAR6,173.65
|
$739.32
MVR11,422.43
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$105.57
ZAR1,765.07
|
$85.19
MVR1,316.15
|
|
South Africa vs. Maldives - Cost of housing
pay 24.8% less for childcare
|
South Africa
|
Maldives
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$199.53
ZAR3,336.14
|
$184.92
MVR2,857.02
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$4,917.78
ZAR82,223.72
|
$3,003.87
MVR46,409.85
|
|
South Africa vs. Maldives - Cost of childcare
pay 94.8% more for entertainment and sports
|
South Africa
|
Maldives
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$2.25
ZAR37.63
|
$4.87
MVR75.19
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$2.25
ZAR37.69
|
$3.55
MVR54.82
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$3.16
ZAR52.84
|
$13.95
MVR215.56
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$31.59
ZAR528.18
|
$70.81
MVR1,093.98
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$7.32
ZAR122.35
|
$9.73
MVR150.39
|
|
South Africa vs. Maldives - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 12.8% less for clothing
|
South Africa
|
Maldives
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$52.66
ZAR880.43
|
$39.51
MVR610.41
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$34.13
ZAR570.62
|
$49.63
MVR766.77
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$99.75
ZAR1,667.81
|
$87.11
MVR1,345.89
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$86.61
ZAR1,448.04
|
$52.50
MVR811.17
|
|
South Africa vs. Maldives - Cost of clothing
We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Sources: MyLifeElsewhere's cost-of-living dataset (prices updated November 2026). How we calculate this
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Compare further: South Africa vs. Maldives
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