Moving to Maldives from Indonesia
What to Expect
Considering a move from Indonesia to Maldives? Here's how the two compare on cost, climate, safety, and more.
If you moved from Indonesia to Maldives, you would find that Maldives is 2.2 times more expensive than Indonesia overall. A IDR1,400,000,000 salary in Indonesia would need to be roughly MVR2,680,000 in Maldives to maintain the same lifestyle, and you’d need to navigate life in Maldivian.
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How key spending categories compare
Restaurants
pay 3.0 times more
Groceries
pay 45.4% more
Transportation
pay 83.8% more
Housing
pay 3.6 times more
Childcare
pay 14.0% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 2.9 times more
Data: MyLifeElsewhere's crowdsourced cost of living database, with prices submitted and updated by users worldwide. Exchange rates are refreshed regularly from public sources.
What salary do you need in Maldives?
What does your salary buy?
IDR1,400,000,000 → MVR2,680,000
To maintain the same standard of living in Maldives
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Key Indicator Comparison
The numbers behind daily life in Maldives compared to Indonesia.
Is it safe?
per 100,000 people per year
per 100,000 people per year
Indonesia generally does better on safety, though Maldives leads in road traffic deaths.
How's the healthcare?
annual government + private spending per person
affects wait times and access to care
WHO index from 0–100 measuring essential service access
share of adults with obesity
per 100,000 people — a proxy for mental health support
Indonesia generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Maldives leads in doctors per 10,000 people.
What about the environment?
deaths attributable to air pollution per 100k people
tonnes of CO₂ emitted per person per year
Indonesia generally does better on environment, though Maldives leads in air pollution deaths.
Will I have good infrastructure?
fixed broadband subscriptions — key for remote work
higher means greater strain on freshwater supply
share of households with internet
Maldives performs significantly better than Indonesia across all infrastructure metrics.
What are the job prospects?
percentage of the labour force without work
a broad measure of economic output per person
share of people below the poverty line
Maldives generally does better on employment & economy, though Indonesia leads in unemployment rate.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
deaths per 1,000 live births — lower is better
government spending on education as % of GDP
percentage of adults who can read and write
Maldives performs significantly better than Indonesia across all family life metrics.
Sources: World Bank (2019–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2021). How we calculate this
Can you move from Indonesia to Maldives?
Short-stay tourist visa rules between Indonesia and Maldives. To live, work, or study long-term in Maldives, you'll need a separate residence or work visa — check Maldives's immigration authority.
Indonesia passport holder visiting Maldives
Visa on Arrival
Maldives passport holder visiting Indonesia
Visa on ArrivalData: Henley Passport Index. Check with the destination country's embassy for the most current requirements.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Maldives than Indonesia?
On average Maldives is around 124% pricier than Indonesia, with notable variation by city.
How much money do I need to move to Maldives?
Budget about MVR670,000 for 3 months in Maldives (based on a IDR1,400,000,000 comparable annual salary), then add the one-off costs: flights, shipping, a rental deposit, and visa fees.
Can I work remotely from Maldives?
Connectivity is usually fine (Maldives: 19.6 fixed broadband per 100). What actually decides it is legal: does Maldives offer a digital nomad visa, will your employer permit overseas work, and where are you tax-resident?
Is Maldives safe for expats?
Indonesia generally does better on safety, though Maldives leads in road traffic deaths. The homicide rate in Maldives is 0.6 per 100,000 people, compared to 0.3 in Indonesia.
How is healthcare in Maldives compared to Indonesia?
Indonesia generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Maldives leads in doctors per 10,000 people. There are 22.4 doctors per 10,000 people in Maldives, compared to 5.2 in Indonesia. Maldives scores 61 on the WHO universal health coverage index (Indonesia: 55).
What language do they speak in Maldives?
The official language in Maldives is Maldivian. In Indonesia, the official language is Indonesian.
