Moving to Australia from Maldives
What to Expect
Everything you need to know before relocating from Maldives to Australia — costs, safety, healthcare, and practical first steps.
If you moved from Maldives to Australia, you would find that Australia is 56.1% more expensive than Maldives overall. A MVR1,200,000 salary in Maldives would need to be roughly A$174,000 in Australia to maintain the same lifestyle, and you’d need to navigate life in English.
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What to expect for your wallet after moving from Maldives to Australia.
What does your salary buy?
MVR1,200,000 → A$174,000
To maintain the same standard of living in Australia
Calculate with your salary →Where you'll feel the difference day-to-day
Restaurants
pay 2.2 times more
Groceries
pay 32.8% more
Transportation
pay 36.4% more
Housing
pay 36.2% more
Childcare
pay 8.0 times more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 26.8% 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.
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Who Else Is Making This Move?
How many people actually move from Maldives to Australia, based on official data.
people moved from Maldives to Australia · OECD (latest data available)
Who's moving to Australia?
Top countries of origin for Australia's foreign-born residents.
- 1,285,149
- 653,232
- 611,266
- 579,264
- 286,303
- 269,812
- · · ·
-
144.656
Maldives
Key Indicator Comparison
Key indicators for anyone considering a move from Maldives to Australia.
Is it safe?
per 100,000 people per year
per 100,000 people per year
Maldives performs better than Australia across all safety metrics.
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
Maldives generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Australia 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
Maldives generally does better on environment, though Australia 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
Australia performs significantly better than Maldives 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
Australia generally does better on employment & economy, though Maldives leads in poverty 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
Australia generally does better on family life, though Maldives leads in education spending.
Sources: World Bank (2019–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2020). How we calculate this
Visitor Visa Requirements
Short-stay tourist visa rules between Maldives and Australia. To live, work, or study long-term in Australia, you'll need a separate residence or work visa — check Australia's immigration authority.
Maldives passport holder visiting Australia
Visa Required
Australia passport holder visiting Maldives
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 Australia than Maldives?
No — Australia is on average about 56% more expensive than Maldives. City-level variation matters.
How much money do I need to move to Australia?
Plan for at least 3 months of living expenses — roughly A$43,500 in Australia on a MVR1,200,000 comparable salary — plus one-off moving costs (flights, shipping, a rental deposit, and visa fees).
Can I work remotely from Australia?
Internet is rarely the blocker — Australia has 36.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people. The real questions are legal: digital nomad visa eligibility, your employer's overseas-work policy, and tax residency in both countries.
Is Australia safe for expats?
Maldives performs better than Australia across all safety metrics. The homicide rate in Australia is 0.8 per 100,000 people, compared to 0.6 in Maldives.
How is healthcare in Australia compared to Maldives?
Maldives generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Australia leads in doctors per 10,000 people. There are 40.9 doctors per 10,000 people in Australia, compared to 22.4 in Maldives. Australia scores 87 on the WHO universal health coverage index (Maldives: 61).
What language do they speak in Australia?
The official language in Australia is English. In Maldives, the official language is Maldivian.
