Moving to Indonesia from Maldives
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Maldives to Indonesia — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from Maldives to Indonesia, you would find that Indonesia is 55.4% cheaper than Maldives overall. A MVR1,200,000 salary in Maldives would need to be roughly IDR627,000,000 in Indonesia to maintain the same lifestyle, and you’d need to navigate life in Indonesian.
Planning this move? Get up to 5 free, no-obligation quotes from vetted international movers. Get free quotes ↓Is Indonesia cheaper than Maldives?
The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 66.2% less
Groceries
pay 31.2% less
Transportation
pay 45.6% less
Housing
pay 72.0% less
Childcare
pay 16.3% more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 65.3% less
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 Indonesia?
What does your salary buy?
MVR1,200,000 → IDR627,000,000
To maintain the same standard of living in Indonesia
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Key Indicator Comparison
How Maldives and Indonesia stack up on safety, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure.
Is it safe?
per 100,000 people per year
per 100,000 people per year
Maldives generally does better on safety, though Indonesia leads in homicide rate.
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
Maldives generally does better on environment, though Indonesia leads in co₂ emissions per capita.
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 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 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 Maldives to Indonesia?
Short-stay tourist visa rules between Maldives and Indonesia. To live, work, or study long-term in Indonesia, you'll need a separate residence or work visa — check Indonesia's immigration authority.
Maldives passport holder visiting Indonesia
Visa on Arrival
Indonesia 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 Indonesia than Maldives?
Generally yes: Indonesia runs about 55% cheaper than Maldives on average, though it depends heavily on the city.
How much money do I need to move to Indonesia?
A safe rule of thumb is 3 months of local expenses plus relocation costs. On a MVR1,200,000 comparable salary, that's around IDR156,750,000 in Indonesia for everyday spending, before flights, shipping, a rental deposit, and visa fees.
Can I work remotely from Indonesia?
With 4.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people, Indonesia can support video calls in major cities. The hard part is paperwork — visa category, employer policy on overseas staff, and tax residency in Maldives and Indonesia.
Is Indonesia safe for expats?
Maldives generally does better on safety, though Indonesia leads in homicide rate. The homicide rate in Indonesia is 0.3 per 100,000 people, compared to 0.6 in Maldives.
How is healthcare in Indonesia compared to Maldives?
Indonesia generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Maldives leads in doctors per 10,000 people. There are 5.2 doctors per 10,000 people in Indonesia, compared to 22.4 in Maldives. Indonesia scores 55 on the WHO universal health coverage index (Maldives: 61).
What language do they speak in Indonesia?
The official language in Indonesia is Indonesian. In Maldives, the official language is Maldivian.
