Wednesday 24 Jun 2026
A worker carrying a green banana bunch in Male' market area. (Sun Photo/Fayaz Moosa)
Maldives continues to rank as the most expensive country to live in South Asia, according to data compiled by the Bangladeshi financial publication FinTech News.
The recent analysis reveals that the Maldives continues to rank above all other South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC)-member states in terms of living expenses, even without factoring in housing or apartment rental costs.
The estimated monthly cost for a single person living in the Maldives, excluding rent, is USD 812. This is equivalent to MVR 12,521.04.
This is nearly double the cost of living in Sri Lanka, which is ranked second, with USD 449.
Estimated cost of living per person in South Asia, excluding rent:
The analysis shows a slight 3.4 percent dip in the cost of living in the Maldives, compared to figures released in October 2025. FinTech News’ previous report placed the cost of living in the island nation at USD 840.4 (equivalent to MVR 12,958.9).
The report on the high cost of living in the Maldives comes at the heels of recent World Bank projection, warning that the inflation rate in the country was expected to jump to 6 percent due to the surge in global commodity prices driven by the conflict in the Middle East.
The World Bank warned that the elevated inflation is expected to disproportionately affect households in the atolls, where most of the country’s poor reside.
