Maldives Trip Cost: Budget Breakdown and Travel Tips
Keeping your finances in check is always a good thing, be it bills, groceries, necessities, want’s, etc. This is especially true if you’re planning large scale activities like a vacation for instance. If you’re planning on booking a trip to Maldives, you best do up your finances before you start booking as you’ll be paying through the nose for one of the most exquisite and unique holiday destinations in the world! Let us be the help you need to ease your planning by giving you all the figures for your Maldives trip cost!
Understanding the Average Daily Cost
Since we’re going to be talking about numbers in this article, we figured we’d take you through every possible avenue you could take for your trip to Maldives. Let’s break down the average daily cost for a vacation in Maldives.
Disclaimer: All figures shown in this article are in United States Dollars (USD).
On total, the average daily expenditure for one person comes up to $300, which can be split into three sub-categories, all of which are averages as well:
- Accommodation: $235
- Meals: $78
- Local Transportation: $139
The above values are the average daily cost when looking at previous tourists expenditures across different travel styles. Let’s dive into a bit more detail by comparing the costs for different travel styles and see what those come up to.
Luxury vs. Mid Range vs. Budget Travel
Let’s talk big numbers first and start with the luxury cost breakdown. To clarify, we’re only talking about costs per person in this section.
- Luxury
- Average Daily Cost: $720
- Accommodation: $550
- Meals: $205
- Local Transportation: $345
- One week worth of travel: $5,033
- Two weeks worth of travel: $10,066
- One month worth of travel: $21,570
- Average Daily Cost: $720
- Mid-Range
- Average Daily Cost: $301
- Accommodation: $236
- Meals: $78
- Local Transportation: $139
- One week worth of travel: $2,108
- Two weeks worth of travel: $4,216
- One month worth of travel: $9,035
- Average Daily Cost: $301
- Budget
- Average Daily Cost: $122
- Accommodation: $96
- Meals: $31
- Local Transportation: $56
- One week worth of travel: $855
- Two weeks worth of travel: $1,711
- One month worth of travel: $3,666
- Average Daily Cost: $122
Maldives Trip Cost for Couples
Once you add another person into the mix, the numbers tend to go up quite a bit, depending on whether both of you are there for one week, two weeks or one month. Let’s break it down and see what the averages are for your Maldives trip cost.
- One week for two people: $4,200
- Two weeks for two people: $8,400
- One month for two people: $17,999
These numbers include the cost of accommodation, meals and local transport as well. One of the few things you can do to save a bit more money is to pick discounted meal plans from the resort you’ll be staying at or from the restaurants / cafes you’ll frequent. You can also opt to use cheaper transport systems to travel between islands such as the local ferry service which is quite cheap but can take a while longer than using a speedboat or seaplane. On the islands, especially in the capital Male’, you can use the bus to go from one end of the island to the other. They have a starting price of 7 Rufiyaa or $0.45, with differing prices for different bus routes. You can also opt to rent motorbikes from AtollRent that have a few offices scattered throughout the island such as Hulhumale’ (main HQ), Maafushi, Laamu Atoll islands and more. They also deliver the motorbike to you if you’re staying at Hulhumale’ or Male’ as the two are connected by bridge.
Accommodation Costs
Let’s take a closer look at what the average accommodation costs per night would look like across the luxury, mid-range and budget travel options.
- Luxury: $827
- Mid-Range: $352
- Budget: $87
To get a feel for these accommodation ranges, here are some options for the luxury and budget-friendly travel options we’d like to recommend.
- Luxury
- Budget
If you’re looking to save up to indulge a bit more, you can choose to plan your trip around Maldives’ rainy season that runs from mid-May to October, as rates will go down due to fewer tourists showing up. Some places even offer up to 50% off their rooms so it can be quite a steal to vacation in Maldives during that time.
Food and Dining Costs
If you’re into food, you’re going to love what Maldives has to offer. Everything from Italian, Indian, Chinese, Sri Lankan and especially the local tastes are something to behold and should be tried at least once during your stay.
On average, the daily cost for food sits at a cool $78, which is alright considering the resort prices. Usually, you’d end up spending around $31 when dining out in Maldives, which includes local and brand-name restaurants. When comparing resort dining and eating local, the difference is quite apparent. If you’re looking for authentic Maldivian tastes and to save a bit more, we recommend sharing a meal in a Maldivian household that cooks traditional Maldivian food. An exquisite blend of herbs and spices and unique flavours await in local cuisine as we advise you to have some milk with you due to the levels of spice you may have to contend with!
If you’d rather cook food yourself, there are some excellent properties that come with cooking facilities that will ease your culinary urges. Make sure to bring your own herbs and spices for comfort, buy some local ones to put a local spin on your dishes or use both to experiment flavours! Here are some accommodation options that provides cooking facilities:
Transportation Costs
Transport costs vary quite heavily as there are a few to take into account when doing up your Maldives trip cost..
One of the cheapest options is using public transport such as the bus system as mentioned earlier in this article. The next would be to use taxis, which costs MVR30 or $2. Another is the motorbike rental that was talked about earlier in this article as well. Speed boats and seaplanes are used in transport when going from island to island, with the speedboat being the cheaper one out of the two. Both these options tend to have a few hundred dollars as a cost, which can compound quite easily. The local ferries are way cheaper but each trip would take much longer than speed boats and seaplanes. A local ferry ride usually costs around $1 to $4, depending on where you’re going while island hopping. Some destinations have a higher amount but are still way cheaper in comparison.
On average, local transportation costs can go up to $139 when taking all the options and previous expenditures of other visitors into account.
Activity and Entertainment Costs
Maldives has a plethora of activities to take part in, a lot of them being out in the ocean such as diving, snorkelling, water sports, excursions on boats, etc. If you’re looking for entertainment on land, there’s a wide variety of activities as well such as sightseeing, sunbathing, karaoke and in some few places, learning traditional craftsmanship techniques, etc. If you’re a fan of the ocean, a lot of the islands you’d visit, resorts and local islands included, tend to have a dive centre that will cater to your needs. Almost all resorts have them and local islands such as Maafushi, Fuvahmulah, Dhiffushi and even Male’ have quite a few dive centres.
On average, entertainment and activities go up to $37 per person on any given day, with resort rates being a bit higher than local rates.
Miscellaneous Costs
Let’s talk about drink costs, specifically alcohol and water costs. Alcohol can only be found in resorts in Maldives due to the country being an Islamic nation. Drinking alcohol on any of the local islands is prohibited, with the average daily cost going for around $34.
Water on the other hand is a different story. The bottled water in Maldives is distributed after sea water undergoes a hefty reverse osmosis process, creating a desalinated outcome, which is distributed after being further treated and purified, making bottled water safe to drink. There are a number of treatment sites in the country that ensure everyone gets water without issue. On average, bottled water has a cost of $0.61, marking it off anyone’s list of questions.
Souvenirs in Maldives have a starting price of $5 but can escalate quite quickly if you’re not careful. Genuine prices can be found usually in the capital of Male’, with a lot of resort souvenirs going up to a few hundred dollars for a few pieces.
Tipping culture is not a thing in Maldives or in any of its resorts but people would accept it out of kindness. So keep these in mind while you do up your Maldives trip cost.
Budget Tips for a Maldives Trip
When you’re budgeting for a trip to Maldives, there’s a few things to keep in mind. One of them is the weather, which was discussed earlier in the article and that is to book your trip during Maldives’ rainy season for some decent discounts. The second is to check resort rates vs. travel agent rates as both would have discounts and deals you’d want to be aware of. Try figuring out what the absolute maximum is you can afford to spend and then go from there. Accommodation wise, there are some fantastic budget options as Maldives has seen a rise in guesthouses throughout the country. They have their own meal plans that usually have local food and activities you can partake in as well as they would have the information to contact local dive centres and whatnot.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1: How much does it cost to travel to the Maldives?
A1: For couples, yor trip would usually total around $3,000 to $6,000 for a week’s worth of travel, activities and such. This includes accommodation and flight values.
Q2: How much does a one week, two week or one month trip to the Maldives cost?
A2: One week per person: $2,108. Two weeks per person: $4,216. One month per person: $9,035. Bear in mind, these are averages.
Q3: How much do package tours cost in the Maldives?
A3: In the Maldives, a guided tour package typically costs $283 per day.
Q4: Is the Maldives expensive to visit?
A4: The cost of your Maldives trip depends on where you want to go. If you want to go to a high-class resort, your trip will end up reaching 5 figures in payments. If you do a more budgeted trip, your expenses tend to be in the low-to-mid 4 figure range.
Q5: How much money do I need for a trip to the Maldives?
A5: Typically, a one-person vacation to the Maldives costs around $2,108, while a two-person trip costs about $4,216.
It’s always important to plan out the budget for your trip, no matter how extravagant or laid-back you want your vacation to be, even if you’re calculating your Maldives trip cost. If you’re in a bit of a time crunch or simply want some help with your budgeting, head on over to Splendid Asia and have a look at our booking assistant MadlyMaldives to get yourselves some great deals on the many resorts they’re associated with!
