Maldives on a Budget – Our Itemised Trip Costs and How to Save Money

3. How Much does Food and Drink Cost in the Maldives?

In our experience, food in the Maldives was extremely reasonable on the local islands. This is especially the case for food that would normally cost a massive amount in European countries! Typically, meals are (unsurprisingly) seafood-based, with fresh tuna an extremely popular and affordable option (tuna is cheaper than vegetables and potatoes).

There are also fried snacks (once again made of fish, although you may be told they are vegetarian). These are sold everywhere and are great value.

Below is a list of some typical prices across the capital Malé and adjoining Hulhumalé, plus some of the inhabited islands we visited.

Alcohol is illegal on the inhabited islands, so we spent no money on this. There are a few ‘booze boats’ which we did not visit, however a representative price is more than five U.S. dollars for a small, basic beer.

Street/Snack Food Prices in the Maldives

A number of cafes, restaurants and shops sell little affordable snack food items, or ‘hedhikaa’, which can be sweet or savoury. Here are a few of the things we purchased:

◊ For a long ferry journey commencing in Malé, we bought four large masroshi (spicy tuna inside fried dough), some small cake slices and two kavaabu (spicy fish fritters) for 37 MVR ($2.39).

◊ During another Malé ferry transfer day, we bought a whole bag of potato and tuna snacks for 28 MVR ($1.81).

◊ Hulhumalé had masses of Indian style snacks; we bought loads for 27 MVR ($1.75).

◊ On Thulusdhoo, we bought veggie, fish and prawn street bites for 30 MVR ($1.94).

These snacks are incredibly affordable (and decent portion sizes too). Each of the purchases described above constituted a two person lunch or large snack. However, they are often fried and not the healthiest (but we are on a budget and they are cheap!). Be aware, many snacks are described as vegetarian even though they are clearly made with fish (we never intentionally bought fish!).

Restaurant Prices in the Maldives

With Indian and Sri Lankan influence, a typical Maldivian local restaurant is likely to serve various styles of simple curry accompanied by parotti-type bread. These were commonly the most affordable items on any menu. Here are some local (and non-local) meal choices we made across some islands, with total prices for two people:

Hulhumalé | absolutely enormous, superb smoked tuna pizza – 225 MVR ($14.56)

Maafushi | tuna burger and tuna koltha – 165 MVR ($10.67); pumpkin curry, lentil dhal and two large breads – 160 MVR ($10.35)

Thulusdhoo | two dhals, a fish curry and four breads – 140 MVR ($9.06); pumpkin melt, kale pesto toast and a date pudding ball – 240 MVR ($15.53); two vegetable curries, a dhal and four breads – 175 MVR ($11.32); dhal, vegetable masala, four breads – 170 MVR ($11.00)

Ukulhas | fish and veg curry with rice, a variety of Indian snacks and breads – 172 MVR ($11.13); 2 vegetable curries with rice and fries – 268 MVR ($17.34)

Thoddoo | gigantic tuna burger and tuna koltha 145 MVR – ($9.38)

Some hotels offer a full-board option. We utilised this in Fulidhoo as it’s a tiny island with almost no restaurants and it seemed like a good deal at the time. It’s the first time we’ve ever been full board and personally, we hated it. We dislike eating late in the evening (mosquitos are out in force) and there were very few vegetarian options. This option may suit some people, but on the busier islands, we’d recommend finding your own dinner!

Market and Shop Prices in the Maldives

As moderate budget travellers, we spend a fair amount of time in markets and shops. (It’s also the only place you stand a chance in hell of definitely getting budget vegetarian food in the Maldives!). These are some example prices of foods on various islands that we saw:

Supermarket on Malé | a small ‘pot noodle’ was 15 MVR ($0.97) and a pre-sliced large loaf of bread was 11 MVR ($0.71). 

An upscale bakery in Hulhumalé | cupcakes were 12 MVR ($0.78) each and a blueberry cheesecake slice was 40 MVR ($2.59).

A shop on Ukulhas | a large pot noodle was 25 MVR ($1.62), a large box of cookies was 40 MVR ($2.59) and a large chocolate milk was 30 MVR ($1.94).

Cans of Coke/Pepsi/iced coffee | these were typically around 15 MVR ($0.97) on Malé and Hulhumalé. Large bottles of water were available for under 10 MVR (it is not recommended to drink tap water on the inhabited islands, although you can use a water filter). Very few hotels had free refill drinking water, unfortunately.

Fresh veg | there are minimal fresh fruit and vegetable options on the islands. Each island has some in at least one shop, but the variety leaves you with few choices, especially without the use of a kitchen. Naturally, Thoddoo was the best island we visited for fresh food, as it’s an agricultural island!

Prices on the islands were often a little more than in Malé/Hulhumalé for most shop items (Coke/Pepsi was 20 MVR rather than 15 MVR on most islands we visited). Chocolate and anything needing refrigeration will likely be the most expensive thing in any shop except sunblock (costing an eye-watering 195 MVR for 100 ml ($12.62)).