Living in Male, Maldives
Male is a smaller coastal city in Kaafu Atoll, the Maldives (under 250,000 people in the city proper). It has a warm climate, averaging 28°C over the year with about 1,775 mm of rain. We estimate a couple needs about €3,027 a month to live centrally, and the Maldives sits in our low to medium tax tier. For foreigners, long-term residency in the Maldives is possible, with conditions.
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- Est. cost
- €3,027
- a month for a couple
- Tax tier
- Low to medium
- personal income tax
- Climate
- 28°C
- 1,775 mm rain a year
- Size
- Smaller
- under 250,000 people
- Safety
- 75/100
- country-level
- Internet
- ~60 Mbps
- median fixed broadband
- Residency
- Possible, with conditions
- for most foreigners
What stands out about Male
- Warmer than 94% of the cities we track
- On or near the sea
Climate
Male averages 28°C across the year with about 1,775 mm of rain, which makes it warm and very wet. It is warmer than 94% of the 1225 cities we track, and it sits on the coast.
Source: Temperature from the Open-Meteo historical weather archive, daily means for 2019 to 2023; rainfall from TerraClimate (University of Idaho) 1991 to 2020 normals. Annual averages; monthly breakdowns are not in our dataset yet.
Internet and remote work
Median fixed broadband in the Maldives runs at about 60 Mbps, faster than 15% of the cities we compare.
Source: Ookla Speedtest Global Index, median fixed broadband download speed, country-level.
Safety and stability
The Maldives scores 75 out of 100 on safety, safer than 79% of the cities we compare. Its EIU Democracy Index score is 5.0 out of 10.
Source: Our own country-level safety estimate (0 to 100, higher is safer), shared by every city in the Maldives. Stability: EIU Democracy Index.
Healthcare
The Maldives scores 60 out of 100 for healthcare, stronger than 27% of the cities we compare.
Source: Our own country-level healthcare estimate (0 to 100), shared by every city in the Maldives.
Residency and visas
Possible, with conditions. Long-term residency is essentially investment-only: a five-year renewable residence permit via government-approved real estate, a bank deposit, or business investment (the new Pearl Residence programme and the existing corporate-investor route), while non-investors depend on employer-sponsored work permits or marriage to a Maldivian.
The cheapest self-funded routes we track for the Maldives:
- Investment: about $250k (Maldives residence-by-investment entry tier (Pearl Residence / corporate-investor route), USD 250,000 in government-approved real estate or a 5-year USD 250,000 local-bank deposit; figures are natively USD-denominated; as of June 2026)
For short visits, 4 of 198 passports can enter visa-free and 194 can get an e-visa or visa on arrival.
Source: OurNextCity residency dataset, hand-reviewed approximations researched against published immigration rules, figures as of June 2026. Not legal advice: check the official source before you apply. Short-stay entry from the passport-index dataset (ilyankou, MIT).
Cost of living
We estimate a couple needs about €3,027 a month to live centrally in Male, 11% above the €2,729 median across the 900 cities we compare. That makes it more affordable than 32% of them.
Source: OurNextCity model: a country-level cost index (New York = 100) scaled up for larger cities. An estimate for comparing cities, not a budget.
Language and culture
Main languages: Dhivehi, English. English proficiency: some. Social openness scores 30 out of 100.
Source: EF English Proficiency Index (country-level); social openness is our secularism and tolerance composite.
Taxes
The Maldives sits in our low to medium tax tier: moderate personal income tax. We use three tiers (zero or very low, low to medium, high) and apply them to every city in the country.
Taxes are a dealbreaker filter in OurNextCity: a couple who caps tax at zero or very low will not see Male in their results.
Source: OurNextCity tax tiers, assigned by hand from each country's top marginal personal income tax rate and overall tax reputation, with no fixed rate cut-offs. Country-level and coarse by design; not tax advice.
Questions couples ask about Male
Is Male a good place to live for couples?
It depends on what the two of you weigh most. Compared with the other cities we track, Male scores well on safety. It is weaker on healthcare, internet speed and social openness. Expect a warm, very wet climate (28°C average). OurNextCity has each partner answer 12 questions privately, then ranks Male and 914 other cities for both of you at once.
How much does it cost a couple to live in Male?
We estimate about €3,027 a month for a couple living centrally, 11% above the €2,729 median across the cities we compare. It is a model estimate from a country-level cost index adjusted for city size, so use it to compare cities rather than to set a budget.
What are taxes like in Male?
The Maldives is in our low to medium tax tier (moderate personal income tax). Tiers are country-level and deliberately coarse: zero or very low, low to medium, and high. Couples who make zero or very low tax a must-have will not see Male in their results.
Can foreigners live in the Maldives long term?
Our assessment: possible, with conditions. Long-term residency is essentially investment-only: a five-year renewable residence permit via government-approved real estate, a bank deposit, or business investment (the new Pearl Residence programme and the existing corporate-investor route), while non-investors depend on employer-sponsored work permits or marriage to a Maldivian. The cheapest self-funded routes we track: investment, about $250k (as of 2026-06).
What is the weather like in Male?
Male averages 28°C across the year with about 1,775 mm of rain, which makes it warm and very wet. It is warmer than 94% of the cities we track.
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