Maldives’s intense marketing as a luxurious destination has travelers swooning over the overwater bungalows at resorts and the aerial views from the seaplanes.
Yet, Justin and I were on a mission to travel to the Maldives on a budget.
What? How so?!
We saw stories about how expensive the Maldives is, so we were determined to figure out how to visit the Maldives cheaply.
With some planning and research, we decided to stay 8 days/7 nights on the local islands for lower-cost accommodations, transportation, outdoor activities, and food options.
We loved our experience and spent $106 per person per day (excluding the airfare cost), which is very affordable!
We’ll share our insider budget tips on how it’s possible to travel the Maldives affordably, so you can follow them as well!
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Accommodations
1. Stay on the local islands instead of the resorts.
Local islands have guesthouses and boutique hotels so the cost will be lower than the private overwater bungalows at the resorts.
The accommodation costs on the local islands will vary.
Our trip included overnight stays on Male, Maafushi, and Fulidhoo. We stayed at Maafushi’s Island Ambience for $95 per night and Fulidhoo’s Luau Beach Inn for $267 per night (Price includes breakfast and dinner). Both places had a private bathroom, air conditioning, and a fan.
This is the hotel room that we stayed at in Island Ambience for less than $100/night
The cost of the resort bungalows can be $400-$1000+ per night. While the bungalow stay is a once-in-a-lifetime experience, it is pricey. But if you’re willing to spend the money – go for it! Our friends only do the resort option and rave about the resort amenities.
2. Book accommodations ahead of time.
If you’re traveling in the dry season (December to April), hotels and accommodations may be booked. So, avoid disappointment or your preferred price range by booking in advance.
We use Booking.com and Agoda to compare pricing for the accommodations and reserve with Booking.com.
Transportation
3. If you’re flying into Male’s Velana International Airport and need to go Male, take the airport ferry to Male City instead of a taxi.
It’s very convenient and costs $1.00 (14,000 Maladivian Rufiyaa) to take the Airport-Male ferry. It’s a slow-paced ride and arrives at Male’s Henveiru Ferry Terminal in 10 minutes.
Read more about our experience with the Airport to Male Ferry here.
The ferry waits for passengers to arrive at the airport docking area
If you have large luggages, it’s not a problem to bring them onto the ferry.
Want to pack lighter? Read our post on what to bring to the Maldives in a carry on bag here.
4. Use the public ferry as transportation (if available) instead of speedboat rides and seaplanes.
Did you know that public ferries take you from Male, the capital, to the local islands, such as Maafushi, Dhiffushi, Guraidhoo, etc.
We used the public ferry to get from Male to Maafushi and Fulidhoo to Male to the Airport, and the ride was comfortable.
Check out the ferry schedule and use the dropdown menu to change the departure island.
The cost is super affordable – only 53 Maldivian Rufiyaa ($3.50) per person!
The speed of the boat is a lot slower compared to the speedboats, but the public ferry ride can save money.
For islands outside of the atoll mentioned above, here is another ferry schedule for other atolls.
This is the government public ferry
Seaplane rides vary, but we’ve seen resorts charge $200-$400 per person per way. It’s a faster way to travel around the Maldives, but you’ll just need to pay for it. We’ve seen aerial photos from the seaplane and they’re impressive! So, the ride may be worth it to you.
5. If speedboats are the only option, ask your accommodation to arrange the ride.
Depending on which island you’re visiting, taking the speedboat may the be only option to get there.
Since it can be challenging to arrange transportation, ask your accommodation to arrange the speedboat ride to/from your starting and ending locations. Your accommodation knows the speedboat schedule and the cost.
6. Or, consider taking a domestic flight to islands in the Maldives instead of a seaplane.
Male’s Velana International Airport is the main airport that everyone goes to, yet there are other domestic and international airports that visitors can fly into. Check out the complete airport list here.
Maldivian Airlines is the national carrier and travels to many islands.
Taking the local flight can be an alternative compared to a seaplane flight.
Food
7. Find accommodation with breakfast included.
This point can also be added to the “Accommodation” section. During your hotel research, check if breakfast is included in the cost.
This will help cut down your food expenses. You’ll also save time since you don’t need to find a place to eat in the morning.
We had this traditional Maldivian breakfast at Island Ambience in Maafushi Island
8. Consider an all-inclusive meal or half-board meal plan.
Depending on your hotel, having an all-inclusive (all meals covered) or half-board meal (breakfast and dinner) may be cheaper than eating at restaurants.
It’s best to inquire with the accommodation or resort to determine the price difference.
We did a half-board meal option when we stayed at Luau Beach Inn on Fulidhoo Island. This included breakfast and dinner.
Here is one of the buffet breakfasts from Luau Beach Inn.
We didn’t have lunch included as we weren’t sure if we would be around as the full day snorkeling trips usually includes lunch.
At the time of our visit, the hotel food was buffet style and there was a lot of variety such a fish, curries, and vegetables. We thought the food had more flavor than what we had on Maafushi Island.
When there are fewer visitors on the island, there is an a la carte menu for the meals.
9. Check out restaurants’ menus for pricing and offerings.
We suggest looking at Google Maps for ideas on places to eat and then visiting the restaurants to check out the menu. When we were at Maafushi, many restaurants place a copy of their menus outside.
You can also visit the restaurants’ social media handles such as Facebook or Instagram to get an idea of the food offerings and see if there is a menu posted.
TIP: You may want to do this when you’re not starving or hangry (hungry + angry). Otherwise, you may just go to the first restaurant that you come across and not do any comparisons.
We had a feast for lunch at Semili’s Restaurant on Maafushi Island and it cost us $17.20 for 2 people
If you’re visiting the local island, Maafushi, check out our restaurant guide here. We spent between $5.00 – $20.00 per person on meals.
10. Bring a reusable water bottle instead of buying bottled water.
Ask your accommodations if they provide drinking water.
We stayed at two hotels that provided drinking water. Island Ambience on Maafushi gave us a glass bottle of drinking water, while Luau Beach Inn had water dispensers. Luau Beach Inn also gave us a refillable water bottle as a gift.
The free access to water reduced the need to buy water and throwing away single-use plastic.
Read More: Maafushi or Fulidhoo – Which Island is Better?
Attractions
11. Seek out the free attractions such as lounging on the beaches, swimming, snorkeling, and more!
Take advantage of the beautiful ocean water and start exploring on your own. For example, we had free access to kayaks from our Fulidhoo hotel.
Luau Beach Inn, our Fulidhoo hotel, allowed us to use this kayak for 1 hour for free!
Yet, it’s perfectly fine if you want to just hang out by the beach every day. It’s your vacation!
If you run out of ideas on things to do, ask your accommodation for additional suggestions.
12. Shop around for snorkeling or diving excursions.
If you’re on the local island, you can inquire at various tour agencies for the pricing and offerings of water activities and excursions.
We stayed on Maafushi Island for 3 days and noticed that the excursions cost the same at all of the tour agencies. Expect to pay between $45 to $100 per person for tours. It’s a competitive business!
Check out our experience going on the Whale Shark & Manta Ray Excursion and the Shipwreck Excursion.
We were so close to the whale shark.
13. Bring your own snorkel or diving gear.
Save money and bring your own snorkel and diving gear. But we know how it can be added weight to the luggage.
If you’re taking a tour, the snorkel and fins will most likely be provided. So, you won’t need to bring any.
Currency
14. Do not exchange U.S. dollars for Maldivian Rufiyaa.
This is a personal choice, but we suggest paying everything in U.S. dollars.
Maldivian Rufiyaa (MVR) cannot be exchanged outside of the Maldives, so you must spend it all or exchange any leftover currency before leaving the country.
If you exchanged at the Bank of Maldives and want to exchange MVR to USD, then you’ll need to show your initial transaction slip. So, do not lose this piece of paper!
At the Male airport, we stopped by the Bank of Maldives and exchanged $100 USD. We received 1500 Maldivian Rufiyaa (MVR) as the buy rate was 15.00. According to XE Currency Converter, the rate was $1 USD to 15.45 MVR. So, we lost some money.
The goal was to spend as much of the MVR as possible. It was a bit challenging since everywhere accepted credit card. At the end of the trip, we only had 1 MVR ($.06) left over. So we did it!
15. Many places accept Maldivian Rufiyaa, U.S. dollars, and credit cards. But the exchange rate from MVR to USD varies.
When you get the bill, do a quick calculation between the exchange rates and determine which rate is cheaper. Take the final amount in MVR, and divide it by 15.45 (current exchange rate) and see what the U.S. dollar amount would be.
Sometimes the establishment will ask if you want to be charged in U.S. dollars or Maldivian Rufiyaa. Always choose the cheaper rate to save money!
16. Use a credit card if possible.
Most places, including hotels, accept credit cards. But check if there is an added 4% fee for using a credit card.
If you plan to charge everything on a credit card, then you won’t need as much cash. Having small denominations of U.S. dollars will be helpful in case the credit card machine fails. This happened to us!
For U.S. travelers, we recommend having a Chase Sapphire Preferred or Reserve credit card. These cards do not charge a foreign transaction fee.
These cards have an annual fee. Depending on which card you get, you get special perks such as extra points for travel expenses, $300 annual travel credits, and a Priority Pass for free airport lounge access.
I have a Sapphire Preferred card and have been using it for years. Learn more about the cards here.
17. There is an added tax to all purchases, so just an FYI for the final cost of things.
The Maldivian government requests hotels to add an Environmental Green Tax which is $3/person/day.
In addition, all purchases are subject to a 10% service charge and 16% tourist and goods fee.
But not all the places charge the 16%. We ate at a budget-friendly restaurant on Maafushi and the bill only had the 10% service charge.
Final Thoughts
A cheaper vacation to the Maldives is possible! It can be a budget-friendly destination by staying at local islands, choosing cheaper transportation options, and doing free activities.
Regardless of whether you stay at a resort or a local island, you’ll have an amazing time!
If you need more travel tips on Maldives, read our post on what to know before traveling to the Maldives.
If you have any questions about budget tips, please ask in the comment section below.
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