Budget travel in Maldives : How much do you need

We haven’t been to Maldives before, so when we had the opportunity and time to go, we did in a heartbeat. Maldives is a very beautiful country and it’s such a perfect honeymoon and travel destination. Before, I thought that coming or visiting Maldives will be so over my usual budget for traveling but I was proven wrong.

Read here Maldives food and 5 Local islands in Maldives that you should visit.

In this post, we will focus on the things you need to know to have a smoother and cheaper way of going around Maldives. We will also tell you about budget travel in Maldives and how much do you need if you want to explore Maldives. Read on and we hope that this post will help you whenever you want to also go to Maldives.

Read here all the things to do in Dhiffushi Island, Maafushi, Gulhi Island, Male, Hulhumale and Thulusdhoo Island.

Read here 40 things to know before visiting Maldives, our review of Park Hyatt Hadahaa and the review of Kuramathi Island Resort!

Is it safe/difficult to travel in Maldives?

Maldives is very safe to visit as a tourist. Any incidents caused due to political unrest are mainly restricted to Male City. Hence, if you are planning to visit the Island Resorts, it is perfectly safe.

Read here luxury resorts Vs local islands in Maldives!

BOOK YOUR TRAVEL INSURANCE

Two of our favorite travel insurance: Heymondo Vs Safetwing cheapest travel Insurance. You can get for $135 USD your Heymondo Travel Insurance with Heymondo discount code valid for 90 days. Read our full comparison of Genki vs Safetywing Travel Insurance Review and the comparison Heymondo vs Genki

Best time to visit Maldives

Maldives might be hot and sunny all year round, but it still consists of two seasons; the dry season and the wet season.  The best time to visit the Maldives is May to November. Although you’ll experience some rain during the southwestern monsoon that occurs at this time, you’ll have the least company and the prices of the resorts are a little cheaper. December to April is the high season, which encounters the drier northeast monsoon and when most resorts rates rises. Click here to know when is the best time to visit Maldives!

Click here to know more about the weather in Maldives!

Visa in Maldives

To enter Maldives, no pre-arrival visa is required.  A thirty day free visa is issued on arrival for all Nationalities, provided: Should posses a valid passport and should have at least 6 months validity, have a valid ticket to continue the journey out of Maldives and have enough funds to cover the expenses for duration of the stay in Maldives. (US$100 + $50 dollars per day) or a confirmation of reservation in a Tourist Resort or a Hotel.

A quick note, though, full thirty day visa is not a right of the passenger to claim, but lies at the discretion of the Immigration to issue not more than thirty days and any period less than thirty days.

Read here Maldives itinerary!

Cash and ATM in Maldives

After you arrive at the airport in Maldives, there are ATM machines that you can use, but it is not advisable. It will give you Maldivian rufiyaa which is the currency in Maldives. US dollars is a more famous and better way of paying especially if you’re a foreigner or a tourist. Most resorts and other stores prefer US dollars for payment, but be sure to bring smaller bills like $1, $5 or $10. Use it to local transportation and small shops too.

Click here to know the exact exchange rate before you visit.

Internet in Maldives

Most resorts, guesthouses and hotels around Maldives offers free wifi for its guests. Some establishments might limit the data per user, otherwise, it’s entirely free across the board and with decent speed. Some resort islands might not have coverage and on inhabited islands. We had a few problems with internet connection during our stay in all the hotels and guesthouses.

Internet was very intermittent! However, this is perfect for those who need a detox on technology and social media. If you’re there for a short time, you can opt to purchase sim card once your arrival on the airport. It is available there and are valid for a maximum of two weeks. It comes pre-loaded with data, depending on the plan you buy. This is a far cheaper option than roaming on your home number.

Read here sim card in Maldives and best Maldives eSim

The cheapest Maldives eSim with Airalo Maldives eSim for $30 USD with 17 GB data valid for 30 days. And for $50 USD with 30 GB data with Airalo eSim Maldives valid for 30 days even cheaper if you use our discount CODE GAMINTRAVELER 10%.

Food budget travel in Maldives

Prices of Maldives food were on a budget and very affordable compared with the prices in many countries.

You can get snacks for 2-3 RFY ($1=15.4 RFY). It´s very common for locals have tea with these snacks. You can have rice with fish curry for 25 RFY where they will give you a kind of chips for free, perfect for sharing the food. Most of the dishes have fish and curry but you can also find chicken here A bottle of water costs10 RFY while cookies and small snacks go for 5-10 RFY. Ice cream can be bought when the summer gets too hot at 20-25 RFY each. Foreigners’ meals cost $7-10. It’s mostly just pizza and pasta, though. There is also Chinese food for around $5-6 USD per dish.

Accommodation budget travel in Maldives

We stayed in a few places and we recommend all of them for different budgets. We didn’t go to any of the luxury villas in Maldives at this time. We focused, instead, on the cheap hotels in Maldives and some of the mid-budget hotels in Maldives. We stayed in Season Paradise and Canopus Retreat and we recommend them if you want to experience Maldives but not spend so much as they are cheaper than luxury resorts. 

There are cheap hotels in Maldives starting from $30-50 USD depending on the season. Most of them included breakfast so take advantage of that freebie. You can also use AirBnb; just click here to get $30 USD of your first booking with AirBnB. Or an even better choice for your budget is Couchsurfing, one of the many ways to sleep for free with locals.

Click here to find the best hotel deals in Maldives with Agoda.

Local Transportation in Maldives

Aside from inland vehicles such as buses, Maldives is composed of other smaller islands, which means a boat or any water vehicle should be a must. There are ferries and motorboats that is mostly used to go to difference places and islands surrounding Maldives. You can go to Hulhumale via bus from the airport for 10-15 minutes. The ride only costs 20 RFY or ride a speedboat to Thulusdhoo costs 30 RFY and lasts 30 minutes.

Read here Speed boat Vs Slow boat in Maldives!

Tours/ Entrance Fees in Maldives

There are many different tours in Maldives and the activities start from $15-50 USD depending on the duration. For $15, USD you can have a half-day trip with snorkeling and visiting a sandbar. For $30-50 USD, you can enjoy diving, watching sharks, dolphins, manta rays, and spending the day island hopping with lunch included.

Click here to find the best deals for booking your accommodation in Maldives with Agoda!

Click here to book your accommodation with Booking.

Budget travel in Maldives per day

Ideally, if you know the right accommodation, right place to eat and you manage the activities you want to do or attractions you want to visit around Maldives, with $50 a day, you can already feel like you’re really a tourist in Maldives. Of course, it can still depend on you whether it can go high or lower than that.

We hope that this budget post helped you in learning things you should know before you travel to Maldives. This post especially caters to travelers who wants budgeted trips while still making the most of their travel.

Read here for more budget travel guides countries: like Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, Myanmar,and the Philippines in Southeast Asia.