Tips
Maldives cost: what our local island trip cost
- flights about €3,200 for three
- 17 nights about €1,600 for three
- four local islands
- April 2025 and August 2026
In short For two adults and one child, the flights cost about €3,200 and 17 nights on local islands about €1,600. What comes after that depends on boats and excursions.
Translated from the German original.
While snorkeling I estimated visibility, water temperature and depth, just as I experienced them on the days I was there. On dives the dive computer measured depth and duration, and values with a named source show what is usual there, not how it was for me.
The expensive part of our trip to the Maldives was not where we stayed. Seventeen nights in five places to stay cost the three of us about 1,600 euros. For the flights from Berlin to Malé and back we paid about 3,200 euros, almost twice as much. We flew via Doha, and each leg took about six hours.
If you sleep in guesthouses on local islands in the Maldives, you pay mostly for getting there. For us, flights and rooms together came to about 4,800 euros in August 2026 for two adults and one child. The rest depends on the boats. Excursions cost very different amounts from island to island, and that is exactly where you can save.
At a glance
| Our trip | August 4 to 21, 2026, two adults and one child, 17 nights on Dhigurah, Kamadhoo, Maalhos, Rasdhoo and in Malé |
| Flights | Berlin–Doha–Malé round trip, about 3,200 euros for three (paid ourselves, rounded) |
| Accommodation | about 1,600 euros for 17 nights for three, around 90 to 115 euros a night (via Booking, August 2026, rounded) |
| Speedboat from Malé | 204.75 US dollars for three to Dhigurah (August 2026, paid ourselves) |
| Excursions | whale shark tour 90 US dollars, children under 12: 45 US dollars; Hanifaru Bay from Maalhos 150 euros for three (August 2026, paid ourselves) |
| Taxes and fees | Green Tax 6 US dollars per person per day in small guesthouses on inhabited islands; 17 % tax on tourism services (Ministry of Finance of the Maldives, accessed October 15, 2026) |
| Visa | free on arrival, up to 30 days (German Federal Foreign Office, as of September 24, 2026) |
Contents
- At a glance
- How much does a Maldives trip cost for a family of three?
- How much do guesthouses on Maldives local islands cost?
- How much do speedboat transfers and excursions cost?
- How much is the Maldives Green Tax, and what other fees are there?
- Cash or card: how do you pay in the Maldives?
- Where can you save money in the Maldives?
- My conclusion
- Frequently asked questions
- Further reading
How much does a Maldives trip cost for a family of three?
Two big items make up the price: the flight and the nights. We paid for both ourselves, the rooms through Booking. Speedboats, the ferry and excursions are listed one by one further down, each amount with month and year.
We mostly ate local food. We did not keep track of what that cost.
We did not book just one week. We were traveling for seventeen nights, which gave us room for rainy days.
How much do guesthouses on Maldives local islands cost?
Find the accommodation on Booking and then write to them directly. That often saves a lot of money. In August 2026 the three of us paid around 90 to 115 euros a night, in places in the lower to middle price range. Room prices depend heavily on the season and on how fully booked a place is. They change almost daily.
| Island | Accommodation | Nights | per night for three |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dhigurah, South Ari | Infinity Beach | 4 | around 90 euros |
| Kamadhoo, Baa | Biosphere by Hawks Hotels | 4 | around 100 euros |
| Maalhos, Baa | Madi Beach Guesthouse | 5 | around 95 euros |
| Rasdhoo, North Ari | Summer Vibes Beach Front | 3 | around 115 euros |
| Malé | Reef Guest House | 1 | around 90 euros |
Source: our Booking overview. Per night, worked out from the amount for the whole stay, all three people, August 2026, rounded.
Kamadhoo and Maalhos are in the same atoll and cost almost the same per night. Still, they felt different. Kamadhoo is very neat and tidy, the food and the care of the beach are of higher quality there, and for that the island is rather expensive. Maalhos is more natural and more original. There, small sweets came to the table without us having asked.
We had the most expensive room of the trip on Rasdhoo. The house reef there is right in front of the house. Snorkeling from the beach costs nothing.
How much do speedboat transfers and excursions cost?
Ask your accommodation about the speedboat before you book through a website. Through the hotel you pay on average about 10 US dollars less per person than on the booking site 12Go. We booked several trips through 12Go. Ask the same accommodation for its price list for excursions right away, too. The lists of our two places in Baa Atoll were far apart.
Two prices come from our trip to Fulidhoo and Rasdhoo in April 2025.
| What | Price | As of |
|---|---|---|
| Speedboat Malé → Dhigurah, via 12Go | 204.75 US dollars for three | August 2026, paid ourselves |
| Speedboat Malé → Kamadhoo, planned at around two and a half hours | 65 US dollars per person, through the accommodation, paid on site | August 2026 |
| Seaplane Malé → Kamadhoo, 25 minutes | 170 US dollars per person each way, children under 12 half price | offer August 2026, not taken |
| The accommodation’s speedboat Malé → Rasdhoo | 40 US dollars per person | offer August 2026, not taken |
| RTL ferry Kamadhoo → Maalhos | 190 rufiyaa for three, around 11 euros; rufiyaa is the name of the local currency | August 2026, paid ourselves |
| Whale shark tour from Dhigurah | 90 US dollars per adult, 45 US dollars for children under 12 | August 2026, paid ourselves |
| Hanifaru Bay from Maalhos | 150 euros for three (list: 70 US dollars per person) | August 2026, paid ourselves |
| Hanifaru Bay from Kamadhoo | 144 US dollars per person, plus tax and service (”++“) | the accommodation’s price list, 2026 |
| Fee for the Hanifaru Bay protected area | 310 rufiyaa per person | Ministry of Environment of the Maldives, 2026 season |
| Two-reef tour, dolphins, turtles, sandbank from Maalhos | 50 to 60 US dollars per person | the accommodation’s price list, 2026 |
| Nurse shark tour from Fulidhoo, with a feeding stop | around 70 euros per person | April 2025, paid ourselves |
| Boat tour from Rasdhoo: nurse sharks with a feeding stop, manta, turtles | 400 US dollars for the whole boat, there were six of us | April 2025, paid ourselves |
The RTL ferry only runs within one atoll. From Malé to the islands we took the speedboat. For the return trips from Dhigurah, Maalhos and Rasdhoo to Malé and for the speedboat from Malé to Rasdhoo we have no amount.
These crossings are not always calm. On our crossing from Dhigurah via Malé to Kamadhoo the waves were high, and many people on board threw up. The waves were strong on the first trip to Dhigurah, too. We were fine, and our child even fell asleep.
For the whale shark and for the mantas in Hanifaru Bay you need a boat, and that is the item that varies the most. The article about the manta season in Hanifaru Bay explains when the trip to the bay is worth it. We were there on August 14, in the middle of the rainy season.
Our child stayed in the boat at Hanifaru Bay. The scratched mosquito bites stung too much in the salt water. That made the trip a little cheaper for us, because only those who go into the water pay the fee for the protected area.
The whale shark tour from Dhigurah had a child price; the price list on Kamadhoo did not name one. So if you travel with a child, ask about the child price for every excursion. More on traveling with a child, including mosquito protection, is in the article Maldives with kids.
The two-reef tour was on the list of our guesthouse on Maalhos at 60 US dollars per person. We went out like this twice. The first time, the boat stopped between the two reefs in the middle of the open sea, because mantas had been spotted at a cleaning station. We jumped into the water and really did see them.
How much is the Maldives Green Tax, and what other fees are there?
Read the small print on every price list. On the lists from Kamadhoo, every excursion had ”++” after it. That means 17 percent tax and 10 percent service are added on top. The list on Maalhos mentioned none of this.
According to the Ministry of Finance of the Maldives, the tax applies to tourism goods and services. On top of that comes the Green Tax, a fee per person per day. Since January 1, 2025, it has been 6 US dollars in guesthouses and hotels on inhabited islands with no more than 50 rooms. In all other accommodation it is 12 US dollars. Children under two years old pay nothing.
Ask the accommodation whether the Green Tax is already included in the room price. A family with two adults and one child over two years old pays 18 US dollars a day in a small guesthouse.
Cash or card: how do you pay in the Maldives?
On our 2026 trip we paid for everything on site in rufiyaa, the local currency. I got the rufiyaa from an ATM at the airport. But almost every island we visited also had one. The amounts on this page are still mostly in dollars or euros, as they were quoted.
Paying by card often costs more. According to its payment terms, our accommodation on Kamadhoo charged a 3.5 percent surcharge for cards. Depending on the payment processor, the card fee can reach up to 5 percent of the bill, PADI wrote in 2017.
If you pay in dollars, you usually get your change back in rufiyaa. Our accommodation on Kamadhoo only took dollar bills from the 2017 series onward. Some businesses take small bills of 1 and 5 dollars at a worse rate.
Where can you save money in the Maldives?
The choice of island you do your excursions from makes the biggest difference. On Maalhos, Hanifaru Bay cost half of what Kamadhoo asked, according to the list. Some other excursions also cost half there. We did most of the trip’s excursions from Maalhos. Our route over four islands is in the article about island hopping on your own, including the ways between the islands.
You can also share a boat. On Rasdhoo in April 2025 we teamed up with other guests. The more people go along, the less each one pays. With six of us the boat cost 400 US dollars, which works out to around 67 US dollars per person. Ask before booking whether there is feeding along the way. This tour had a feeding stop at the nurse sharks, and we simply stayed in the boat there. I don’t recommend tours with feeding. It is not a natural environment and situation for the animals.
A house reef saves excursions. At Bikini Beach on Kamadhoo the reef starts after only about 30 meters. I glide over sand with the first corals standing on it. There I see blacktip reef sharks, an eagle ray and a turtle. For that I need neither a boat nor a guide. On Rasdhoo a reef manta came past the house reef in the morning.
Anyone swimming from the beach to the reef keeps their distance and touches nothing. Corals often grow over decades and break off in a moment. If you grab hold, you can also hurt yourself on fire corals and lionfish.
My conclusion
Our trip fell in August, which is the rainy season. In general, I would go at this time again. You see a lot of large animals. The weather is more changeable and rainier, but the prices are also much lower. If you only have one week, I advise against the rainy season. It can happen that there is a lot of rain and wind and you don’t feel like going into the water. We had three weeks of vacation, so a day without the water was not a big deal.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a week in the Maldives cost on a local island?
We did not book a week ourselves. In August 2026 our rooms cost the three of us around 90 to 115 euros a night, and prices like these change almost daily. On top of that come the flight, the speedboats, the excursions and the food.
How much does a Maldives visa cost?
Nothing. According to the German Federal Foreign Office, German vacationers get the visa free on arrival; it is valid for up to 30 days (as of September 24, 2026).
Are there hidden costs in the Maldives?
Not hidden, but easy to overlook: the Green Tax per person per day and, on some price lists, tax and service on top. According to its payment terms, our accommodation on Kamadhoo charged a 3.5 percent surcharge for cards.
How much does a seaplane cost in the Maldives?
For the route from Malé to Kamadhoo, the offer in August 2026 was 170 US dollars per person each way; children under 12 paid half. We took the speedboat.
Sources: All our own prices come from our trips in April 2025 and August 2026. Flights and rooms are rounded. Green Tax and tax from the Ministry of Finance of the Maldives, accessed on October 15, 2026. The Hanifaru Bay fee from the Ministry of Environment of the Maldives, accessed on October 14, 2026. Visa according to the German Federal Foreign Office, as of September 24, 2026. Card fee and change according to the PADI Pros Blog, as of November 12, 2017, accessed on October 15, 2026.
What the weather is like in the Maldives and when is covered in the article about the best time for snorkeling.
Further reading
- Baa Atoll: Kamadhoo and Maalhos in the same atoll, with how to get there
- Whale shark tour from Dhigurah: what you experience for 90 US dollars, with the crowds
- Nurse sharks in the Maldives: the tour from Fulidhoo and why we advise against feeding
- Island comparison: where you can snorkel without a boat on four local islands
- Maalhos: more original, and most of our excursions started from here
- Kamadhoo: neat and tidy, with a reef 30 meters off the beach
- Maldives overview: all the islands from our trips