I wanted to go to the Maldives for a long time. I love islands, blue water, snorkeling at beautiful reefs and with animals like turtles. Also, swimming with sharks was on my bucket list. And of course, seeing those beautiful water villas that you see on all the pictures of the Maldives.

So this year I started looking into a trip to the Maldives. And found out it certainly can be done without spending $1500+ a night for a water bungalow. Or staying at an all inclusive island resort. Which we definitely can’t afford. Ever.

But there are good hotels on local islands where you can stay for like $80-$100 a night, including breakfast. 

We stayed at the local island Maafushi. I booked a great hotel, which also offers amazing day tours at good prices. You can read all about our budget trip to the Maldives and our snorkeling trips in my article ‘My amazing trip to the Maldives, on a budget‘. With information about the hotel we stayed, tips on how to get there, and the tours we took.

Here are some tips on how to plan a budget friendly trip to the Maldives.

I may earn a commission from links mentioned in this post. Regardless, I only recommend hotels & services I personally used and am happy with.

Stay at a local inhabited island

The prices of hotels and inns on a local inhabited island are way cheaper than of an exclusive island resort. Where the whole island is just one resort. 

We stayed at Stingray Beach Inn on Maafushi, for under $100 a night. And I really recommend staying there. They have great reviews on Tripadvisor, and with good reason!

You can also check accomodations on Maafushi or other Maldives islands.

Go to an island which is accessible by public ferry

If you book a hotel on an island where a public ferry is going to, you will only have to pay a couple of dollars for the ferry. It’s really cheap. From Malé to Maafushi for example, you can take the public ferry, which takes about 1 hour and 45 minutes.

Check the website from Atoll Transfer for more information about the timetables and prices of ferries and for speed boats.

If you stay on an island which you can’t reach by public ferry, you have to hire a speedboat to get you there. But hiring a speedboat can be very expensive. At least, it can’t beat the $2-$4 of a public ferry! Speedboats can cost over a hundred dollars, depending on which island you’re staying on.

And there are also islands which can only be reached by seaplane. Which will cost several hundred of dollars!

Inhabited islands have supermarkets

Another great thing about staying at an inhabited island, in stead of an island resort, is that they have small supermarkets. Where you can buy drinks, ice cream and snacks for a normal price. And also the souvenir shops are cheaper than on an exclusive island resort.

Take day trips to go snorkeling

Besides snorkeling at the reef on the island where you’re staying (which was great on Maafushi by the way!), discover the beautiful reefs and underwater world of the Maldives by taking day tours. You can swim with turtles, sharks, dolphins. And the trips aren’t that expensive. For example you can go on a great snorkeling daytour for as little as $25.

Take a day trip to an exclusive island resort

Instead of staying overnight in a watervilla on a luxurious island resort, and be set back at least $1500 a night, just take a day trip to an expensive island resort. To get a feeling of how it is to stay in a luxurious island resort. For example go to Filhahohi island or Andaaran Club. You have to pay an entrance fee and you can buy different packages. For example with buffet lunch and drinks. Or all inclusive with unlimited drinks, including alcoholic drinks. And you also get sun beds and towels from the resort to use that day. A trip from Maafushi to Filhaahohi was about $100 total per person. Including transfer, entrance fee, buffet lunch and drinks. But they also have more luxurious day trips, for about $150. So just check your options and choose one you like, according to your budget.

Prices of diner

The Maldives is made of more than a thousand islands, surrounded by sea and lots of fish. So of course this is a great place to eat sea food. At decent prices.

Unfortunately, I myself don’t eat fish. I simple don’t like the taste. But they have a lot of other options, like chicken and beef. You can get pastas, pizzas, Indian curries, Thai food, you name it. Or just a simple club sandwich with fries for lunch.

We paid about $20-$25 for diner for 2, including drinks and the mandatory service charges and taxes that apply in the Maldives. A little bit more if you’re a big eater and also order an appetizer and dessert.
For example, for a whole pizza we paid about $7. And they also have delicious juices, smoothies and shakes.

Side note for people who find alcohol important

Since the Maldives is an islamic country, alcohol is prohibited on inhabited islands.

If you really want a night or day of drinking alcohol, you can either go on a ‘party boat’, which lies offshore, so you can drink there.

Or you can book an all inclusive day trip to an island resort, where you can drink as much alcohol as you want. Just be careful with drinking lots of alcohol in the sun and heat of the Maldives. The alcohol can kick in faster and harder.