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Kumamoto vs Malé cost of living 2026
Which is cheaper, what exactly is cheaper, and how it feels on your money · Updated October 2026
🇯🇵 Kumamoto
🇲🇻 Malé
At a glance
- Where Malé is clearly cheaper: Taxi (85%↓), Tuk-tuk / moto taxi (71%↓), Haircut (71%↓)
- Where Kumamoto is clearly cheaper: Cocktail & wine (68%↓), Beer (64%↓), Scooter rental (58%↓)
By category
Salary equivalence
Travel difficulty
Both cities are about equally easy to travel. Biggest gap: language — Kumamoto 4 vs Malé 2. Closer to 1 is easier. Difficulty ranking ›
Item by item
| Item | Kumamoto | Malé | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local mealper person | ¥ 1,000$6.76 | Rf 100$6.49 | similar |
| Street food1 item | ¥ 400$2.7 | Rf 25$1.62 | Malé −40% |
| Restaurant dinnerper person | ¥ 3,000$20.3 | Rf 220$14.3 | Malé −30% |
| Coffeeone cup | ¥ 500$3.38 | Rf 50$3.24 | similar |
| Beerone bottle | ¥ 550$3.72 | Rf 160$10.4 | Kumamoto −64% |
| Cocktail & wineone cup | ¥ 700$4.73 | Rf 230$14.9 | Kumamoto −68% |
| Bottled water | ¥ 120$0.81 | Rf 5$0.32 | Malé −60% |
| Convenience store1 snack or drink | ¥ 160$1.08 | Rf 12$0.78 | Malé −28% |
| Taxi5 km in town | ¥ 1,900$12.8 | Rf 30$1.95 | Malé −85% |
| Tuk-tuk / moto taxishort hop | ¥ 1,000$6.76 | Rf 30$1.95 | Malé −71% |
| Transitone ride | ¥ 200$1.35 | Rf 10$0.65 | Malé −52% |
| Scooter rentalper day | ¥ 1,000$6.76 | Rf 250$16.2 | Kumamoto −58% |
| Hotel night3-star | ¥ 10,000$67.6 | Rf 1,700$110 | Kumamoto −39% |
| Studio rent (month) | ¥ 55,000$372 | Rf 13,500$875 | Kumamoto −58% |
| Laundry | ¥ 800$5.41 | Rf 30$1.95 | Malé −64% |
| SIM card1 week data | ¥ 2,500$16.9 | Rf 310$20.1 | Kumamoto −16% |
| Haircutcut | ¥ 2,500$16.9 | Rf 75$4.86 | Malé −71% |
| Massage1 hour | ¥ 4,000$27 | Rf 750$48.6 | Kumamoto −44% |
| Half-day tourper person | ¥ 5,000$33.8 | Rf 700$45.4 | Kumamoto −26% |
| Entry ticketTourist town | ¥ 800$5.41 | Rf 100$6.49 | Kumamoto −17% |
Reference prices start as estimates from published price levels; items with 3+ traveler reports use the median of real reports. Hostels and local eateries cut both by 30%+.
FAQ
Which is cheaper, Kumamoto or Malé?
Kumamoto is 16% cheaper than Malé. Daily budget $150 vs $158; a month $2,191 vs $2,919.
Which is easier to travel, Kumamoto or Malé?
About the same: Kumamoto 2.0/5, Malé 2.0/5 (average of rip-offs, language, transport, payments and safety).
How do monthly costs compare between Kumamoto and Malé?
With a short-term studio and living costs, Kumamoto is about $2,191 and Malé about $2,919 per month.
Where do the numbers come from?
They start as estimates informed by published price levels; any item with 3+ traveler reports switches to the median of real reports. Live reports are in the app.