Maldives Travel Guide · Costs
GST, green tax & service charge
Every Maldives resort price comes with 27% in tax on top — plus $12 per person per night in green tax. Here is exactly what gets added and how much it adds up to.
Updated
Quick Answer
Every Maldives resort price carries 17% GST plus 10% service charge — 27% on top of whatever is listed. Then add green tax at $12 per person per night (doubled from $6 in January 2025). A $300/night room for two guests costs around $405 once all three charges are included. Most prices you find online exclude at least some of this.
Rates on this page. TGST (17%) and service charge (10%) are set by Maldives law and apply to all resorts. Green tax rates are per MIRA circular effective 1 January 2025. Worked examples use published base rates — your resort's actual figures will differ.
How it works
These apply to every tourist, at every resort, regardless of how you booked or what platform you used.
Applied to your room rate, food, drinks, spa, excursions, minibar, and every other item on your resort bill.
17% of the base price
Raised from 16% in October 2023.
Mandatory by law. Distributed to resort staff. Applies to the same items as GST — room and all extras.
10% of the base price
Not a tip. Not optional.
A flat per-tourist, per-night charge. Added at checkout per night of stay — not per item. Children under 2 exempt.
$12 / person / night at resorts
$6 at guesthouses with ≤ 50 rooms on inhabited islands.
GST and service charge are calculated on the base price separately — they don't compound on each other. On a $100 item: GST = $17, service = $10, total = $127. Green tax is separate and flat: $12 per person per night, regardless of spend. On a 7-night stay for two, that is $168 in green tax alone.
Green tax
The Maldives Inland Revenue Authority (MIRA) doubled the resort green tax from $6 to $12 per person per night, effective 1 January 2025. Many price calculators and articles online still show the old $6 rate.
Resorts (all resort islands)
$12 / person / night
Effective 1 Jan 2025. Applies to all resort islands, resort hotels, and tourist vessels.
Guesthouses (≤ 50 rooms, inhabited island)
$6 / person / night
Lower rate for small local-island properties only. Local islands like Maafushi, Ukulhas, Dhigurah.
For a couple on a 7-night resort stay, green tax now adds $168 ($12 × 2 guests × 7 nights) — compared to $84 under the old rate. It is the one charge that grows with your group size, not your spend.
Resort room, 2 guests. Green tax at $12 per person = $24 per room per night.
| Room | Listed | + GST 17% | + Service 10% | + Green Tax | You pay | Extra |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Budget room | $200 | $34 | $20 | $24 | $278 | +39% |
| Mid-range room | $400 | $68 | $40 | $24 | $532 | +33% |
| Luxury room | $800 | $136 | $80 | $24 | $1,040 | +30% |
| Ultra-luxury room | $1,500 | $255 | $150 | $24 | $1,929 | +29% |
Green tax: $12/person/night × 2 guests = $24/night. Per MIRA rates effective 1 January 2025.
The 27% applies to everything on your resort bill — not just the room. Green tax only applies per night of stay, not per item.
| Item | Menu price | After 27% tax |
|---|---|---|
| Dinner for 2 | $100 | $127 |
| Bottle of wine | $60 | $76 |
| 2 cocktails | $30 | $38 |
| Spa — 60 min | $200 | $254 |
| Snorkeling trip (2 pax) | $150 | $191 |
| Sunset fishing (2 pax) | $80 | $102 |
Every price we send you is all-in — GST, service charge, green tax, transfers. No line items to add up on checkout.
Worked example
7 nights · 2 guests · $500/night room · $150/day in extras
Tax adds $1,397 (31%) on top of the listed prices for this trip.
What to check
The same room can look $100 cheaper on one site simply because taxes are not shown yet.
When a resort lists a rate as "$400++" it means $400 before tax. Add 17% GST ($68) and 10% service ($40) and you reach $508 — before green tax. Always ask whether a quoted price is ++ or all-in before making any comparison.
Common questions
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Tailored
Tell us your dates, group size, and budget. We will build a trip around the right resort and quote everything — taxes included — up front.
We work with 100+ Maldives resorts — every trip is built from scratch around your answers.
Seaplane, speedboat, and domestic flight costs for every major resort — with all-in price ranges.
Read moreFive real couple budgets from $3,500 to $35,000, with taxes broken out at every tier.
Read moreWhat's customary, what's expected, and who actually receives the service charge.
Read moreAll packages quoted all-in — GST, service, green tax, and transfers already included.
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When
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