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Quick facts
- TGST
- 17% (since 1 July 2025)
- Service charge
- 10%, and TGST is charged on it
- Green Tax
- US$6 guesthouse / US$12 resort, per person per night
- Under-2s
- No Green Tax
The calculator
Found a room that says "US$65 a night, plus taxes"? Pop the numbers in and see what you'll actually pay. It all runs in your browser. Nothing gets saved or sent anywhere.
| Room (7 nights) | US$420.00 |
| Service charge (10%) | US$42.00 |
| TGST (17% of room + service) | US$78.54 |
| Green Tax | US$84.00 |
| Total for your stay | US$624.54 |
| Per night | US$89.22 |
| Per person, per night | US$44.61 |
That's 48.7% on top of the advertised room rate.
How it works
The maths is simple once you know the order:
- Room rate × nights.
- Service charge: 10% of the room total, if the place charges one.
- TGST: 17% of the room plus the service charge. That's the bit people miss. MIRA treats the service charge as part of the taxable price.
- Green Tax: a flat amount per person, per night, added on top. Kids under two don't pay it.
So for a typical guesthouse, room + service + TGST works out to the room rate × 1.287, and then Green Tax goes on top. Full explanation, with a worked example, in our Green Tax, TGST and service charge guide.
The rates it uses
| Charge | Rate | Source |
|---|---|---|
| TGST | 17% from 1 July 2025 (was 16%) | MIRA GST overview |
| Service charge | 10% (most guesthouses and tourist restaurants) | Taxable under MIRA's GST regulation |
| Green Tax, small guesthouse/hotel on an inhabited island (50 rooms or fewer) | US$6 per person per night | MIRA, from 1 January 2025 |
| Green Tax, resorts, liveaboards, bigger or uninhabited-island properties | US$12 per person per night | MIRA, from 1 January 2025 |
| Children under 2 | No Green Tax | MIRA, from 1 January 2025 |
Using it to compare rooms
- Compare totals, not headline prices. A US$70 room with everything included beats a US$58 room with everything added.
- Check what's included. Breakfast and transfers move the real cost more than a few dollars on the room rate. Transfers in particular: see the public ferry timetable for the cheapest way between islands.
- Think per person. Green Tax scales with people, not rooms, so it matters more for families and groups.
- Plug the result into a daily budget. Our budget per day guide adds food, boats and trips.
Find a local-island guesthouse
Grab a nightly rate, run it through the calculator, then compare the final totals.
Guesthouses on quieter islands
Fulidhoo, Gulhi, Ukulhas and Dhigurah, compared by price and reviews.
Quick questions
How do I work out the real price of a Maldives hotel room?
Take the nightly rate, add the 10% service charge if there is one, add 17% TGST on the room plus the service charge, then add Green Tax per person per night (US$6 at small guesthouses on local islands, US$12 at resorts). Multiply by the number of nights. The calculator does this for you.
Is Green Tax charged per room or per person?
Per person, per night. Two people in one room pay it twice. Children under two at check-in are exempt, according to MIRA.
Why does the calculator tax the service charge?
Because MIRA's GST regulation counts the service charge as part of the taxable price. So 17% TGST is worked out on the room rate plus the service charge.
Does the calculator store or send what I type?
No. It runs entirely in your browser with plain JavaScript. Nothing you enter is saved or sent anywhere.
What if my booking site says taxes are included?
Then you don't need the calculator for that price. Use it on prices that say 'excluding taxes' or 'plus taxes and fees', or when a guesthouse quotes you a bare room rate.
Sources & further reading
- MIRA: Green Tax rates and exemptions
- MIRA: GST overview and rates
- MIRA: GST Regulation 2011/R-43 (service charge)
- MIRA: amendments to three tax acts (5 Nov 2024)
Last checked 18 October 2026. Prices and schedules in the Maldives change often, so always confirm with the operator before you travel.
