How to use the calculator
First choose the mode: add taxes to a room rate, or strip them out of an all-in price. Then enter the rate, the currency and what the rate already includes.
Pick the property type, because it sets the Green Tax. Add nights, rooms, adults and each child's age at check-in. The result updates as you type and shows every line in both USD and ringgit.
For broader budgeting with flights, transfers and meals, use the full trip cost calculator in ringgit. This page is for the tax lines only. Both tools use the same rates, so the numbers match.
How Maldives room taxes are worked out
The charges stack in a fixed order. Service charge comes first, GST is charged on the rate plus service, and Green Tax is added last as a flat amount.
| Charge | Rate | Charged on | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Service charge | 10% | Room rate | Industry practice |
| Tourism GST (TGST) | 17% | Room rate plus service charge | MIRA, from 1 July 2025 |
| Green Tax, resorts and larger hotels | USD 12 | Each guest aged 2+, each night | MIRA, from 1 January 2025 |
| Green Tax, small guesthouses | USD 6 | Each guest aged 2+, each night | MIRA, inhabited islands, 50 rooms or fewer |
Service charge and GST together multiply a pre-tax rate by 1.10 × 1.17, which is 1.287. That is where the familiar "add about 28.7%" rule comes from.
Our full explainers cover how Green Tax is charged at guesthouses and resorts and what tourism GST covers, including older rates you may still see.
Worked example: a resort rate before tax
Two adults book a resort beach villa at USD 450 per night for four nights, taxes not included. The rate is in USD and the exchange rate is RM4.09 per USD (Business Today, 7 Oct 2026).
| Line | Arithmetic | USD | RM |
|---|---|---|---|
| Room | 450 × 4 nights | 1,800.00 | 7,362.00 |
| Service charge | 1,800 × 10% | 180.00 | 736.20 |
| Tourism GST | (1,800 + 180) × 17% | 336.60 | 1,376.69 |
| Green Tax | 12 × 2 guests × 4 nights | 96.00 | 392.64 |
| Total | 2,412.60 | 9,867.53 |
The taxes and charges add USD 612.60, about a quarter of the final bill. A rate that looked like RM7,362 is closer to RM9,868 once everything is in.
Worked example: a guesthouse with a baby
A family of two adults, a six-year-old and a one-year-old stays three nights at a 12-room guesthouse on Maafushi. The listing shows USD 85 per night with service charge and GST already included.
Pick "Service charge and 17% GST" so nothing is taxed twice. The pre-tax room part is 85 ÷ 1.287, about USD 66.05 per night.
Green Tax is USD 6 × 3 guests × 3 nights, which is USD 54. The baby is under two, so she is not counted. The stay costs USD 255 for the room plus USD 54 Green Tax, USD 309 in total, about RM1,264.
Strip mode: how much of an all-in price is tax
Some packages quote one figure that already contains every tax. Switch to strip mode, enter the all-in price and tick the Green Tax box if it is included.
Take an all-in figure of USD 1,383 for three nights for two adults at a resort, Green Tax included. The tool first removes Green Tax of USD 72 (12 × 2 × 3), leaving USD 1,311.
It then divides by 1.287 to find the room part, about USD 1,018.65. Service charge is about USD 101.86 and GST about USD 190.49. Taxes and charges are about 26% of the price.
What makes the number differ from your invoice
Small differences are normal. Some properties round per night, others on the total, and a few apply service charge to extras such as meals and excursions as well.
Your card or bank also uses its own exchange rate. Change the USD to MYR rate in the calculator to match the rate on your statement or quote.
If a quote is far from the calculator, ask the provider to show each tax line. A clear breakdown makes it easy to compare offers fairly, and our guide to what a Maldives trip costs from Malaysia shows the other lines to check.
Who this suits and what to do next
The tool suits anyone comparing a resort rate with a package, a guesthouse listing with a hotel, or an older quote with a 2026 one. Families benefit most, because Green Tax is per person and grows with every child aged two and over.
When you are ready, the Tools and Downloads hub has the other planners, including the transfer and IMUGA timers. When your figures are in place, a trip brief lets us reply with options on the same basis.
Questions travellers ask
Is Green Tax charged on top of GST?
Why does my old quote show 16% GST?
Does a guesthouse with 60 rooms pay the lower Green Tax?
Do I pay Green Tax for a baby?
Can I use this for a package price in ringgit?
Sources and checks
Last reviewed: · Prices researched:
- MIRA, circular on changes to the TGST rate · mira.gov.mv · Checked 11 October 2026
- MIRA, circular on Green Tax rates from 1 January 2025 · mira.gov.mv · Checked 11 October 2026
- MIRA, Goods and Services Tax · mira.gov.mv · Checked 11 October 2026
- Holiday.com.mv, Maldives vacation cost guide (service charge practice) · holiday.com.mv · Checked 11 October 2026
- Business Today Malaysia, foreign exchange rates 7 October 2026 · businesstoday.com.my · Checked 11 October 2026
Once you know the real nightly figure, two offers that looked far apart are often close. Send us your trip brief with the rates you are weighing, and we reply with options quoted on the same basis.
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Share a short trip brief: when you want to go, who is travelling and the budget you have in mind. We reply with suitable island and resort options and an itemised view of costs.