Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ambatolampy and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Ambatolampy: $476 a month against $1,568 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $13,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

23

Cost of Living Index in Ambatolampy
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Ambatolampy Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

Jump to prices

Ambatolampy

🇲🇬 Madagascar

$476

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,568

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ambatolampy and in Cape Town

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Ambatolampy and in Cape Town actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $476 in Ambatolampy versus $1,568 in Cape Town.

Ambatolampy $476
Cape Town $1,568

Estimated couple costs with rent: $704 in Ambatolampy versus $2,438 in Cape Town.

Ambatolampy $704
Cape Town $2,438

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $932 in Ambatolampy versus $3,307 in Cape Town.

Ambatolampy $932
Cape Town $3,307

Living in Ambatolampy costs roughly 70% less than in Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Ambatolampy is 64% below, Cape Town is 17% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.68 MGA 12.0K

$11.78 R 194

-77.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$10.12 MGA 45.3K

$46.55 R 768

-78.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.68 MGA 25.4K

$5.96 R 98.4

-4.70%

Cappuccino

$1.68 MGA 7,519

$2.47 R 40.80

-31.98%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MGA 3,713

$1.33 R 21.91

-37.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.46 MGA 2,061

$1.03 R 16.99

-55.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.02 MGA 4,551

$3.01 R 49.72

-66.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 MGA 10.0K

$3.66 R 60.4

-38.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.87 MGA 3,870

$1.39 R 22.96

-37.41%

White Bread (500g)

$1.05 MGA 4,687

$1.19 R 19.60

-11.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.78 MGA 3,482

$2.11 R 34.84

-63.03%

Eggs

$2.13 MGA 9,512

$3.01 R 49.58

-29.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.75 MGA 39.1K

$8.96 R 148

-2.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.47 MGA 20.0K

$6.65 R 110

-32.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.81 MGA 21.5K

$9.29 R 153

-48.22%

Apples (1kg)

$1.07 MGA 4,795

$1.83 R 30.13

-41.53%

Banana (1kg)

$0.54 MGA 2,435

$1.90 R 31.31

-71.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.01 MGA 4,535

$1.75 R 28.83

-42.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.82 MGA 3,667

$2.09 R 34.41

-60.77%

Potato (1kg)

$0.58 MGA 2,578

$1.55 R 25.64

-62.58%

Onion (1kg)

$0.95 MGA 4,265

$1.49 R 24.53

-36.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.33 MGA 1,461

$1.30 R 21.41

-74.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 MGA 3,240

$1.16 R 19.19

-37.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.64 MGA 7,331

$3.71 R 61.2

-55.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.20 MGA 23.2K

$6.06 R 100

-14.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 MGA 4,694

$1.39 R 22.85

-24.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.88 MGA 8,415

$2.20 R 36.32

-14.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.51 R 24.98

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.0 R 1,006

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.50 MGA 15.7K

$0.63 R 10.33

455.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.02 MGA 9,046

$1.53 R 25.29

32.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.67 MGA 20.9K

$4.81 R 79.4

-2.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.86 MGA 3,858

$1.58 R 26.08

-45.57%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$12.3K MGA 55.0M

$35.5K R 585.7K

-65.37%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$26.1K MGA 116.5M

$31.7K R 523.8K

-17.93%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$76.2 MGA 340.4K

$116 R 1,920

-34.57%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$17.10 MGA 76.4K

$28.37 R 468

-39.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.5 MGA 257.2K

$40.69 R 671

41.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.85 R 806

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.13 R 184

Cinema Ticket

$5.74 MGA 25.7K

$8.83 R 146

-34.99%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$25.50 MGA 114.0K

$261 R 4,314

-90.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.9K MGA 66.7M

$6,702 R 110.6K

122.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$29.10 MGA 130.1K

$55.4 R 914

-47.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.59 MGA 123.3K

$32.27 R 532

-14.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.6 MGA 355.8K

$118 R 1,939

-32.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.1 MGA 313.5K

$107 R 1,766

-34.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,015 R 16.7K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$715 R 11.8K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,801 R 29.7K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,330 R 22.0K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,331 R 38.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,513 R 25.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,636 R 27.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

15.75

10.97

43.57%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Ambatolampy: October 5, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ambatolampy

$151 31%

Cape Town

$185 11.7% 23% $35

Groceries & Markets

Ambatolampy

$144 29.6%

Cape Town

$222 14.1% 54.8% $79

Clothing & Footwear

Ambatolampy

$93 19.1%

Cape Town

$141 8.9% 51.3% $48

Eating Out

Ambatolampy

$73 15.1%

Cape Town

$174 11% 137% $100

Getting Around

Ambatolampy

$14 * 2.8%

Cape Town

$75 4.8% 453% $62

Sport & Entertainment

Ambatolampy

$11 * 2.4%

Cape Town

$67 4.2% 479% $55

Accommodation & Living

Ambatolampy

- * 0%

Cape Town

$715 45.3%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $10.00 in Ambatolampy vs $47.00 in Cape Town for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $144 vs $222 per month, with Ambatolampy cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇬 Ambatolampy

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

15:18 3:18 PM

14:18 2:18 PM

1 h behind Ambatolampy

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

32,291

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

Malagasy Ariary MGA Ar

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 MGA = 2.24 USD

10,000 MGA = 2 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.06 USD

100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to MGA – Malagasy Ariary Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇬 Malagasy Ariary (Ar)

Malagasy Ariary exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4,470 MGA (10,000 MGA = 2.24 USD). 1 EUR = 5,009 MGA (10,000 MGA = 2 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 16.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.06 USD). 1 EUR = 18.49 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR).

USD to MGA in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ambatolampy Cape Town 3,290 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Ambatolampy
Cape Town

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Ambatolampy vs Cape Town: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ambatolampy wins on cost – living expenses run 230% lower than in Cape Town. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Ambatolampy the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $714 in Ambatolampy and $2,352 in Cape Town to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Childcare runs $25.50 in Ambatolampy versus $261 in Cape Town. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Ambatolampy – a meal for two runs $10.00 versus $47.00 in Cape Town. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $476 in Ambatolampy versus $1,568 in Cape Town, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ambatolampy but tight or insufficient in Cape Town. The gap between the two cities makes Ambatolampy the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Ambatolampy delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $476 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Ambatolampy hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Ambatolampy gentler on the wallet – expenses run 230% less than in Cape Town. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.