Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Antananarivo and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Antananarivo: $650 a month against $2,399 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $21,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

32

Cost of Living Index in Antananarivo
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Antananarivo Living Index
116

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

Jump to prices

Antananarivo

🇲🇬 Madagascar

$650

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,399

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Antananarivo and in Barcelona

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

A single person spends $650 per month in Antananarivo vs $2,399 in Barcelona, rent included.

Antananarivo $650
Barcelona $2,399

A couple spends around $1,004 per month in Antananarivo vs $3,410 in Barcelona, rent included.

Antananarivo $1,004
Barcelona $3,410

A family of three spends $1,358 per month in Antananarivo vs $4,421 in Barcelona, rent included.

Antananarivo $1,358
Barcelona $4,421

Antananarivo is about 73% cheaper than Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Antananarivo sits 52% below the global median, while Barcelona is 78% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.68 MGA 12.2K

$17.94 €15.96

-85.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$20.32 MGA 92.7K

$68.1 €60.5

-70.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.40 MGA 24.6K

$13.28 €11.81

-59.34%

Cappuccino

$1.59 MGA 7,251

$3.25 €2.89

-51.08%

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

$0.80 MGA 3,647

$3.01 €2.67

-73.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.45 MGA 2,033

$1.87 €1.66

-75.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.98 MGA 4,488

$3.85 €3.42

-74.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 MGA 10.2K

$4.48 €3.98

-50.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.92 MGA 4,197

$1.29 €1.15

-28.68%

White Bread (500g)

$1.03 MGA 4,700

$2.04 €1.81

-49.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.75 MGA 3,435

$1.72 €1.53

-56.40%

Eggs

$2.07 MGA 9,435

$4.77 €4.24

-56.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.20 MGA 37.4K

$16.77 €14.92

-51.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.32 MGA 19.7K

$8.93 €7.94

-51.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.78 MGA 21.8K

$19.88 €17.68

-75.96%

Apples (1kg)

$1.08 MGA 4,924

$2.98 €2.65

-63.76%

Banana (1kg)

$0.57 MGA 2,580

$2.03 €1.80

-71.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.04 MGA 4,749

$2.73 €2.43

-61.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.86 MGA 3,922

$2.68 €2.38

-67.91%

Potato (1kg)

$0.59 MGA 2,696

$2.10 €1.87

-71.90%

Onion (1kg)

$0.97 MGA 4,438

$2.08 €1.85

-53.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.32 MGA 1,441

$1.45 €1.29

-77.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 MGA 3,013

$0.89 €0.79

-25.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.57 MGA 7,147

$6.94 €6.17

-77.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.98 MGA 22.7K

$7.78 €6.92

-35.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 MGA 4,628

$1.45 €1.29

-30.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.84 MGA 8,410

$2.57 €2.29

-28.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.13 MGA 605

$2.99 €2.66

-95.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.20 €22.41

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.33 MGA 15.2K

$3.12 €2.77

6.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.00 MGA 9,126

$1.44 €1.28

38.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.34 MGA 19.8K

$33.50 €29.80

-87.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.13 MGA 5,140

$1.79 €1.59

-36.87%

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

$11.8K MGA 54.0M

$34.6K €30.8K

-65.80%

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

$24.7K MGA 112.7M

$30.1K €26.7K

-17.83%

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

$72.9 MGA 332.5K

$178 €158

-59.02%

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

$16.41 MGA 74.9K

$13.32 €11.85

23.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.0 MGA 260.1K

$34.88 €31.03

63.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.95 MGA 132.1K

$53.3 €47.37

-45.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.20 MGA 32.8K

$16.01 €14.24

-55.03%

Cinema Ticket

$5.68 MGA 25.9K

$11.06 €9.84

-48.64%

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

$24.15 MGA 110.2K

$957 €851

-97.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K MGA 67.3M

$16.6K €14.7K

-10.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$28.92 MGA 131.9K

$88.2 €78.4

-67.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.29 MGA 124.5K

$39.49 €35.12

-30.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.6 MGA 349.4K

$103 €91.5

-25.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$67.8 MGA 309.4K

$121 €108

-44.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$321 MGA 1.5M

$1,653 €1,470

-80.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$148 MGA 674.2K

$1,302 €1,158

-88.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$725 MGA 3.3M

$2,557 €2,275

-71.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$317 MGA 1.4M

$1,915 €1,703

-83.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$650 MGA 3.0M

$7,286 €6,481

-91.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$557 MGA 2.5M

$5,080 €4,519

-89.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$132 MGA 600.8K

$2,281 €2,029

-94.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

15.75

3.28

380.18%

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

Last update for Antananarivo: October 11, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Antananarivo

$148 22.8%

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.3% 781% $1.2K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Antananarivo

$146 22.5%

Barcelona

$226 9.4% 54.5% $80

Groceries & Markets

Antananarivo

$140 21.6%

Barcelona

$320 13.3% 128% $180

Clothing & Footwear

Antananarivo

$90 13.9%

Barcelona

$158 6.6% 75.4% $68

Eating Out

Antananarivo

$71 10.9%

Barcelona

$270 11.3% 280% $199

Sport & Entertainment

Antananarivo

$40 6.2%

Barcelona

$75 3.1% 87% $35

Getting Around

Antananarivo

$14 * 2.1%

Barcelona

$47 2% 242% $34

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $321 in Antananarivo versus $1,653 in Barcelona. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 1631% higher in Barcelona, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $20.00 in Antananarivo versus $68.0 in Barcelona. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $140 vs $320 – making Antananarivo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇬 Antananarivo

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

12:53 12:53 PM

11:53 11:53 AM

1 h behind Antananarivo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,274,225 Capital

1,660,122

💱 Currency

Malagasy Ariary MGA Ar

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 MGA = 2.19 USD

10,000 MGA = 1.95 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to MGA – Malagasy Ariary Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇬 Malagasy Ariary (Ar)

Malagasy Ariary exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 4,562 MGA (10,000 MGA = 2.19 USD). 1 EUR = 5,128 MGA (10,000 MGA = 1.95 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to MGA in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Antananarivo Barcelona 8,170 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Antananarivo
Barcelona

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

Antananarivo vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Barcelona is pricier by about 269%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $975 per month in Antananarivo and $3,599 in Barcelona. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Antananarivo, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $650 in Antananarivo and $2,399 in Barcelona. That's a gap of about 269%.

Kindergarten costs $24.15 per month in Antananarivo and $957 in Barcelona. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Antananarivo, where all-in costs run around $650, than in Barcelona at $2,399. In Antananarivo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Barcelona it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Antananarivo – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Antananarivo. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Barcelona makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.