Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Antananarivo and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Antananarivo: $650 a month against $938 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

32

Cost of Living Index in Antananarivo
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Antananarivo Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Antananarivo

🇲🇬 Madagascar

$650

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Antananarivo and in Chiang Mai

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 Chiang Mai actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $650 per month in Antananarivo vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Antananarivo $650
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $1,004 per month in Antananarivo vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Antananarivo $1,004
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $1,358 per month in Antananarivo vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Antananarivo $1,358
Chiang Mai $1,914

Antananarivo is about 31% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Antananarivo and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Antananarivo 52% lower, Chiang Mai 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.68 MGA 12.2K

$2.26 ฿75.4

18.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$20.32 MGA 92.7K

$19.18 ฿641

5.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.40 MGA 24.6K

$5.59 ฿187

-3.40%

Cappuccino

$1.59 MGA 7,251

$1.72 ฿57.6

-7.56%

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

$0.80 MGA 3,647

$0.64 ฿21.54

25.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.45 MGA 2,033

$0.33 ฿11.18

36.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.98 MGA 4,488

$2.36 ฿78.7

-58.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 MGA 10.2K

$3.90 ฿130

-42.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.92 MGA 4,197

$2.05 ฿68.6

-55.12%

White Bread (500g)

$1.03 MGA 4,700

$1.40 ฿46.70

-26.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.75 MGA 3,435

$1.28 ฿42.89

-41.41%

Eggs

$2.07 MGA 9,435

$2.25 ฿75.3

-8.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.20 MGA 37.4K

$16.94 ฿566

-51.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.32 MGA 19.7K

$2.74 ฿91.6

57.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.78 MGA 21.8K

$9.36 ฿313

-48.93%

Apples (1kg)

$1.08 MGA 4,924

$2.40 ฿80.3

-55.00%

Banana (1kg)

$0.57 MGA 2,580

$1.01 ฿33.92

-43.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.04 MGA 4,749

$1.61 ฿53.9

-35.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.86 MGA 3,922

$1.52 ฿50.7

-43.42%

Potato (1kg)

$0.59 MGA 2,696

$1.28 ฿42.90

-53.91%

Onion (1kg)

$0.97 MGA 4,438

$1.11 ฿37.22

-12.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.32 MGA 1,441

$0.72 ฿24.09

-55.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 MGA 3,013

$0.52 ฿17.54

26.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.57 MGA 7,147

$4.33 ฿145

-63.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.98 MGA 22.7K

$17.73 ฿593

-71.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 MGA 4,628

$1.63 ฿54.4

-38.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.84 MGA 8,410

$2.85 ฿95.3

-35.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.13 MGA 605

$0.85 ฿28.31

-84.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ฿1,801

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.33 MGA 15.2K

$1.17 ฿39.18

184.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.00 MGA 9,126

$0.57 ฿19.00

250.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.34 MGA 19.8K

$2.37 ฿79.2

83.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.13 MGA 5,140

$1.45 ฿48.32

-22.07%

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

$11.8K MGA 54.0M

$20.5K ฿684.3K

-42.16%

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

$24.7K MGA 112.7M

$26.5K ฿886.1K

-6.81%

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

$72.9 MGA 332.5K

$62.3 ฿2,083

16.94%

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

$16.41 MGA 74.9K

$12.27 ฿410

33.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.0 MGA 260.1K

$19.97 ฿668

185.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.95 MGA 132.1K

$37.91 ฿1,267

-23.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.20 MGA 32.8K

$3.76 ฿126

91.49%

Cinema Ticket

$5.68 MGA 25.9K

$6.71 ฿224

-15.35%

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

$24.15 MGA 110.2K

$797 ฿26.6K

-96.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K MGA 67.3M

$14.8K ฿495.7K

-0.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$28.92 MGA 131.9K

$53.3 ฿1,780

-45.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.29 MGA 124.5K

$25.05 ฿837

8.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.6 MGA 349.4K

$91.6 ฿3,062

-16.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$67.8 MGA 309.4K

$73.5 ฿2,455

-7.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$321 MGA 1.5M

$464 ฿15.5K

-30.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$148 MGA 674.2K

$305 ฿10.2K

-51.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$725 MGA 3.3M

$915 ฿30.6K

-20.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$317 MGA 1.4M

$552 ฿18.5K

-42.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$650 MGA 3.0M

$1,912 ฿63.9K

-66.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$557 MGA 2.5M

$1,438 ฿48.1K

-61.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$132 MGA 600.8K

$595 ฿19.9K

-77.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

15.75

5.57

182.76%

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

Last update for Antananarivo: October 11, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Antananarivo

$148 22.8%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 106% $157

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Antananarivo

$146 22.5%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 35.4% $52

Groceries & Markets

Antananarivo

$140 21.6%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 69.8% $98

Clothing & Footwear

Antananarivo

$90 13.9%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 21.3% $19

Eating Out

Antananarivo

$71 10.9%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 11.2% $8

Sport & Entertainment

Antananarivo

$40 6.2%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 27.4% $11

Getting Around

Antananarivo

$14 * 2.1%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 342% $47

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 $464 in Chiang Mai. 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 352% higher in Chiang Mai, 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 $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $140 in Antananarivo vs $238 in Chiang Mai – so Antananarivo wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇬 Antananarivo

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

10:41 10:41 AM

14:41 2:41 PM

4 h ahead of Antananarivo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,274,225 Capital

127,240

💱 Currency

Malagasy Ariary MGA Ar

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 MGA = 2.19 USD

10,000 MGA = 1.95 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR 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).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to MGA in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Antananarivo Chiang Mai 7,010 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Antananarivo
Chiang Mai

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 Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Chiang Mai is pricier by about 44%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $975 per month in Antananarivo and $1,408 in Chiang Mai. 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 $938 in Chiang Mai. That's a gap of about 44%.

Kindergarten costs $24.15 per month in Antananarivo and $797 in Chiang Mai. 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 Chiang Mai at $938. In Antananarivo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai 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, Chiang Mai makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.