Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Antananarivo and Dubai

For one person, living is cheaper in Antananarivo: $648 a month against $2,854 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $26,500 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
139

Cost of Living Index in Dubai
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Dubai Living Index

Jump to prices

Antananarivo

🇲🇬 Madagascar

$648

/mo nomad

Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,854

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Antananarivo and in Dubai

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

A single person spends $648 per month in Antananarivo vs $2,854 in Dubai, rent included.

Antananarivo $648
Dubai $2,854

A couple spends around $1,009 per month in Antananarivo vs $4,321 in Dubai, rent included.

Antananarivo $1,009
Dubai $4,321

A family of three spends $1,370 per month in Antananarivo vs $5,788 in Dubai, rent included.

Antananarivo $1,370
Dubai $5,788

Antananarivo is about 77% cheaper than Dubai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Antananarivo sits 52% below the global median, while Dubai is 113% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.68 MGA 12.0K

$13.04 AED 47.89

-79.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$20.36 MGA 91.0K

$81.4 AED 299

-74.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.48 MGA 24.5K

$9.32 AED 34.25

-41.20%

Cappuccino

$1.60 MGA 7,154

$5.97 AED 21.93

-73.20%

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

$0.82 MGA 3,653

$1.63 AED 5.98

-49.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.45 MGA 1,999

$0.81 AED 2.99

-44.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.98 MGA 4,392

$13.65 AED 50.1

-92.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 MGA 10.3K

$13.38 AED 49.15

-82.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.01 MGA 4,497

$1.81 AED 6.64

-44.20%

White Bread (500g)

$1.00 MGA 4,471

$1.57 AED 5.78

-36.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.76 MGA 3,377

$2.49 AED 9.16

-69.48%

Eggs

$2.07 MGA 9,268

$3.28 AED 12.04

-36.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.66 MGA 38.7K

$12.67 AED 46.53

-31.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.48 MGA 20.0K

$9.75 AED 35.80

-54.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.95 MGA 22.1K

$13.18 AED 48.40

-62.44%

Apples (1kg)

$1.11 MGA 4,946

$2.61 AED 9.57

-57.47%

Banana (1kg)

$0.58 MGA 2,598

$1.93 AED 7.09

-69.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.04 MGA 4,660

$1.92 AED 7.05

-45.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.81 MGA 3,615

$1.36 AED 5.00

-40.44%

Potato (1kg)

$0.60 MGA 2,700

$1.17 AED 4.29

-48.72%

Onion (1kg)

$0.99 MGA 4,418

$1.01 AED 3.71

-1.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.34 MGA 1,532

$1.51 AED 5.56

-77.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 MGA 3,217

$0.62 AED 2.29

16.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.55 MGA 6,933

$5.85 AED 21.50

-73.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.12 MGA 22.9K

$16.14 AED 59.3

-68.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 MGA 4,390

$2.65 AED 9.74

-63.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 MGA 8,055

$2.95 AED 10.82

-38.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.15 MGA 667

$1.64 AED 6.03

-90.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.6 AED 270

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.33 MGA 14.9K

$3.17 AED 11.66

5.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 MGA 9,179

$0.71 AED 2.63

188.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.41 MGA 19.7K

$7.96 AED 29.23

-44.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.18 MGA 5,263

$0.99 AED 3.64

19.19%

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

$11.9K MGA 53.4M

$27.4K AED 100.5K

-56.36%

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

$25.1K MGA 112.2M

$22.5K AED 82.8K

11.35%

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

$72.8 MGA 325.6K

$250 AED 920

-70.91%

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

$17.01 MGA 76.0K

$54.2 AED 199

-68.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.6 MGA 253.0K

$91.8 AED 337

-38.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.33 MGA 131.1K

$98.6 AED 362

-70.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.15 MGA 31.9K

$42.61 AED 156

-83.22%

Cinema Ticket

$5.61 MGA 25.1K

$16.03 AED 58.9

-65.00%

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

$25.35 MGA 113.3K

$843 AED 3,098

-96.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K MGA 66.3M

$18.3K AED 67.1K

-18.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$29.23 MGA 130.7K

$68.0 AED 250

-56.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.19 MGA 121.5K

$57.9 AED 213

-53.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.1 MGA 349.1K

$101 AED 370

-22.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.3 MGA 305.4K

$101 AED 371

-32.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$327 MGA 1.5M

$2,380 AED 8,741

-86.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$152 MGA 678.6K

$1,506 AED 5,531

-89.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$735 MGA 3.3M

$4,437 AED 16.3K

-83.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$319 MGA 1.4M

$3,010 AED 11.1K

-89.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$670 MGA 3.0M

$7,121 AED 26.2K

-90.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$561 MGA 2.5M

$4,135 AED 15.2K

-86.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$130 MGA 579.1K

$3,391 AED 12.5K

-96.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

15.75

4.54

246.92%

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

Last update for Antananarivo: October 6, 2026

Last update for Dubai: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Antananarivo

$152 23%

Dubai

$1.5K 52.5% 892% $1.4K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Antananarivo

$146 22.2%

Dubai

$396 13.8% 171% $250

Groceries & Markets

Antananarivo

$144 21.9%

Dubai

$293 10.2% 103% $148

Clothing & Footwear

Antananarivo

$91 13.8%

Dubai

$147 5.1% 61.5% $56

Eating Out

Antananarivo

$72 10.9%

Dubai

$309 10.8% 331% $237

Sport & Entertainment

Antananarivo

$41 6.1%

Dubai

$131 4.6% 222% $90

Getting Around

Antananarivo

$14 * 2.2%

Dubai

$87 3% 512% $73

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $327 in Antananarivo versus $2,380 in Dubai. 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 2517% higher in Dubai, 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 $81.0 in Dubai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $144 vs $293 – making Antananarivo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇬 Antananarivo

🇦🇪 Dubai

🕒 Local time

13:28 1:28 PM

14:28 2:28 PM

1 h ahead of Antananarivo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,274,225 Capital

3,790,000

💱 Currency

Malagasy Ariary MGA Ar

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 MGA = 2.24 USD

10,000 MGA = 2 EUR

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.243 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AED, 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).

UAE Dirham exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.67 AED (1 AED = 0.272 USD). 1 EUR = 4.12 AED (1 AED = 0.243 EUR).

USD to MGA in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Antananarivo Dubai 4,960 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Antananarivo
Dubai

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 Dubai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Dubai is pricier by about 340%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $972 per month in Antananarivo and $4,281 in Dubai. 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 $648 in Antananarivo and $2,854 in Dubai. That's a gap of about 340%.

Kindergarten costs $25.35 per month in Antananarivo and $843 in Dubai. 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 $648, than in Dubai at $2,854. In Antananarivo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Dubai 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, Dubai makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.