Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Antsirabe and Dubai

For one person, living is cheaper in Antsirabe: $455 a month against $2,896 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $29,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

22

Cost of Living Index in Antsirabe
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Antsirabe Living Index
140

Cost of Living Index in Dubai
Learn more

Dubai Living Index

Jump to prices

Antsirabe

🇲🇬 Madagascar

$455

/mo nomad

Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,896

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Antsirabe 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 Antsirabe and in Dubai actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $455 in Antsirabe versus $2,896 in Dubai.

Antsirabe $455
Dubai $2,896

Estimated couple costs with rent: $684 in Antsirabe versus $4,384 in Dubai.

Antsirabe $684
Dubai $4,384

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $912 in Antsirabe versus $5,872 in Dubai.

Antsirabe $912
Dubai $5,872

Living in Antsirabe costs roughly 84% less than in Dubai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Antsirabe is 66% below, Dubai is 115% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.08 MGA 4,931

$12.67 AED 46.55

-91.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$15.62 MGA 71.3K

$81.7 AED 300

-80.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.62 MGA 25.6K

$9.34 AED 34.30

-39.83%

Cappuccino

$1.31 MGA 5,996

$5.89 AED 21.62

-77.76%

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

$0.75 MGA 3,430

$1.69 AED 6.20

-55.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.45 MGA 2,030

$0.78 AED 2.86

-42.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.03 MGA 4,691

$13.66 AED 50.2

-92.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 MGA 10.3K

$13.49 AED 49.54

-83.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.93 MGA 4,253

$1.84 AED 6.78

-49.46%

White Bread (500g)

$1.02 MGA 4,674

$1.50 AED 5.50

-32.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.74 MGA 3,388

$2.57 AED 9.45

-71.21%

Eggs

$2.04 MGA 9,307

$3.32 AED 12.18

-38.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.25 MGA 37.7K

$12.60 AED 46.28

-34.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.48 MGA 20.4K

$9.66 AED 35.46

-53.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.85 MGA 22.1K

$12.78 AED 46.93

-62.05%

Apples (1kg)

$1.07 MGA 4,894

$2.60 AED 9.54

-58.85%

Banana (1kg)

$0.53 MGA 2,398

$1.90 AED 6.99

-72.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.05 MGA 4,774

$1.91 AED 7.02

-45.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.81 MGA 3,687

$1.37 AED 5.02

-40.88%

Potato (1kg)

$0.58 MGA 2,650

$1.13 AED 4.14

-48.67%

Onion (1kg)

$0.96 MGA 4,396

$1.01 AED 3.71

-4.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.34 MGA 1,574

$1.44 AED 5.30

-76.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.45 MGA 2,055

$0.67 AED 2.48

-32.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.53 MGA 6,993

$5.88 AED 21.59

-73.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.01 MGA 22.9K

$16.15 AED 59.3

-68.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 MGA 4,396

$2.72 AED 10.00

-64.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 MGA 8,458

$3.08 AED 11.32

-39.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.60 AED 5.87

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.0 AED 279

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.30 MGA 15.0K

$3.24 AED 11.91

1.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.94 MGA 8,836

$0.71 AED 2.61

173.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.42 MGA 20.2K

$7.96 AED 29.22

-44.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 MGA 5,078

$0.98 AED 3.62

13.27%

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

$11.8K MGA 54.0M

$27.4K AED 100.6K

-56.74%

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

$25.0K MGA 113.9M

$22.0K AED 80.9K

13.33%

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

$73.7 MGA 336.3K

$249 AED 913

-70.33%

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

$16.25 MGA 74.1K

$54.4 AED 200

-70.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.8 MGA 259.0K

$91.5 AED 336

-37.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$103 AED 380

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$42.32 AED 155

Cinema Ticket

$5.45 MGA 24.9K

$16.29 AED 59.8

-66.54%

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

$24.76 MGA 112.9K

$844 AED 3,098

-97.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K MGA 67.6M

$18.3K AED 67.1K

-18.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$28.64 MGA 130.7K

$67.0 AED 246

-57.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.45 MGA 125.2K

$57.9 AED 213

-52.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.1 MGA 347.2K

$102 AED 375

-25.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.1 MGA 310.6K

$98.7 AED 363

-31.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,393 AED 8,788

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,533 AED 5,630

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,594 AED 16.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,939 AED 10.8K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,046 AED 25.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,222 AED 15.5K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,461 AED 12.7K

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 Antsirabe: October 11, 2026

Last update for Dubai: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Antsirabe

$147 32.3%

Dubai

$394 13.6% 169% $248

Groceries & Markets

Antsirabe

$138 30.4%

Dubai

$292 10.1% 111% $153

Clothing & Footwear

Antsirabe

$90 19.8%

Dubai

$147 5.1% 62.6% $56

Eating Out

Antsirabe

$56 12.3%

Dubai

$305 10.5% 448% $249

Getting Around

Antsirabe

$13 * 2.9%

Dubai

$89 3.1% 587% $76

Sport & Entertainment

Antsirabe

$11 * 2.4%

Dubai

$136 4.7% 1146% $125

Accommodation & Living

Antsirabe

- * 0%

Dubai

$1.5K 52.9%

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $16.00 in Antsirabe vs $82.0 in Dubai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $138 vs $292 per month, with Antsirabe cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇬 Antsirabe

🇦🇪 Dubai

🕒 Local time

08:27 8:27 AM

09:27 9:27 AM

1 h ahead of Antsirabe

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

246,354

3,790,000

💱 Currency

Malagasy Ariary MGA Ar

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 MGA = 2.19 USD

10,000 MGA = 1.95 EUR

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.242 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 4,562 MGA (10,000 MGA = 2.19 USD). 1 EUR = 5,128 MGA (10,000 MGA = 1.95 EUR).

UAE Dirham exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 3.67 AED (1 AED = 0.272 USD). 1 EUR = 4.13 AED (1 AED = 0.242 EUR).

USD to MGA in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Antsirabe Dubai 5,070 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Antsirabe
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

Antsirabe vs Dubai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Antsirabe is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and utilities. The 537% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $682 in Antsirabe and $4,344 in Dubai 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.

Supermarket bills run roughly 111% higher in Dubai. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $455 per month in Antsirabe versus $2,896 in Dubai – a 537% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $455 in Antsirabe versus $2,896 in Dubai, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Antsirabe but tight or insufficient in Dubai. The gap between the two cities makes Antsirabe the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Antsirabe is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Dubai, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Antsirabe and Dubai are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Antsirabe gentler on the wallet – expenses run 537% less than in Dubai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.