Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Mahajanga

For one person, living is cheaper in Mahajanga: $537 a month against $1,779 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $14,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,779

/mo nomad

Mahajanga

🇲🇬 Madagascar

$537

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Mahajanga

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,779 in Athens versus $537 in Mahajanga.

Athens $1,779
Mahajanga $537

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $788 in Mahajanga.

Athens $2,721
Mahajanga $788

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,663 in Athens versus $1,040 in Mahajanga.

Athens $3,663
Mahajanga $1,040

Living in Athens is roughly 232% more expensive than in Mahajanga, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Athens is 32% above, Mahajanga is 60% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.83 €14.99

$1.93 MGA 8,838

772.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.0 €58.8

$17.36 MGA 79.3K

280.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.21 €9.98

Cappuccino

$4.08 €3.64

$0.63 MGA 2,876

547.62%

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

$2.77 €2.47

$0.84 MGA 3,839

229.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 €0.48

$0.92 MGA 4,194

-41.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.70 €5.07

$1.02 MGA 4,672

458.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.26 €5.58

$1.57 MGA 7,198

298.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 €1.64

$1.30 MGA 5,963

41.54%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 €1.27

$0.86 MGA 3,938

66.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.67 €2.38

$0.64 MGA 2,908

317.19%

Eggs

$4.95 €4.41

$2.15 MGA 9,814

130.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.09 €13.44

$6.43 MGA 29.4K

134.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.99 €9.79

$6.41 MGA 29.3K

71.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.77 €17.60

$3.49 MGA 15.9K

466.48%

Apples (1kg)

$2.12 €1.89

$1.13 MGA 5,149

87.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 €1.76

$0.60 MGA 2,735

230.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.33 €1.18

$0.64 MGA 2,938

107.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$0.64 MGA 2,912

237.50%

Potato (1kg)

$1.06 €0.94

$0.48 MGA 2,172

120.83%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 €1.02

$0.50 MGA 2,264

130.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 €0.96

$0.34 MGA 1,567

217.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 €0.75

$0.54 MGA 2,456

57.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.46 €4.86

Wine (Bottle)

$10.03 €8.93

$9.03 MGA 41.3K

11.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 €1.82

$0.74 MGA 3,379

175.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 €2.12

$0.89 MGA 4,078

167.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.35 €1.20

$0.22 MGA 1,005

513.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.52 €27.18

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 €3.39

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 €0.92

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.49 €14.68

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.34 €2.09

$1.30 MGA 5,927

80.00%

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

$27.8K €24.7K

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

$26.6K €23.7K

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

$202 €180

$43.20 MGA 197.4K

368.10%

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

$26.81 €23.87

$6.50 MGA 29.7K

312.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.49 €27.14

$21.96 MGA 100.4K

38.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 €48.14

$17.86 MGA 81.6K

202.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.40 €24.40

Cinema Ticket

$10.44 €9.30

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

$568 €505

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.2K €13.5K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.7 €80.7

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.32 €35.01

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.7

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 €115

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$742 €661

$329 MGA 1.5M

125.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$648 €577

$265 MGA 1.2M

144.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,271 €1,132

$651 MGA 3.0M

95.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,122 €999

$436 MGA 2.0M

157.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,999 €3,561

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,281 €2,921

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,245 €1,109

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.44

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

Last update for Athens: October 31, 2026

Last update for Mahajanga: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$648 36.4%

Mahajanga

–

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$316 17.8%

Mahajanga

–

Eating Out

Athens

$272 15.3%

Mahajanga

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$260 14.6%

Mahajanga

–

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$164 9.2%

Mahajanga

–

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Mahajanga

–

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Mahajanga

–

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $742 in Athens and $329 in Mahajanga. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $66 in Athens vs $17 in Mahajanga for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $316 vs $143 per month, with Mahajanga cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇲🇬 Mahajanga

🕒 Local time

17:33 5:33 PM

18:33 6:33 PM

1 h ahead of Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

246,022

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Malagasy Ariary MGA Ar

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

10,000 MGA = 2.19 USD

10,000 MGA = 1.95 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MGA, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.89 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Malagasy Ariary exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 4,571 MGA (10,000 MGA = 2.19 USD). 1 EUR = 5,133 MGA (10,000 MGA = 1.95 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Athens Mahajanga 6,420 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Athens
Mahajanga

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

Athens vs Mahajanga: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mahajanga wins on cost – living expenses run 70% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Mahajanga the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $2,669 in Athens and $805 in Mahajanga 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $742 in Athens versus $329 in Mahajanga. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,779 per month in Athens versus $537 in Mahajanga – Mahajanga is about 70% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Supermarket bills run roughly 121% higher in Athens. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $537 in Mahajanga versus $1,779 in Athens, a $800 budget is realistic in Mahajanga but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Mahajanga the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.