Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Toamasina

For one person, living is cheaper in Toamasina: $465 a month against $1,779 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $15,800 less a year. Rent and utilities 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

Toamasina

🇲🇬 Madagascar

$465

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Toamasina

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,779 in Athens versus $465 in Toamasina.

Athens $1,779
Toamasina $465

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $751 in Toamasina.

Athens $2,721
Toamasina $751

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,663 in Athens versus $1,038 in Toamasina.

Athens $3,663
Toamasina $1,038

Living in Athens is roughly 283% more expensive than in Toamasina, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Athens is 32% above, Toamasina is 66% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.83 €14.99

$2.71 MGA 12.4K

521.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.0 €58.8

$15.16 MGA 69.3K

335.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.21 €9.98

$4.50 MGA 20.5K

149.11%

Cappuccino

$4.08 €3.64

$1.08 MGA 4,949

277.78%

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

$2.77 €2.47

$0.56 MGA 2,579

394.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 €0.48

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.70 €5.07

$1.08 MGA 4,933

427.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.26 €5.58

$1.12 MGA 5,137

458.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 €1.64

$1.12 MGA 5,119

64.29%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 €1.27

$1.09 MGA 4,961

31.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.67 €2.38

$1.02 MGA 4,663

161.76%

Eggs

$4.95 €4.41

$1.82 MGA 8,340

171.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.09 €13.44

$12.63 MGA 57.7K

19.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.99 €9.79

$7.68 MGA 35.1K

43.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.77 €17.60

$6.15 MGA 28.1K

221.46%

Apples (1kg)

$2.12 €1.89

$1.52 MGA 6,927

39.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 €1.76

$1.34 MGA 6,145

47.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.33 €1.18

$1.51 MGA 6,881

-11.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$0.69 MGA 3,160

213.04%

Potato (1kg)

$1.06 €0.94

$0.58 MGA 2,647

82.76%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 €1.02

$0.55 MGA 2,528

109.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 €0.96

$0.31 MGA 1,436

248.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 €0.75

$0.45 MGA 2,053

88.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.46 €4.86

$1.77 MGA 8,070

208.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.03 €8.93

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 €1.82

$0.88 MGA 4,043

131.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 €2.12

$1.07 MGA 4,879

122.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.35 €1.20

$0.34 MGA 1,566

297.06%

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

$1.09 MGA 5,004

114.68%

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

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

$26.81 €23.87

$31.65 MGA 144.7K

-15.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.49 €27.14

$67.0 MGA 306.1K

-54.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 €48.14

$21.94 MGA 100.3K

146.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.40 €24.40

Cinema Ticket

$10.44 €9.30

$6.51 MGA 29.8K

60.37%

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

$8.59 MGA 39.2K

955.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.32 €35.01

$6.75 MGA 30.8K

482.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.7

$54.1 MGA 247.4K

94.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 €115

$37.61 MGA 171.9K

242.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$742 €661

$133 MGA 609.7K

456.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$648 €577

$54.4 MGA 248.8K

1091.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,271 €1,132

$436 MGA 2.0M

191.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,122 €999

$133 MGA 605.8K

746.20%

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

$134 MGA 614.1K

826.85%

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 Toamasina: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$648 36.4%

Toamasina

–

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$316 17.8%

Toamasina

–

Eating Out

Athens

$272 15.3%

Toamasina

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$260 14.6%

Toamasina

–

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$164 9.2%

Toamasina

–

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Toamasina

–

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Toamasina

–

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $742 in Athens and $133 in Toamasina. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens pays about 9.3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $66 in Athens vs $15 in Toamasina for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $316 vs $169 per month, with Toamasina cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇲🇬 Toamasina

🕒 Local time

09:03 9:03 AM

10:03 10:03 AM

1 h ahead of Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

325,857

💱 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 = 5,131 MGA (10,000 MGA = 1.95 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

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Athens Toamasina 6,790 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

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Toamasina

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 Toamasina: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Toamasina wins on cost – living expenses run 74% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Toamasina the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Athens is about 9.3 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $742 in Athens versus $133 in Toamasina. 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 $465 in Toamasina – Toamasina is about 74% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Supermarket bills run roughly 87% higher in Athens. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $465 in Toamasina versus $1,779 in Athens, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Toamasina but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Toamasina 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.

It comes down to priorities – Toamasina wins on affordability, Athens on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.