Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Antananarivo

For one person, living is cheaper in Antananarivo: $645 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $21,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Barcelona, Spain
Antananarivo, Madagascar
Barcelona
🇪🇸 Spain
$2,453
/mo nomad
Antananarivo
🇲🇬 Madagascar
$645
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Antananarivo

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

A single person spends $2,453 per month in Barcelona vs $645 in Antananarivo, rent included.

  • Barcelona $2,453
  • Antananarivo $645

A couple spends around $3,509 per month in Barcelona vs $991 in Antananarivo, rent included.

  • Barcelona $3,509
  • Antananarivo $991

A family of three spends $4,564 per month in Barcelona vs $1,338 in Antananarivo, rent included.

  • Barcelona $4,564
  • Antananarivo $1,338

Barcelona costs about 280% more than Antananarivo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Barcelona sits 80% above the global median, while Antananarivo is 53% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Barcelona
Antananarivo
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.59 €15.76
$2.62 MGA 12.0K
571.37%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$67.5 €60.5
$19.47 MGA 89.2K
246.64%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$13.53 €12.12
$5.52 MGA 25.3K
145.11%
Cappuccino
$3.19 €2.86
$1.58 MGA 7,222
101.90%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.91 €2.61
$0.79 MGA 3,639
268.35%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.89 €1.70
$0.45 MGA 2,060
320.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.01 €3.59
$1.01 MGA 4,635
297.03%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.53 €4.06
$2.14 MGA 9,789
111.68%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Barcelona
Antananarivo
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.31 €1.17
$0.92 MGA 4,229
42.39%
White Bread (500g)
$2.02 €1.81
$0.97 MGA 4,444
108.25%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.85 €1.66
$0.74 MGA 3,376
150.00%
Eggs
$4.83 €4.33
$2.02 MGA 9,257
139.11%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$16.74 €15.00
$8.07 MGA 36.9K
107.43%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.12 €8.17
$4.24 MGA 19.4K
115.09%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$19.64 €17.60
$4.70 MGA 21.5K
317.87%
Apples (1kg)
$2.98 €2.67
$1.07 MGA 4,907
178.50%
Banana (1kg)
$2.02 €1.81
$0.57 MGA 2,630
254.39%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.70 €2.42
$0.99 MGA 4,554
172.73%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.80 €2.51
$0.79 MGA 3,619
254.43%
Potato (1kg)
$2.09 €1.87
$0.59 MGA 2,687
254.24%
Onion (1kg)
$2.07 €1.85
$0.95 MGA 4,362
117.89%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.46 €1.31
$0.32 MGA 1,452
356.25%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.94 €0.84
$0.71 MGA 3,245
32.39%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.87 €6.16
$1.56 MGA 7,154
340.38%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.89 €7.07
$4.98 MGA 22.8K
58.43%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.41 €1.26
$0.96 MGA 4,405
46.87%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.54 €2.27
$1.77 MGA 8,129
43.50%
🚌 Getting Around
Barcelona
Antananarivo
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.14 €2.82
$0.13 MGA 610
2315.38%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$25.45 €22.80
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.99 €2.68
$3.38 MGA 15.5K
-11.54%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.49 €1.34
$1.93 MGA 8,829
-22.80%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$33.37 €29.91
$4.45 MGA 20.4K
649.89%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.80 €1.61
$1.14 MGA 5,239
57.89%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$33.2K €29.7K
$11.7K MGA 53.6M
183.79%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$31.7K €28.4K
$25.2K MGA 115.6M
25.62%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Barcelona
Antananarivo
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$180 €162
$72.7 MGA 332.7K
148.33%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.84 €12.40
$16.30 MGA 74.6K
-15.09%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$33.70 €30.20
$56.6 MGA 259.2K
-40.45%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Barcelona
Antananarivo
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.5 €46.16
$28.53 MGA 130.7K
80.55%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$15.96 €14.30
$6.88 MGA 31.5K
131.98%
Cinema Ticket
$10.99 €9.85
$5.65 MGA 25.9K
94.51%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Barcelona
Antananarivo
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$917 €821
$24.31 MGA 111.3K
3670.59%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$16.5K €14.8K
$14.7K MGA 67.2M
12.24%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Barcelona
Antananarivo
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$87.0 €78.0
$28.35 MGA 129.8K
206.98%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$38.51 €34.51
$26.86 MGA 123.0K
43.37%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$106 €94.8
$74.7 MGA 342.0K
41.72%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$120 €107
$66.9 MGA 306.2K
79.03%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Barcelona
Antananarivo
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,699 €1,523
$323 MGA 1.5M
426.66%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,355 €1,214
$149 MGA 681.3K
811.11%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,603 €2,332
$706 MGA 3.2M
268.55%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,062 €1,848
$314 MGA 1.4M
557.77%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$6,915 €6,196
$665 MGA 3.0M
939.85%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$5,128 €4,595
$574 MGA 2.6M
792.89%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Barcelona
Antananarivo
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,211 €1,981
$130 MGA 594.0K
1604.69%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.28
15.75
-79.17%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Antananarivo: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Barcelona
$1.4K
Antananarivo
$149 89% $1.2K
Groceries & Markets
Barcelona
$322
Antananarivo
$138 57.1% $184
Eating Out
Barcelona
$268
Antananarivo
$71 73.6% $197
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Barcelona
$228
Antananarivo
$146 36.2% $82
Clothing & Footwear
Barcelona
$158
Antananarivo
$89 44% $69
Sport & Entertainment
Barcelona
$74
Antananarivo
$40 45.8% $34
Getting Around
Barcelona
$48
Antananarivo
$14 * 72% $35

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,699 in Barcelona versus $323 in Antananarivo. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Barcelona are about 17 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $67 in Barcelona versus $19 in Antananarivo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $322 vs $138 – making Antananarivo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇪🇸 Barcelona
🇲🇬 Antananarivo
🕒 Local time
06:26 6:26 AM
08:26 8:26 AM
2 h ahead of Barcelona
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,660,122
1,274,225 Capital
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

MGA, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Malagasy Ariary exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 4,580 MGA (10,000 MGA = 2.18 USD). 1 EUR = 5,099 MGA (10,000 MGA = 1.96 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Barcelona Antananarivo 8,170 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Barcelona
  • Antananarivo

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
Barcelona vs Antananarivo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Antananarivo cheaper than Barcelona?
Yes – Barcelona is pricier by about 280%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,679 per month in Barcelona and $967 in Antananarivo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Antananarivo, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $323 there versus $1,699 in Barcelona.
What are total monthly expenses in Barcelona and in Antananarivo?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $645 in Antananarivo. That makes Antananarivo about 74% cheaper.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $917 per month in Barcelona and $24 in Antananarivo. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Is $1,000 a realistic budget for living in Barcelona or in Antananarivo?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Antananarivo, where all-in costs run around $645, than in Barcelona at $2,453. In Antananarivo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Barcelona it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Barcelona or Antananarivo more family-friendly?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Antananarivo. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Barcelona makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

Barcelona vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?