Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Mahajanga

For one person, living is cheaper in Mahajanga: $537 a month against $2,443 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $22,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,443

/mo nomad

Mahajanga

🇲🇬 Madagascar

$537

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,443 in Barcelona versus $537 in Mahajanga.

Barcelona $2,443
Mahajanga $537

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,519 in Barcelona versus $788 in Mahajanga.

Barcelona $3,519
Mahajanga $788

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,595 in Barcelona versus $1,040 in Mahajanga.

Barcelona $4,595
Mahajanga $1,040

Living in Barcelona is roughly 355% more expensive than in Mahajanga, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 81% above, Mahajanga is 60% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.66 €15.80

$1.93 MGA 8,838

815.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.4

$17.36 MGA 79.3K

288.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.61 €12.18

Cappuccino

$3.10 €2.77

$0.63 MGA 2,876

392.06%

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

$3.00 €2.69

$0.84 MGA 3,839

257.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 €1.72

$0.92 MGA 4,194

109.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.84 €3.44

$1.02 MGA 4,672

276.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 €3.90

$1.57 MGA 7,198

177.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 €1.12

$1.30 MGA 5,963

-3.85%

White Bread (500g)

$2.12 €1.90

$0.86 MGA 3,938

146.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.97 €1.77

$0.64 MGA 2,908

207.81%

Eggs

$4.76 €4.26

$2.15 MGA 9,814

121.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.07 €15.27

$6.43 MGA 29.4K

165.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.96 €8.01

$6.41 MGA 29.3K

39.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.65 €18.48

$3.49 MGA 15.9K

491.69%

Apples (1kg)

$3.16 €2.83

$1.13 MGA 5,149

179.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$0.60 MGA 2,735

228.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.37

$0.64 MGA 2,938

314.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.88 €2.58

$0.64 MGA 2,912

350.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.06 €1.84

$0.48 MGA 2,172

329.17%

Onion (1kg)

$2.18 €1.95

$0.50 MGA 2,264

336.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 €1.37

$0.34 MGA 1,567

350.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 €0.87

$0.54 MGA 2,456

79.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.97 €6.23

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.06

$9.03 MGA 41.3K

-12.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 €1.27

$0.74 MGA 3,379

91.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.69 €2.40

$0.89 MGA 4,078

202.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.31 €2.96

$0.22 MGA 1,005

1404.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.61 €22.91

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.08 €2.76

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 €1.33

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.87 €29.42

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.87 €1.67

$1.30 MGA 5,927

43.85%

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

$33.0K €29.5K

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

$31.9K €28.6K

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

$183 €164

$43.20 MGA 197.4K

323.26%

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

$14.24 €12.74

$6.50 MGA 29.7K

119.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.56 €30.93

$21.96 MGA 100.4K

57.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.4 €46.01

$17.86 MGA 81.6K

187.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.38 €14.66

Cinema Ticket

$11.06 €9.90

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

$944 €844

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.3K €19.9K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.7 €78.5

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.77 €34.70

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.6

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 €105

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,697 €1,518

$329 MGA 1.5M

415.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,337 €1,196

$265 MGA 1.2M

405.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,692 €2,409

$651 MGA 3.0M

313.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,077 €1,858

$436 MGA 2.0M

375.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,155 €6,402

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,079 €4,545

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,241 €2,006

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.19

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

Last update for Barcelona: November 2, 2026

Last update for Mahajanga: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.7%

Mahajanga

–

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$328 13.4%

Mahajanga

–

Eating Out

Barcelona

$267 10.9%

Mahajanga

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$232 9.5%

Mahajanga

–

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$157 6.4%

Mahajanga

–

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Mahajanga

–

Getting Around

Barcelona

$49 2%

Mahajanga

–

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,697 in Barcelona and $329 in Mahajanga. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $17 in Mahajanga for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $328 vs $143 per month, with Mahajanga cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇲🇬 Mahajanga

🕒 Local time

03:00 3:00 AM

05:00 5:00 AM

2 h ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

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 = 1.96 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MGA, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 7, 2026: 1 USD = 0.895 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Malagasy Ariary exchange rates as of November 7, 2026: 1 USD = 4,571 MGA (10,000 MGA = 2.19 USD). 1 EUR = 5,108 MGA (10,000 MGA = 1.96 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Barcelona Mahajanga 7,800 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
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

Barcelona vs Mahajanga: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,443 in Barcelona and $537 in Mahajanga, so Mahajanga is about 78% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,664 in Barcelona 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: $1,697 in Barcelona versus $329 in Mahajanga. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Mahajanga – a meal for two runs $17 versus $67 in Barcelona. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $2,443 per month in Barcelona versus $537 in Mahajanga – Mahajanga is about 78% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $537 in Mahajanga versus $2,443 in Barcelona, a $800 budget is realistic in Mahajanga but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. 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.