Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brazil and Madagascar

Name: Madagascar
Address: MG

For one person, living is cheaper in Madagascar: $615 a month against $865 in Brazil, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

42

Cost of Living Index in Brazil
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Brazil Living Index
30

Cost of Living Index in Madagascar
Learn more

Madagascar Living Index

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🇧🇷 Brazil

$865

/mo nomad

🇲🇬 Madagascar

$615

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Brazil and in Madagascar

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

A single person spends $865 per month in Brazil vs $615 in Madagascar, rent included.

Brazil $865
Madagascar $615

A couple spends around $1,373 per month in Brazil vs $959 in Madagascar, rent included.

Brazil $1,373
Madagascar $959

A family of three spends $1,880 per month in Brazil vs $1,303 in Madagascar, rent included.

Brazil $1,880
Madagascar $1,303

The regional cost range is wider in Brazil ($569–$1,349) than in Madagascar ($174–$645), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in Brazil is about 41% higher than in Madagascar on average.

Both Brazil and Madagascar are more affordable than the global median – Brazil 36% lower, Madagascar 55% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.55 R$35.64

$2.14 MGA 9,816

206.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.71 R$167

$17.92 MGA 82.0K

71.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.45 R$40.53

$4.70 MGA 21.5K

58.51%

Cappuccino

$1.91 R$10.38

$1.31 MGA 6,013

45.80%

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

$1.15 R$6.28

$0.75 MGA 3,412

53.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.76 R$4.11

$0.58 MGA 2,645

31.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.85 R$10.06

$1.08 MGA 4,955

71.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.86 R$15.53

$1.79 MGA 8,178

59.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.03 R$5.61

$1.14 MGA 5,215

-9.65%

White Bread (500g)

$1.57 R$8.51

$1.00 MGA 4,580

57.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.24 R$6.72

$0.75 MGA 3,443

65.33%

Eggs

$2.10 R$11.44

$1.97 MGA 9,032

6.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.87 R$48.21

$8.41 MGA 38.5K

5.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.99 R$21.71

$4.83 MGA 22.1K

-17.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.76 R$42.17

$4.70 MGA 21.5K

65.11%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 R$11.71

$1.04 MGA 4,768

106.73%

Banana (1kg)

$1.27 R$6.91

$0.62 MGA 2,820

104.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.16 R$6.28

$0.92 MGA 4,226

26.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.53 R$8.31

$0.86 MGA 3,927

77.91%

Potato (1kg)

$1.16 R$6.31

$0.59 MGA 2,686

96.61%

Onion (1kg)

$1.02 R$5.54

$0.76 MGA 3,474

34.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 R$4.03

$0.36 MGA 1,630

105.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 R$3.90

$0.61 MGA 2,790

18.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.25 R$12.26

$1.52 MGA 6,979

48.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.65 R$41.60

$5.03 MGA 23.0K

52.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 R$7.09

$0.87 MGA 3,983

49.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.16 R$11.77

$1.59 MGA 7,258

35.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.94 R$5.11

$0.12 MGA 530

683.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.00 R$239

$17.30 MGA 79.2K

154.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.23 R$6.68

$3.22 MGA 14.7K

-61.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.96 R$5.20

$2.26 MGA 10.4K

-57.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.42 R$40.34

$4.46 MGA 20.4K

66.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.21 R$6.60

$1.14 MGA 5,195

6.14%

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

$22.1K R$120.4K

$12.1K MGA 55.6M

82.43%

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

$31.6K R$171.6K

$24.1K MGA 110.4M

30.80%

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

$77.2 R$420

$64.6 MGA 295.4K

19.57%

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

$12.44 R$67.6

$17.45 MGA 79.9K

-28.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.80 R$108

$52.5 MGA 240.1K

-62.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.36 R$132

$23.01 MGA 105.3K

5.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.46 R$138

$7.14 MGA 32.7K

256.58%

Cinema Ticket

$6.98 R$37.97

$6.22 MGA 28.5K

12.22%

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

$316 R$1,718

$25.46 MGA 116.5K

1140.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,298 R$45.1K

$14.8K MGA 67.7M

-43.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.37 R$268

$20.33 MGA 93.0K

142.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.73 R$249

$25.07 MGA 114.7K

82.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.4 R$454

$67.2 MGA 307.3K

24.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$65.6 R$357

$46.30 MGA 211.9K

41.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$373 R$2,028

$294 MGA 1.3M

26.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$251 R$1,362

$138 MGA 629.5K

82.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$719 R$3,909

$681 MGA 3.1M

5.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$490 R$2,666

$314 MGA 1.4M

56.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,795 R$9,759

$658 MGA 3.0M

172.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,269 R$6,900

$560 MGA 2.6M

126.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$496 R$2,699

$122 MGA 557.7K

307.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.17

19.75

-43.44%

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

Last update for Brazil: October 25, 2026

Last update for Madagascar: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Brazil

$251 29%

Madagascar

$138 22.4% 45.1% $113

Groceries & Markets

Brazil

$183 21.2%

Madagascar

$142 23.1% 22.3% $41

Eating Out

Brazil

$120 13.9%

Madagascar

$61 10% 49.1% $59

Clothing & Footwear

Brazil

$110 12.7%

Madagascar

$71 11.6% 34.9% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brazil

$109 12.6%

Madagascar

$134 21.9% 22.9% $25

Getting Around

Brazil

$54 6.2%

Madagascar

$32 5.3% 39.9% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Brazil

$38 4.4%

Madagascar

$35 5.8% 7.5% $2.9

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $335 in Brazil vs $260 in Madagascar. For reference, capital cities sit at $517 in Brasilia and $323 in Antananarivo.

Average salary: $468 in Brazil vs $126 in Madagascar. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 29% higher in Brazil.

Dining out costs 81% more in Brazil.

Public transport is 23% more expensive in Brazil.

Salaries are about 3.7 times higher in Brazil, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Brazil.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Brazil

🇲🇬 Madagascar

🕒 Local time

12:11 12:11 PM

18:11 6:11 PM

6 h ahead of Brazil

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

203,062,512

25,570,895

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Malagasy Ariary MGA Ar

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.184 USD

1 BRL = 0.165 EUR

10,000 MGA = 2.18 USD

10,000 MGA = 1.96 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MGA, USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 5.44 BRL (1 BRL = 0.184 USD). 1 EUR = 6.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.165 EUR).

Malagasy Ariary exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 4,577 MGA (10,000 MGA = 2.18 USD). 1 EUR = 5,108 MGA (10,000 MGA = 1.96 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Brazil Madagascar 9,990 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Brazil
Madagascar

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

Brazil vs Madagascar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Madagascar is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 29% lower on average.

Housing costs more in Brazil: a central one-bedroom averages $335 versus $260 in Madagascar.

Groceries, public transport, and eating out all cost less in Madagascar – part of why living there is about 29% cheaper overall.

$800 buys a comfortable lifestyle in Madagascar, but in Brazil it only works with careful planning outside the capital. Same money, very different lives.

Madagascar is the budget-friendly choice for expats. But cost isn’t everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.