Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Antananarivo

For one person, living is cheaper in Antananarivo: $648 a month against $1,621 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $11,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index
32

Cost of Living Index in Antananarivo
Learn more

Antananarivo Living Index

Jump to prices

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Antananarivo

🇲🇬 Madagascar

$648

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,621 per month in Budapest vs $648 in Antananarivo, rent included.

Budapest $1,621
Antananarivo $648

A couple spends around $2,555 per month in Budapest vs $1,009 in Antananarivo, rent included.

Budapest $2,555
Antananarivo $1,009

A family of three spends $3,489 per month in Budapest vs $1,370 in Antananarivo, rent included.

Budapest $3,489
Antananarivo $1,370

Budapest costs about 150% more than Antananarivo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 21% above the global median, while Antananarivo is 52% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.99 Ft 4,551

$2.68 MGA 12.0K

422.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.3 Ft 19.6K

$20.36 MGA 91.0K

196.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.96 Ft 3,241

$5.48 MGA 24.5K

81.75%

Cappuccino

$3.38 Ft 1,100

$1.60 MGA 7,154

111.25%

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

$2.13 Ft 692

$0.82 MGA 3,653

159.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 Ft 608

$0.45 MGA 1,999

315.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.75 Ft 1,221

$0.98 MGA 4,392

282.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.57 Ft 1,162

$2.31 MGA 10.3K

54.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 Ft 368

$1.01 MGA 4,497

11.88%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 Ft 599

$1.00 MGA 4,471

84.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 Ft 777

$0.76 MGA 3,377

214.47%

Eggs

$3.83 Ft 1,245

$2.07 MGA 9,268

85.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.33 Ft 3,686

$8.66 MGA 38.7K

30.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.74 Ft 2,192

$4.48 MGA 20.0K

50.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,780

$4.95 MGA 22.1K

196.77%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 Ft 597

$1.11 MGA 4,946

65.77%

Banana (1kg)

$2.01 Ft 653

$0.58 MGA 2,598

246.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.36 Ft 767

$1.04 MGA 4,660

126.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.77 Ft 1,226

$0.81 MGA 3,615

365.43%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 Ft 313

$0.60 MGA 2,700

60.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.03 Ft 334

$0.99 MGA 4,418

4.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.56 Ft 509

$0.34 MGA 1,532

358.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 Ft 216

$0.72 MGA 3,217

-8.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,591

$1.55 MGA 6,933

413.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.01 Ft 1,954

$5.12 MGA 22.9K

17.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 Ft 421

$0.98 MGA 4,390

32.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 Ft 676

$1.80 MGA 8,055

15.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 Ft 489

$0.15 MGA 667

900.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.61 Ft 8,982

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.30 Ft 1,074

$3.33 MGA 14.9K

-0.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.30 Ft 424

$2.05 MGA 9,179

-36.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.78 Ft 6,436

$4.41 MGA 19.7K

348.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.81 Ft 591

$1.18 MGA 5,263

53.39%

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

$29.3K Ft 9.5M

$11.9K MGA 53.4M

145.51%

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

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

$25.1K MGA 112.2M

35.90%

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

$170 Ft 55.3K

$72.8 MGA 325.6K

133.34%

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

$23.98 Ft 7,802

$17.01 MGA 76.0K

40.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.42 Ft 7,621

$56.6 MGA 253.0K

-58.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

$29.33 MGA 131.1K

125.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.18 Ft 6,239

$7.15 MGA 31.9K

168.25%

Cinema Ticket

$9.52 Ft 3,098

$5.61 MGA 25.1K

69.70%

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

$537 Ft 174.6K

$25.35 MGA 113.3K

2017.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

$14.8K MGA 66.3M

11.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 Ft 33.0K

$29.23 MGA 130.7K

246.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

$27.19 MGA 121.5K

58.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 Ft 36.7K

$78.1 MGA 349.1K

44.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.6K

$68.3 MGA 305.4K

73.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 Ft 262.0K

$327 MGA 1.5M

146.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 Ft 204.7K

$152 MGA 678.6K

314.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,549 Ft 504.1K

$735 MGA 3.3M

110.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,167 Ft 379.7K

$319 MGA 1.4M

265.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

$670 MGA 3.0M

739.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

$561 MGA 2.5M

607.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,626 Ft 529.0K

$130 MGA 579.1K

1154.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.43

15.75

-59.17%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Last update for Antananarivo: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$629 38.7%

Antananarivo

$152 23% 75.9% $477

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.8%

Antananarivo

$144 21.9% 44% $113

Eating Out

Budapest

$224 13.8%

Antananarivo

$72 10.9% 68.1% $153

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$217 13.4%

Antananarivo

$146 22.2% 32.6% $71

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$169 10.4%

Antananarivo

$91 13.8% 46% $78

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$85 5.2%

Antananarivo

$41 6.1% 52.5% $45

Getting Around

Budapest

$43 2.7%

Antananarivo

$14 * 2.2% 67.3% $29

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $805 in Budapest versus $327 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 run about 1155% higher in Budapest, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $60.0 in Budapest versus $20.00 in Antananarivo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $144 – making Antananarivo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇲🇬 Antananarivo

🕒 Local time

12:11 12:11 PM

13:11 1:11 PM

1 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

1,274,225 Capital

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Malagasy Ariary MGA Ar

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR

10,000 MGA = 2.24 USD

10,000 MGA = 2 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MGA, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 325 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 365 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR).

Malagasy Ariary exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4,470 MGA (10,000 MGA = 2.24 USD). 1 EUR = 5,009 MGA (10,000 MGA = 2 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Budapest Antananarivo 7,910 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
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

Budapest vs Antananarivo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 150%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,432 per month in Budapest and $972 in Antananarivo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Antananarivo, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,621 in Budapest and $648 in Antananarivo. That's a gap of about 150%.

Kindergarten costs $537 per month in Budapest and $25.35 in Antananarivo. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Antananarivo, where all-in costs run around $648, than in Budapest at $1,621. In Antananarivo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Antananarivo. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Budapest makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.