Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Toamasina

For one person, living is cheaper in Toamasina: $465 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $13,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Toamasina

🇲🇬 Madagascar

$465

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $465 in Toamasina, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Toamasina $465

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $753 in Toamasina, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Toamasina $753

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $1,041 in Toamasina, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Toamasina $1,041

Budapest costs about 248% more than Toamasina, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Toamasina is 66% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$2.63 MGA 12.0K

430.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$15.74 MGA 71.8K

288.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$4.35 MGA 19.9K

134.25%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$1.09 MGA 4,993

199.08%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$0.53 MGA 2,430

303.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$1.09 MGA 4,974

240.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$1.08 MGA 4,933

249.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$1.10 MGA 5,015

4.55%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$1.09 MGA 4,990

64.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$1.02 MGA 4,663

144.12%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$1.83 MGA 8,346

113.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$12.50 MGA 57.0K

-11.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$7.69 MGA 35.1K

-13.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$6.18 MGA 28.2K

137.70%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$1.52 MGA 6,915

20.39%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$1.29 MGA 5,890

58.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$1.57 MGA 7,155

50.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$0.68 MGA 3,090

473.53%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$0.62 MGA 2,835

59.68%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$0.55 MGA 2,508

81.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$0.34 MGA 1,561

364.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$0.49 MGA 2,242

36.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$1.72 MGA 7,845

362.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$0.85 MGA 3,889

49.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$1.08 MGA 4,945

87.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$0.34 MGA 1,565

347.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$1.11 MGA 5,046

63.96%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$30.98 MGA 141.3K

-24.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$66.3 MGA 302.4K

-64.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$21.83 MGA 99.6K

209.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$6.82 MGA 31.1K

36.36%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$8.91 MGA 40.6K

1017.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$6.77 MGA 30.9K

542.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$55.9 MGA 255.2K

97.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$37.06 MGA 169.1K

221.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$135 MGA 617.9K

513.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$55.5 MGA 252.9K

1021.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$444 MGA 2.0M

258.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$134 MGA 612.1K

772.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

$133 MGA 606.3K

1142.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Toamasina: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Toamasina

–

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Toamasina

–

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Toamasina

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Toamasina

–

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Toamasina

–

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Toamasina

–

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Toamasina

–

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $830 in Budapest versus $135 in Toamasina. 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 1142% 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 $61.0 in Budapest versus $16.00 in Toamasina. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $169 – making Toamasina the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇲🇬 Toamasina

🕒 Local time

09:07 9:07 AM

10:07 10:07 AM

1 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

325,857

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Malagasy Ariary MGA Ar

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

10,000 MGA = 2.19 USD

10,000 MGA = 1.95 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

Malagasy Ariary exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 4,562 MGA (10,000 MGA = 2.19 USD). 1 EUR = 5,128 MGA (10,000 MGA = 1.95 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

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Between locations

Budapest Toamasina 7,900 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

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Budapest
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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 Toamasina: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 248%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,428 per month in Budapest and $697 in Toamasina. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 52% more in Budapest, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Budapest and $16.00 in Toamasina. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Toamasina, where all-in costs run around $465, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Toamasina it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Toamasina – 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 Toamasina. 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.