Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Antananarivo

For one person, living is cheaper in Antananarivo: $648 a month against $1,685 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $12,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

81

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index
32

Cost of Living Index in Antananarivo
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Antananarivo Living Index

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Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,685

/mo nomad

Antananarivo

🇲🇬 Madagascar

$648

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,685 per month in Buenos Aires vs $648 in Antananarivo, rent included.

Buenos Aires $1,685
Antananarivo $648

A couple spends around $2,742 per month in Buenos Aires vs $1,009 in Antananarivo, rent included.

Buenos Aires $2,742
Antananarivo $1,009

A family of three spends $3,799 per month in Buenos Aires vs $1,370 in Antananarivo, rent included.

Buenos Aires $3,799
Antananarivo $1,370

Buenos Aires costs about 160% more than Antananarivo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Buenos Aires sits 26% above the global median, while Antananarivo is 52% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.73 ARS 28.4K

$2.68 MGA 12.0K

598.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.5 ARS 97.8K

$20.36 MGA 91.0K

216.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.88 ARS 19.5K

$5.48 MGA 24.5K

135.04%

Cappuccino

$3.98 ARS 6,029

$1.60 MGA 7,154

148.75%

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

$2.05 ARS 3,103

$0.82 MGA 3,653

150.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 ARS 2,349

$0.45 MGA 1,999

244.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.84 ARS 5,830

$0.98 MGA 4,392

291.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.60 ARS 6,970

$2.31 MGA 10.3K

99.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 ARS 2,181

$1.01 MGA 4,497

42.57%

White Bread (500g)

$2.46 ARS 3,738

$1.00 MGA 4,471

146.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 ARS 2,467

$0.76 MGA 3,377

114.47%

Eggs

$2.89 ARS 4,385

$2.07 MGA 9,268

39.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.65 ARS 16.1K

$8.66 MGA 38.7K

22.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

$4.48 MGA 20.0K

123.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.74 ARS 20.8K

$4.95 MGA 22.1K

177.58%

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 ARS 4,166

$1.11 MGA 4,946

147.75%

Banana (1kg)

$2.18 ARS 3,300

$0.58 MGA 2,598

275.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.45 ARS 2,205

$1.04 MGA 4,660

39.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.99 ARS 3,013

$0.81 MGA 3,615

145.68%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ARS 1,885

$0.60 MGA 2,700

106.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.27 ARS 1,921

$0.99 MGA 4,418

28.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.70 ARS 2,575

$0.34 MGA 1,532

400.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 ARS 2,617

$0.72 MGA 3,217

140.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.18 ARS 6,337

$1.55 MGA 6,933

169.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.80 ARS 8,790

$5.12 MGA 22.9K

13.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.09 ARS 3,163

$0.98 MGA 4,390

113.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 ARS 4,198

$1.80 MGA 8,055

53.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 ARS 1,132

$0.15 MGA 667

400.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.15 ARS 41.2K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.62 ARS 2,451

$3.33 MGA 14.9K

-51.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.98 ARS 1,481

$2.05 MGA 9,179

-52.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.72 ARS 11.7K

$4.41 MGA 19.7K

75.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 ARS 2,058

$1.18 MGA 5,263

15.25%

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

$28.0K ARS 42.5M

$11.9K MGA 53.4M

134.50%

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

$34.5K ARS 52.4M

$25.1K MGA 112.2M

37.58%

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

$216 ARS 326.9K

$72.8 MGA 325.6K

195.99%

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

$25.61 ARS 38.8K

$17.01 MGA 76.0K

50.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.36 ARS 47.6K

$56.6 MGA 253.0K

-44.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.82 ARS 75.6K

$29.33 MGA 131.1K

69.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.06 ARS 25.9K

$7.15 MGA 31.9K

138.60%

Cinema Ticket

$10.43 ARS 15.8K

$5.61 MGA 25.1K

85.92%

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

$466 ARS 706.7K

$25.35 MGA 113.3K

1738.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,057 ARS 13.7M

$14.8K MGA 66.3M

-38.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$122 ARS 185.2K

$29.23 MGA 130.7K

317.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$97.4 ARS 147.8K

$27.19 MGA 121.5K

258.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 ARS 177.4K

$78.1 MGA 349.1K

49.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$140 ARS 211.9K

$68.3 MGA 305.4K

104.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$763 ARS 1.2M

$327 MGA 1.5M

133.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$505 ARS 766.1K

$152 MGA 678.6K

232.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,598 ARS 2.4M

$735 MGA 3.3M

117.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,185 ARS 1.8M

$319 MGA 1.4M

271.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,678 ARS 4.1M

$670 MGA 3.0M

300.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,858 ARS 2.8M

$561 MGA 2.5M

231.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$954 ARS 1.4M

$130 MGA 579.1K

636.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

15.75

263.49%

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 6, 2026

Last update for Antananarivo: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$505 30.4%

Antananarivo

$152 23% 70% $353

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$284 17.1%

Antananarivo

$144 21.9% 49.2% $140

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$279 16.8%

Antananarivo

$72 10.9% 74.3% $207

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$273 16.4%

Antananarivo

$146 22.2% 46.3% $126

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$214 12.9%

Antananarivo

$91 13.8% 57.4% $123

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$71 4.3%

Antananarivo

$41 6.1% 42.6% $30

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2%

Antananarivo

$14 * 2.2% 61.2% $22

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $763 in Buenos Aires 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 637% higher in Buenos Aires, 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 $64.0 in Buenos Aires versus $20.00 in Antananarivo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $284 vs $144 – making Antananarivo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇲🇬 Antananarivo

🕒 Local time

04:38 4:38 AM

10:38 10:38 AM

6 h ahead of Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

1,274,225 Capital

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

Malagasy Ariary MGA Ar

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR

10,000 MGA = 2.24 USD

10,000 MGA = 1.99 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MGA, USD, EUR to ARS – Argentine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇷 Argentine Peso ($)

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,701 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR).

Malagasy Ariary exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4,470 MGA (10,000 MGA = 2.24 USD). 1 EUR = 5,013 MGA (10,000 MGA = 1.99 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Buenos Aires Antananarivo 10,200 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Buenos Aires
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

Buenos Aires vs Antananarivo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Buenos Aires is pricier by about 160%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,528 per month in Buenos Aires 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 $1,685 in Buenos Aires and $648 in Antananarivo. That's a gap of about 160%.

Kindergarten costs $466 per month in Buenos Aires 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 Buenos Aires at $1,685. In Antananarivo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Buenos Aires 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, Buenos Aires makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.