Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Antananarivo

For one person, living is cheaper in Antananarivo: $648 a month against $1,568 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $11,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

76

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index
32

Cost of Living Index in Antananarivo
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Antananarivo Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,568

/mo nomad

Antananarivo

🇲🇬 Madagascar

$648

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,568 per month in Cape Town vs $648 in Antananarivo, rent included.

Cape Town $1,568
Antananarivo $648

A couple spends around $2,438 per month in Cape Town vs $1,009 in Antananarivo, rent included.

Cape Town $2,438
Antananarivo $1,009

A family of three spends $3,307 per month in Cape Town vs $1,370 in Antananarivo, rent included.

Cape Town $3,307
Antananarivo $1,370

Cape Town costs about 142% more than Antananarivo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Cape Town sits 17% above the global median, while Antananarivo is 52% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.78 R 194

$2.68 MGA 12.0K

339.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.55 R 768

$20.36 MGA 91.0K

128.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.96 R 98.4

$5.48 MGA 24.5K

8.76%

Cappuccino

$2.47 R 40.80

$1.60 MGA 7,154

54.38%

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

$1.33 R 21.91

$0.82 MGA 3,653

62.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 R 16.99

$0.45 MGA 1,999

128.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.01 R 49.72

$0.98 MGA 4,392

207.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 R 60.4

$2.31 MGA 10.3K

58.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 R 22.96

$1.01 MGA 4,497

37.62%

White Bread (500g)

$1.19 R 19.60

$1.00 MGA 4,471

19.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.11 R 34.84

$0.76 MGA 3,377

177.63%

Eggs

$3.01 R 49.58

$2.07 MGA 9,268

45.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.96 R 148

$8.66 MGA 38.7K

3.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.65 R 110

$4.48 MGA 20.0K

48.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.29 R 153

$4.95 MGA 22.1K

87.68%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.13

$1.11 MGA 4,946

64.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 R 31.31

$0.58 MGA 2,598

227.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.75 R 28.83

$1.04 MGA 4,660

68.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.09 R 34.41

$0.81 MGA 3,615

158.02%

Potato (1kg)

$1.55 R 25.64

$0.60 MGA 2,700

158.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.49 R 24.53

$0.99 MGA 4,418

50.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

$0.34 MGA 1,532

282.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 R 19.19

$0.72 MGA 3,217

61.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.71 R 61.2

$1.55 MGA 6,933

139.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.06 R 100

$5.12 MGA 22.9K

18.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 22.85

$0.98 MGA 4,390

41.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 R 36.32

$1.80 MGA 8,055

22.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.51 R 24.98

$0.15 MGA 667

906.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.0 R 1,006

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.63 R 10.33

$3.33 MGA 14.9K

-81.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.53 R 25.29

$2.05 MGA 9,179

-25.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.81 R 79.4

$4.41 MGA 19.7K

9.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 R 26.08

$1.18 MGA 5,263

33.90%

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

$35.5K R 585.7K

$11.9K MGA 53.4M

197.18%

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

$31.7K R 523.8K

$25.1K MGA 112.2M

26.50%

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

$116 R 1,920

$72.8 MGA 325.6K

59.80%

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

$28.37 R 468

$17.01 MGA 76.0K

66.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.69 R 671

$56.6 MGA 253.0K

-28.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.85 R 806

$29.33 MGA 131.1K

66.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.13 R 184

$7.15 MGA 31.9K

55.66%

Cinema Ticket

$8.83 R 146

$5.61 MGA 25.1K

57.40%

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

$261 R 4,314

$25.35 MGA 113.3K

931.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,702 R 110.6K

$14.8K MGA 66.3M

-54.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.4 R 914

$29.23 MGA 130.7K

89.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.27 R 532

$27.19 MGA 121.5K

18.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 R 1,939

$78.1 MGA 349.1K

50.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 R 1,766

$68.3 MGA 305.4K

56.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,015 R 16.7K

$327 MGA 1.5M

210.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$715 R 11.8K

$152 MGA 678.6K

371.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,801 R 29.7K

$735 MGA 3.3M

144.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,330 R 22.0K

$319 MGA 1.4M

316.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,331 R 38.5K

$670 MGA 3.0M

248.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,513 R 25.0K

$561 MGA 2.5M

169.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,636 R 27.0K

$130 MGA 579.1K

1162.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

15.75

-30.35%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 4, 2026

Last update for Antananarivo: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$715 45.3%

Antananarivo

$152 23% 78.8% $564

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$222 14.1%

Antananarivo

$144 21.9% 35.1% $78

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$185 11.7%

Antananarivo

$146 22.2% 21% $39

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11%

Antananarivo

$72 10.9% 58.7% $102

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$141 8.9%

Antananarivo

$91 13.8% 35% $49

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.8%

Antananarivo

$14 * 2.2% 81.1% $61

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Antananarivo

$41 6.1% 39% $26

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,015 in Cape Town 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 1163% higher in Cape Town, 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 $47.00 in Cape Town versus $20.00 in Antananarivo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $222 vs $144 – making Antananarivo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇲🇬 Antananarivo

🕒 Local time

13:32 1:32 PM

14:32 2:32 PM

1 h ahead of Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

1,274,225 Capital

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Malagasy Ariary MGA Ar

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.06 USD

100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR

10,000 MGA = 2.24 USD

10,000 MGA = 2 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MGA, USD, EUR to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 16.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.06 USD). 1 EUR = 18.49 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.41 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 ZAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cape Town Antananarivo 3,330 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
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

Cape Town vs Antananarivo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Cape Town is pricier by about 142%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,352 per month in Cape Town 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 $1,568 in Cape Town and $648 in Antananarivo. That's a gap of about 142%.

Kindergarten costs $261 per month in Cape Town 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 Cape Town at $1,568. In Antananarivo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cape Town 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.

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