Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Antsiranana

For one person, living is cheaper in Antsiranana: $305 a month against $1,568 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $15,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,568

/mo nomad

Antsiranana

🇲🇬 Madagascar

$305

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cape Town and in Antsiranana

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 Antsiranana actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,568 per month in Cape Town vs $305 in Antsiranana, rent included.

Cape Town $1,568
Antsiranana $305

A couple spends around $2,438 per month in Cape Town vs $622 in Antsiranana, rent included.

Cape Town $2,438
Antsiranana $622

A family of three spends $3,307 per month in Cape Town vs $938 in Antsiranana, rent included.

Cape Town $3,307
Antsiranana $938

Cape Town costs about 413% more than Antsiranana, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Cape Town sits 17% above the global median, while Antsiranana is 77% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.78 R 194

$1.56 MGA 6,974

655.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.55 R 768

$15.73 MGA 70.3K

195.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.96 R 98.4

Cappuccino

$2.47 R 40.80

$1.17 MGA 5,233

111.11%

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

$1.33 R 21.91

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 R 16.99

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.01 R 49.72

$1.19 MGA 5,339

152.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 R 60.4

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 R 22.96

$1.58 MGA 7,045

-12.03%

White Bread (500g)

$1.19 R 19.60

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.11 R 34.84

$0.86 MGA 3,855

145.35%

Eggs

$3.01 R 49.58

$3.35 MGA 15.0K

-10.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.96 R 148

$17.82 MGA 79.7K

-49.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.65 R 110

$8.18 MGA 36.6K

-18.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.29 R 153

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.13

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 R 31.31

Oranges (1kg)

$1.75 R 28.83

$2.87 MGA 12.8K

-39.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.09 R 34.41

$1.60 MGA 7,156

30.62%

Potato (1kg)

$1.55 R 25.64

Onion (1kg)

$1.49 R 24.53

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 R 19.19

$0.69 MGA 3,095

68.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.71 R 61.2

$1.77 MGA 7,918

109.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.06 R 100

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 22.85

$0.59 MGA 2,643

135.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 R 36.32

$2.72 MGA 12.2K

-19.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.51 R 24.98

$0.24 MGA 1,075

529.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.0 R 1,006

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.63 R 10.33

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.53 R 25.29

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.81 R 79.4

$6.98 MGA 31.2K

-31.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 R 26.08

$1.37 MGA 6,113

15.33%

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

$35.5K R 585.7K

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

$31.7K R 523.8K

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

$116 R 1,920

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

$28.37 R 468

$23.12 MGA 103.3K

22.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.69 R 671

$59.8 MGA 267.4K

-31.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.85 R 806

$13.89 MGA 62.1K

251.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.13 R 184

Cinema Ticket

$8.83 R 146

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

$261 R 4,314

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,702 R 110.6K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.4 R 914

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.27 R 532

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 R 1,939

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 R 1,766

$35.75 MGA 159.8K

199.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,015 R 16.7K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$715 R 11.8K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,801 R 29.7K

$341 MGA 1.5M

427.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,330 R 22.0K

$226 MGA 1.0M

488.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,331 R 38.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,513 R 25.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,636 R 27.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 4, 2026

Last update for Antsiranana: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$715 45.3%

Antsiranana

–

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$222 14.1%

Antsiranana

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$185 11.7%

Antsiranana

–

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11%

Antsiranana

–

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$141 8.9%

Antsiranana

–

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.8%

Antsiranana

–

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Antsiranana

–

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47.00 in Cape Town versus $16.00 in Antsiranana. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $222 vs $163 – making Antsiranana the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇲🇬 Antsiranana

🕒 Local time

11:48 11:48 AM

12:48 12:48 PM

1 h ahead of Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

129,320

💱 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

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Between locations

Cape Town Antsiranana 3,940 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Antsiranana

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 Antsiranana: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,568 in Cape Town, $305 in Antsiranana – roughly 413% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,352 per month in Cape Town and $458 in Antsiranana. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47.00 in Cape Town and $16.00 in Antsiranana. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,568 in Cape Town and $305 in Antsiranana. That's a gap of about 413%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Antsiranana, where all-in costs run around $305, than in Cape Town at $1,568. In Antsiranana it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cape Town it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Cape Town has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $305 in Antsiranana to $1,568 in Cape Town. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Antsiranana. 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.