Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Manakara

For one person, living is cheaper in Manakara: $397 a month against $1,586 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $14,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

77

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index
19

Cost of Living Index in Manakara
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Manakara Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Manakara

🇲🇬 Madagascar

$397

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,586 per month in Cape Town vs $397 in Manakara, rent included.

Cape Town $1,586
Manakara $397

A couple spends around $2,425 per month in Cape Town vs $609 in Manakara, rent included.

Cape Town $2,425
Manakara $609

A family of three spends $3,263 per month in Cape Town vs $821 in Manakara, rent included.

Cape Town $3,263
Manakara $821

Cape Town costs about 300% more than Manakara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Cape Town sits 17% above the global median, while Manakara is 71% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.14 R 200

$2.23 MGA 10.2K

444.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.34 R 747

$14.63 MGA 66.8K

209.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.88 R 96.9

$3.44 MGA 15.7K

70.93%

Cappuccino

$2.50 R 41.18

$1.15 MGA 5,250

117.39%

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

$1.27 R 20.94

$0.62 MGA 2,806

104.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 R 16.14

$0.57 MGA 2,584

71.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.99 R 49.33

$1.14 MGA 5,215

162.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 R 61.4

$1.43 MGA 6,505

160.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 R 21.40

$1.80 MGA 8,189

-27.78%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 R 20.68

$1.01 MGA 4,627

23.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 R 36.76

$0.69 MGA 3,140

223.19%

Eggs

$3.11 R 51.2

$2.34 MGA 10.7K

32.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.06 R 149

$6.40 MGA 29.2K

41.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.92 R 114

$3.31 MGA 15.1K

109.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.30 R 153

$3.51 MGA 16.0K

164.96%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 R 30.25

$0.95 MGA 4,313

93.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 R 32.29

$0.72 MGA 3,268

172.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.45

$0.35 MGA 1,586

377.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.17 R 35.70

$0.72 MGA 3,294

201.39%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 R 25.81

$0.54 MGA 2,456

190.74%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 R 24.45

$0.75 MGA 3,433

97.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

$0.34 MGA 1,566

282.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 R 18.60

$0.63 MGA 2,887

79.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.60 R 59.3

$1.43 MGA 6,513

151.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.15 R 101

$4.52 MGA 20.6K

36.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 R 22.66

$1.02 MGA 4,660

35.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 R 35.20

$1.30 MGA 5,918

64.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 R 24.65

$0.23 MGA 1,051

552.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

$34.89 MGA 159.1K

74.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.59 R 9.71

$1.10 MGA 4,995

-46.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 R 24.65

$2.20 MGA 10.0K

-31.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.11 R 84.2

$3.34 MGA 15.2K

52.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 R 25.50

$1.14 MGA 5,215

35.96%

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

$36.2K R 596.5K

$15.7K MGA 71.5M

130.98%

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

$31.2K R 514.8K

$20.1K MGA 91.6M

55.69%

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

$114 R 1,883

$42.27 MGA 192.8K

170.45%

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

$28.91 R 476

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.73 R 654

$53.3 MGA 243.0K

-25.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.01 R 808

$11.44 MGA 52.2K

328.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 R 181

Cinema Ticket

$9.15 R 151

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

$259 R 4,264

$22.50 MGA 102.6K

1050.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,794 R 111.9K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.2 R 926

$16.28 MGA 74.2K

245.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.41 R 534

$20.38 MGA 93.0K

59.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 R 1,987

$44.83 MGA 204.5K

169.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 R 1,781

$45.59 MGA 208.0K

137.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,021 R 16.8K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$717 R 11.8K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,824 R 30.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,327 R 21.9K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,391 R 39.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,542 R 25.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,639 R 27.0K

$115 MGA 524.9K

1324.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

-54.29%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Last update for Manakara: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$717 45.2%

Manakara

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$225 14.2%

Manakara

$129 32.6% 42.5% $96

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$183 11.5%

Manakara

$96 * 24.1% 47.8% $87

Eating Out

Cape Town

$176 11.1%

Manakara

$55 13.9% 68.6% $121

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$143 9%

Manakara

$57 14.4% 59.9% $86

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.7%

Manakara

$48 12.1% 36% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Manakara

$11 * 2.9% 83% $56

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 1324% 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 $45.00 in Cape Town versus $15.00 in Manakara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $225 vs $129 – making Manakara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇲🇬 Manakara

🕒 Local time

07:28 7:28 AM

08:28 8:28 AM

1 h ahead of Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

44,237

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Malagasy Ariary MGA Ar

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

10,000 MGA = 2.19 USD

10,000 MGA = 1.95 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 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 ZAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cape Town Manakara 3,170 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Manakara

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 Manakara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 300% more than Manakara, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,379 per month in Cape Town and $595 in Manakara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,586 in Cape Town and $397 in Manakara. That's a gap of about 300%.

Public transport costs about 74% less in Manakara. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Manakara, where all-in costs run around $397, than in Cape Town at $1,586. In Manakara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cape Town it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Manakara costs $397 versus $1,586 in Cape Town. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Manakara. 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.