Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Toliara

For one person, living is cheaper in Toliara: $173 a month against $1,586 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $17,000 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

$1,586

/mo nomad

Toliara

🇲🇬 Madagascar

$173

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,586 per month in Cape Town vs $173 in Toliara, rent included.

Cape Town $1,586
Toliara $173

A couple spends around $2,425 per month in Cape Town vs $260 in Toliara, rent included.

Cape Town $2,425
Toliara $260

A family of three spends $3,263 per month in Cape Town vs $347 in Toliara, rent included.

Cape Town $3,263
Toliara $347

Cape Town costs about 817% more than Toliara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Cape Town sits 17% above the global median, while Toliara is 87% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.14 R 200

$1.81 MGA 8,267

570.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.34 R 747

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.88 R 96.9

Cappuccino

$2.50 R 41.18

$0.75 MGA 3,434

233.33%

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

$1.27 R 20.94

$0.63 MGA 2,864

101.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 R 16.14

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.99 R 49.33

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 R 61.4

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 R 21.40

$1.42 MGA 6,472

-8.45%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 R 20.68

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 R 36.76

$0.38 MGA 1,722

486.84%

Eggs

$3.11 R 51.2

$2.10 MGA 9,575

48.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.06 R 149

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.92 R 114

$4.62 MGA 21.1K

49.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.30 R 153

$4.78 MGA 21.8K

94.56%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 R 30.25

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 R 32.29

$0.67 MGA 3,061

192.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.45

Tomato (1kg)

$2.17 R 35.70

$1.69 MGA 7,708

28.40%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 R 25.81

$0.48 MGA 2,205

227.08%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 R 24.45

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 R 18.60

$0.68 MGA 3,096

66.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.60 R 59.3

$1.72 MGA 7,838

109.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.15 R 101

$5.43 MGA 24.7K

13.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 R 22.66

$0.69 MGA 3,154

100.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 R 35.20

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 R 24.65

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.59 R 9.71

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 R 24.65

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.11 R 84.2

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 R 25.50

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

$36.2K R 596.5K

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

$31.2K R 514.8K

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

$114 R 1,883

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

$28.91 R 476

$16.30 MGA 74.3K

77.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.73 R 654

$32.77 MGA 149.5K

21.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.01 R 808

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

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,794 R 111.9K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.2 R 926

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.41 R 534

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 R 1,987

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 R 1,781

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

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 10, 2026

Last update for Toliara: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$717 45.2%

Toliara

–

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$225 14.2%

Toliara

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$183 11.5%

Toliara

–

Eating Out

Cape Town

$176 11.1%

Toliara

–

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$143 9%

Toliara

–

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.7%

Toliara

–

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Toliara

–

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇲🇬 Toliara

🕒 Local time

06:29 6:29 AM

07:29 7:29 AM

1 h ahead of Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

168,756

💱 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

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Between locations

Cape Town Toliara 2,720 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Toliara

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 Toliara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 817% more than Toliara, 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 $260 in Toliara. 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 $173 in Toliara. That's a gap of about 817%.

Groceries cost about 130% more in Cape Town, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Toliara, where all-in costs run around $173, than in Cape Town at $1,586. In Toliara 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. Toliara costs $173 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 Toliara. 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.