Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between China and Madagascar

Name: Madagascar
Address: MG

For one person, living is cheaper in Madagascar: $615 a month against $791 in China, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

38

Cost of Living Index in China
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China Living Index
30

Cost of Living Index in Madagascar
Learn more

Madagascar Living Index

Jump to prices

🇨🇳 China

$791

/mo nomad

🇲🇬 Madagascar

$615

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in China and in Madagascar

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in China and in Madagascar actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $791 in China versus $615 in Madagascar.

China $791
Madagascar $615

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,251 in China versus $959 in Madagascar.

China $1,251
Madagascar $959

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,711 in China versus $1,303 in Madagascar.

China $1,711
Madagascar $1,303

Internal cost variation is higher in China: monthly costs span $465 to $1,222, compared to $174–$645 in Madagascar. City choice carries more weight in China.

Living in China is roughly 29% more expensive than in Madagascar on average.

Both countries sit below the global median: China 42% lower, Madagascar 55% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.98 ¥19.76

$2.14 MGA 9,816

39.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.09 ¥147

$17.92 MGA 82.0K

23.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.20 ¥34.51

$4.70 MGA 21.5K

10.64%

Cappuccino

$2.97 ¥19.68

$1.31 MGA 6,013

126.72%

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

$0.48 ¥3.18

$0.75 MGA 3,412

-36.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ¥2.00

$0.58 MGA 2,645

-48.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.08 ¥7.16

$1.08 MGA 4,955

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 ¥15.11

$1.79 MGA 8,178

27.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.80 ¥11.93

$1.14 MGA 5,215

57.89%

White Bread (500g)

$1.68 ¥11.12

$1.00 MGA 4,580

68.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.92 ¥6.12

$0.75 MGA 3,443

22.67%

Eggs

$1.61 ¥10.70

$1.97 MGA 9,032

-18.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.38 ¥88.8

$8.41 MGA 38.5K

59.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.35 ¥22.22

$4.83 MGA 22.1K

-30.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.35 ¥75.3

$4.70 MGA 21.5K

141.49%

Apples (1kg)

$1.82 ¥12.09

$1.04 MGA 4,768

75.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.31 ¥8.67

$0.62 MGA 2,820

111.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.49 ¥9.86

$0.92 MGA 4,226

61.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.27 ¥8.45

$0.86 MGA 3,927

47.67%

Potato (1kg)

$0.71 ¥4.72

$0.59 MGA 2,686

20.34%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.20

$0.76 MGA 3,474

22.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.62 ¥4.11

$0.36 MGA 1,630

72.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ¥3.73

$0.61 MGA 2,790

-8.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.78 ¥25.08

$1.52 MGA 6,979

148.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.13 ¥80.5

$5.03 MGA 23.0K

141.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 ¥5.52

$0.87 MGA 3,983

-4.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 ¥11.18

$1.59 MGA 7,258

5.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.91

$0.12 MGA 530

141.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.83 ¥118

$17.30 MGA 79.2K

3.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.49 ¥9.87

$3.22 MGA 14.7K

-53.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.37 ¥2.49

$2.26 MGA 10.4K

-83.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.10 ¥47.11

$4.46 MGA 20.4K

59.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.26 ¥8.35

$1.14 MGA 5,195

10.53%

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

$19.4K ¥129.1K

$12.1K MGA 55.6M

60.19%

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

$17.5K ¥116.4K

$24.1K MGA 110.4M

-27.33%

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

$54.6 ¥362

$64.6 MGA 295.4K

-15.48%

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

$8.73 ¥58.0

$17.45 MGA 79.9K

-49.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.07 ¥73.5

$52.5 MGA 240.1K

-78.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.77 ¥271

$23.01 MGA 105.3K

77.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.48 ¥96.1

$7.14 MGA 32.7K

102.80%

Cinema Ticket

$6.78 ¥45.00

$6.22 MGA 28.5K

9.00%

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

$517 ¥3,429

$25.46 MGA 116.5K

1929.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.8K ¥131.5K

$14.8K MGA 67.7M

33.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.53 ¥309

$20.33 MGA 93.0K

128.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.66 ¥237

$25.07 MGA 114.7K

42.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ¥511

$67.2 MGA 307.3K

14.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.3 ¥533

$46.30 MGA 211.9K

73.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$386 ¥2,560

$294 MGA 1.3M

31.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$235 ¥1,557

$138 MGA 629.5K

70.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$822 ¥5,454

$681 MGA 3.1M

20.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$453 ¥3,007

$314 MGA 1.4M

44.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,697 ¥31.2K

$658 MGA 3.0M

613.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,372 ¥15.7K

$560 MGA 2.6M

323.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,093 ¥7,255

$122 MGA 557.7K

797.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.46

19.75

-82.48%

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

Last update for China: October 24, 2026

Last update for Madagascar: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

China

$235 29.6%

Madagascar

$138 22.4% 41.4% $97

Groceries & Markets

China

$210 26.5%

Madagascar

$142 23.1% 32.3% $68

Clothing & Footwear

China

$108 13.6%

Madagascar

$71 11.6% 33.7% $36

Eating Out

China

$88 11.1%

Madagascar

$61 10% 30.4% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

China

$74 9.4%

Madagascar

$134 21.9% 80.8% $60

Sport & Entertainment

China

$54 6.9%

Madagascar

$35 5.8% 34.8% $19

Getting Around

China

$22 2.8%

Madagascar

$32 5.3% 44.5% $10

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $298 in China, $260 in Madagascar. Capital cities: $933 in Beijing (Pekin) vs $323 in Antananarivo.

National salary averages: $873 in China, $126 in Madagascar. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 15% higher in China.

Dining out costs 38% more in China.

Public transport is 94% more expensive in Madagascar.

Salaries are about 6.9 times higher in China, and purchasing power comes out stronger in China.

Good to know

🇨🇳 China

🇲🇬 Madagascar

🕒 Local time

22:31 10:31 PM

17:31 5:31 PM

5 h behind China

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,442,965,000

25,570,895

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Malagasy Ariary MGA Ar

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.151 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

10,000 MGA = 2.18 USD

10,000 MGA = 1.96 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MGA, USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 6.64 CNY (1 CNY = 0.151 USD). 1 EUR = 7.41 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

Malagasy Ariary exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 4,577 MGA (10,000 MGA = 2.18 USD). 1 EUR = 5,108 MGA (10,000 MGA = 1.96 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

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Between locations

China Madagascar 9,660 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

China
Madagascar

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

China vs Madagascar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $791 per month in China and $615 in Madagascar, Madagascar comes out about 22% cheaper. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $298 in China and $260 in Madagascar. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

In Madagascar, $800 covers most cities easily; in China it stretches only to regional areas and falls short in the capital – you’ll need to make trade-offs on housing or lifestyle.

It depends on what you’re after: Madagascar wins on affordability, while salaries, visas, language, and lifestyle can tip the balance either way.