Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dubai and Antananarivo

For one person, living is cheaper in Antananarivo: $648 a month against $2,854 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $26,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

139

Cost of Living Index in Dubai
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Dubai Living Index
32

Cost of Living Index in Antananarivo
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Antananarivo Living Index

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Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,854

/mo nomad

Antananarivo

🇲🇬 Madagascar

$648

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,854 per month in Dubai vs $648 in Antananarivo, rent included.

Dubai $2,854
Antananarivo $648

A couple spends around $4,321 per month in Dubai vs $1,009 in Antananarivo, rent included.

Dubai $4,321
Antananarivo $1,009

A family of three spends $5,788 per month in Dubai vs $1,370 in Antananarivo, rent included.

Dubai $5,788
Antananarivo $1,370

Dubai costs about 340% more than Antananarivo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Dubai sits 113% above the global median, while Antananarivo is 52% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.04 AED 47.89

$2.68 MGA 12.0K

386.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.4 AED 299

$20.36 MGA 91.0K

299.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.32 AED 34.25

$5.48 MGA 24.5K

70.07%

Cappuccino

$5.97 AED 21.93

$1.60 MGA 7,154

273.12%

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

$1.63 AED 5.98

$0.82 MGA 3,653

98.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.81 AED 2.99

$0.45 MGA 1,999

80.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.65 AED 50.1

$0.98 MGA 4,392

1292.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.38 AED 49.15

$2.31 MGA 10.3K

479.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.81 AED 6.64

$1.01 MGA 4,497

79.21%

White Bread (500g)

$1.57 AED 5.78

$1.00 MGA 4,471

57.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 AED 9.16

$0.76 MGA 3,377

227.63%

Eggs

$3.28 AED 12.04

$2.07 MGA 9,268

58.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.67 AED 46.53

$8.66 MGA 38.7K

46.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.75 AED 35.80

$4.48 MGA 20.0K

117.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.18 AED 48.40

$4.95 MGA 22.1K

166.26%

Apples (1kg)

$2.61 AED 9.57

$1.11 MGA 4,946

135.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.93 AED 7.09

$0.58 MGA 2,598

232.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.92 AED 7.05

$1.04 MGA 4,660

84.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.36 AED 5.00

$0.81 MGA 3,615

67.90%

Potato (1kg)

$1.17 AED 4.29

$0.60 MGA 2,700

95.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.01 AED 3.71

$0.99 MGA 4,418

2.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.51 AED 5.56

$0.34 MGA 1,532

344.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 AED 2.29

$0.72 MGA 3,217

-13.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.85 AED 21.50

$1.55 MGA 6,933

277.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.14 AED 59.3

$5.12 MGA 22.9K

215.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.65 AED 9.74

$0.98 MGA 4,390

170.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.95 AED 10.82

$1.80 MGA 8,055

63.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.64 AED 6.03

$0.15 MGA 667

993.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.6 AED 270

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.17 AED 11.66

$3.33 MGA 14.9K

-4.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 AED 2.63

$2.05 MGA 9,179

-65.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.96 AED 29.23

$4.41 MGA 19.7K

80.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 AED 3.64

$1.18 MGA 5,263

-16.10%

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

$27.4K AED 100.5K

$11.9K MGA 53.4M

129.15%

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

$22.5K AED 82.8K

$25.1K MGA 112.2M

-10.20%

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

$250 AED 920

$72.8 MGA 325.6K

243.81%

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

$54.2 AED 199

$17.01 MGA 76.0K

218.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$91.8 AED 337

$56.6 MGA 253.0K

62.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$98.6 AED 362

$29.33 MGA 131.1K

236.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$42.61 AED 156

$7.15 MGA 31.9K

495.94%

Cinema Ticket

$16.03 AED 58.9

$5.61 MGA 25.1K

185.74%

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

$843 AED 3,098

$25.35 MGA 113.3K

3227.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.3K AED 67.1K

$14.8K MGA 66.3M

23.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.0 AED 250

$29.23 MGA 130.7K

132.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.9 AED 213

$27.19 MGA 121.5K

112.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 AED 370

$78.1 MGA 349.1K

28.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 AED 371

$68.3 MGA 305.4K

47.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,380 AED 8,741

$327 MGA 1.5M

627.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,506 AED 5,531

$152 MGA 678.6K

892.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,437 AED 16.3K

$735 MGA 3.3M

503.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,010 AED 11.1K

$319 MGA 1.4M

842.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,121 AED 26.2K

$670 MGA 3.0M

963.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,135 AED 15.2K

$561 MGA 2.5M

637.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,391 AED 12.5K

$130 MGA 579.1K

2517.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.54

15.75

-71.17%

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

Last update for Dubai: October 5, 2026

Last update for Antananarivo: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dubai

$1.5K 52.5%

Antananarivo

$152 23% 89.9% $1.4K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dubai

$396 13.8%

Antananarivo

$146 22.2% 63.1% $250

Eating Out

Dubai

$309 10.8%

Antananarivo

$72 10.9% 76.8% $237

Groceries & Markets

Dubai

$293 10.2%

Antananarivo

$144 21.9% 50.7% $148

Clothing & Footwear

Dubai

$147 5.1%

Antananarivo

$91 13.8% 38.1% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Dubai

$131 4.6%

Antananarivo

$41 6.1% 69% $90

Getting Around

Dubai

$87 3%

Antananarivo

$14 * 2.2% 83.7% $73

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,380 in Dubai 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 2517% higher in Dubai, 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 $81.0 in Dubai versus $20.00 in Antananarivo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $293 vs $144 – making Antananarivo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇪 Dubai

🇲🇬 Antananarivo

🕒 Local time

15:25 3:25 PM

14:25 2:25 PM

1 h behind Dubai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,790,000

1,274,225 Capital

💱 Currency

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

Malagasy Ariary MGA Ar

📈 Exchange rate

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.243 EUR

10,000 MGA = 2.24 USD

10,000 MGA = 2 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MGA, USD, EUR to AED – UAE Dirham Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇪 UAE Dirham (د.إ)

UAE Dirham exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.67 AED (1 AED = 0.272 USD). 1 EUR = 4.12 AED (1 AED = 0.243 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 AED in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Dubai Antananarivo 4,960 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Dubai
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

Dubai vs Antananarivo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Dubai is pricier by about 340%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,281 per month in Dubai 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 $2,854 in Dubai and $648 in Antananarivo. That's a gap of about 340%.

Kindergarten costs $843 per month in Dubai 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 Dubai at $2,854. In Antananarivo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Dubai 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.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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