Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dubai and Mahajanga

For one person, living is cheaper in Mahajanga: $557 a month against $2,854 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $27,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Dubai
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Dubai Living Index

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Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,854

/mo nomad

Mahajanga

🇲🇬 Madagascar

$557

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dubai and in Mahajanga

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,854 in Dubai versus $557 in Mahajanga.

Dubai $2,854
Mahajanga $557

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,321 in Dubai versus $813 in Mahajanga.

Dubai $4,321
Mahajanga $813

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,788 in Dubai versus $1,069 in Mahajanga.

Dubai $5,788
Mahajanga $1,069

Living in Dubai is roughly 413% more expensive than in Mahajanga, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Dubai is 113% above, Mahajanga is 58% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.04 AED 47.89

$2.02 MGA 9,027

545.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.4 AED 299

$18.34 MGA 82.0K

343.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.32 AED 34.25

Cappuccino

$5.97 AED 21.93

$0.69 MGA 3,104

765.22%

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

$1.63 AED 5.98

$0.93 MGA 4,169

75.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.81 AED 2.99

$0.90 MGA 4,013

-10.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.65 AED 50.1

$1.05 MGA 4,710

1200.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.38 AED 49.15

$1.61 MGA 7,211

731.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.81 AED 6.64

$1.35 MGA 6,053

34.07%

White Bread (500g)

$1.57 AED 5.78

$0.87 MGA 3,900

80.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 AED 9.16

$0.64 MGA 2,880

289.06%

Eggs

$3.28 AED 12.04

$2.23 MGA 9,963

47.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.67 AED 46.53

$6.91 MGA 30.9K

83.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.75 AED 35.80

$6.85 MGA 30.6K

42.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.18 AED 48.40

$3.75 MGA 16.8K

251.47%

Apples (1kg)

$2.61 AED 9.57

$1.12 MGA 4,990

133.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.93 AED 7.09

$0.62 MGA 2,765

211.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.92 AED 7.05

$0.70 MGA 3,109

174.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.36 AED 5.00

$0.70 MGA 3,146

94.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.17 AED 4.29

$0.53 MGA 2,382

120.75%

Onion (1kg)

$1.01 AED 3.71

$0.52 MGA 2,333

94.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.51 AED 5.56

$0.35 MGA 1,574

331.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 AED 2.29

$0.59 MGA 2,657

5.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.85 AED 21.50

Wine (Bottle)

$16.14 AED 59.3

$9.30 MGA 41.6K

73.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.65 AED 9.74

$0.79 MGA 3,518

235.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.95 AED 10.82

$0.95 MGA 4,245

210.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.64 AED 6.03

$0.23 MGA 1,020

613.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.6 AED 270

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.17 AED 11.66

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 AED 2.63

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.96 AED 29.23

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 AED 3.64

$1.34 MGA 5,996

-26.12%

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

$27.4K AED 100.5K

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

$22.5K AED 82.8K

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

$250 AED 920

$44.71 MGA 199.8K

460.05%

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

$54.2 AED 199

$6.69 MGA 29.9K

710.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$91.8 AED 337

$22.67 MGA 101.3K

304.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$98.6 AED 362

$18.07 MGA 80.8K

445.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$42.61 AED 156

Cinema Ticket

$16.03 AED 58.9

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

$843 AED 3,098

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.3K AED 67.1K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.0 AED 250

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.9 AED 213

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 AED 370

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 AED 371

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,380 AED 8,741

$337 MGA 1.5M

606.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,506 AED 5,531

$275 MGA 1.2M

447.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,437 AED 16.3K

$693 MGA 3.1M

540.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,010 AED 11.1K

$448 MGA 2.0M

571.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,121 AED 26.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,135 AED 15.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,391 AED 12.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.54

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

Last update for Dubai: October 5, 2026

Last update for Mahajanga: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dubai

$1.5K 52.5%

Mahajanga

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dubai

$396 13.8%

Mahajanga

–

Eating Out

Dubai

$309 10.8%

Mahajanga

–

Groceries & Markets

Dubai

$293 10.2%

Mahajanga

–

Clothing & Footwear

Dubai

$147 5.1%

Mahajanga

–

Sport & Entertainment

Dubai

$131 4.6%

Mahajanga

–

Getting Around

Dubai

$87 3%

Mahajanga

–

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,380 in Dubai and $337 in Mahajanga. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $81.0 in Dubai vs $18.00 in Mahajanga for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $293 vs $151 per month, with Mahajanga cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇪 Dubai

🇲🇬 Mahajanga

🕒 Local time

13:43 1:43 PM

12:43 12:43 PM

1 h behind Dubai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,790,000

246,022

💱 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

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Between locations

Dubai Mahajanga 4,640 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

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Dubai
Mahajanga

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 Mahajanga: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mahajanga is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. The 413% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $4,281 in Dubai and $835 in Mahajanga to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,380 in Dubai versus $337 in Mahajanga. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 94% higher in Dubai. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Mahajanga – a meal for two runs $18.00 versus $81.0 in Dubai. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $557 in Mahajanga versus $2,854 in Dubai, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Mahajanga but tight or insufficient in Dubai. The gap between the two cities makes Mahajanga the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Mahajanga is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Dubai, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Dubai and Mahajanga are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Mahajanga gentler on the wallet – expenses run 413% less than in Dubai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.