Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Egypt and Madagascar

For one person, living is cheaper in Egypt: $449 a month against $615 in Madagascar, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Egypt
Madagascar
🇪🇬 Egypt
$449
/mo nomad
🇲🇬 Madagascar
$615
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $449 in Egypt versus $615 in Madagascar.

  • Egypt $449
  • Madagascar $615

Estimated couple costs with rent: $733 in Egypt versus $959 in Madagascar.

  • Egypt $733
  • Madagascar $959

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,017 in Egypt versus $1,303 in Madagascar.

  • Egypt $1,017
  • Madagascar $1,303

Egypt ($295–$677) and Madagascar ($174–$645) have similar cost spreads. Where you settle within each country has roughly equal impact on the budget.

Living in Egypt costs about 27% less than in Madagascar on average.

Both countries sit below the global median: Egypt 67% lower, Madagascar 55% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Egypt
Madagascar
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.46 E£192
$2.14 MGA 9,816
61.68%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$17.81 E£987
$17.92 MGA 82.0K
-0.61%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.51 E£250
$4.70 MGA 21.5K
-4.04%
Cappuccino
$1.38 E£76.7
$1.31 MGA 6,013
5.34%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.34 E£18.58
$0.75 MGA 3,412
-54.67%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.14 E£7.59
$0.58 MGA 2,645
-75.86%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.37 E£75.7
$1.08 MGA 4,955
26.85%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.70 E£150
$1.79 MGA 8,178
50.84%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Egypt
Madagascar
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.79 E£43.69
$1.14 MGA 5,215
-30.70%
White Bread (500g)
$0.68 E£37.70
$1.00 MGA 4,580
-32.00%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.60 E£33.01
$0.75 MGA 3,443
-20.00%
Eggs
$1.18 E£65.2
$1.97 MGA 9,032
-40.10%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$3.18 E£176
$8.41 MGA 38.5K
-62.19%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.91 E£217
$4.83 MGA 22.1K
-19.05%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$7.74 E£429
$4.70 MGA 21.5K
64.68%
Apples (1kg)
$1.45 E£80.3
$1.04 MGA 4,768
39.42%
Banana (1kg)
$0.67 E£36.86
$0.62 MGA 2,820
8.06%
Oranges (1kg)
$0.49 E£26.99
$0.92 MGA 4,226
-46.74%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.35 E£19.65
$0.86 MGA 3,927
-59.30%
Potato (1kg)
$0.36 E£20.02
$0.59 MGA 2,686
-38.98%
Onion (1kg)
$0.35 E£19.54
$0.76 MGA 3,474
-53.95%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.28 E£15.58
$0.36 MGA 1,630
-22.22%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.19 E£10.30
$0.61 MGA 2,790
-68.85%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$1.83 E£101
$1.52 MGA 6,979
20.39%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.19 E£343
$5.03 MGA 23.0K
23.06%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.30 E£71.8
$0.87 MGA 3,983
49.43%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.87 E£104
$1.59 MGA 7,258
17.61%
🚌 Getting Around
Egypt
Madagascar
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.28 E£15.53
$0.12 MGA 530
133.33%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$7.24 E£401
$17.30 MGA 79.2K
-58.15%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.37 E£20.63
$3.22 MGA 14.7K
-88.51%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.26 E£14.37
$2.26 MGA 10.4K
-88.50%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$1.82 E£101
$4.46 MGA 20.4K
-59.19%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.40 E£22.06
$1.14 MGA 5,195
-64.91%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$29.9K E£1.7M
$12.1K MGA 55.6M
146.14%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.0K E£1.3M
$24.1K MGA 110.4M
-0.47%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Egypt
Madagascar
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$20.40 E£1,130
$64.6 MGA 295.4K
-68.40%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$6.78 E£375
$17.45 MGA 79.9K
-61.15%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$12.41 E£687
$52.5 MGA 240.1K
-76.35%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Egypt
Madagascar
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$17.00 E£942
$23.01 MGA 105.3K
-26.12%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$6.36 E£352
$7.14 MGA 32.7K
-10.92%
Cinema Ticket
$2.93 E£163
$6.22 MGA 28.5K
-52.89%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Egypt
Madagascar
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$94.2 E£5,218
$25.46 MGA 116.5K
269.91%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$2,362 E£130.8K
$14.8K MGA 67.7M
-84.03%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Egypt
Madagascar
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$25.33 E£1,403
$20.33 MGA 93.0K
24.59%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.23 E£2,284
$25.07 MGA 114.7K
64.46%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$105 E£5,815
$67.2 MGA 307.3K
56.32%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$47.95 E£2,657
$46.30 MGA 211.9K
3.56%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Egypt
Madagascar
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$140 E£7,747
$294 MGA 1.3M
-52.49%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$88.9 E£4,924
$138 MGA 629.5K
-35.39%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$282 E£15.6K
$681 MGA 3.1M
-58.58%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$179 E£9,920
$314 MGA 1.4M
-42.98%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$683 E£37.8K
$658 MGA 3.0M
3.73%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$432 E£23.9K
$560 MGA 2.6M
-22.97%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Egypt
Madagascar
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$141 E£7,820
$122 MGA 557.7K
15.85%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
17.11
19.75
-13.37%

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

Last update for Egypt: October 25, 2026

Last update for Madagascar: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Egypt
$117
Madagascar
$142 21.8% $25
Clothing & Footwear
Egypt
$99
Madagascar
$71 27.6% $27
Accommodation & Living
Egypt
$89
Madagascar
$138 54.8% $49
Eating Out
Egypt
$72
Madagascar
$61 14.8% $11
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Egypt
$40
Madagascar
$134 240% $95
Sport & Entertainment
Egypt
$23
Madagascar
$35 55% $13
Getting Around
Egypt
$10
Madagascar
$32 222% $22

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $136 in Egypt, $260 in Madagascar. Capital cities: $203 in Cairo vs $323 in Antananarivo.

National salary averages: $129 in Egypt, $126 in Madagascar. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 91% higher in Madagascar.

Public transport is 400% more expensive in Madagascar.

Good to know
🇪🇬 Egypt
🇲🇬 Madagascar
🕒 Local time
15:53 3:53 PM
16:53 4:53 PM
1 h ahead of Egypt
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
114,535,772
25,570,895
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MGA, USD, EUR to EGP – Egyptian Pound Converter

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 55.4 EGP (100 EGP = 1.81 USD). 1 EUR = 61.82 EGP (100 EGP = 1.62 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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Egypt Madagascar 5,720 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Egypt
  • 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
Egypt vs Madagascar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the cost difference between Egypt and Madagascar?
At $449 per month in Egypt and $615 in Madagascar, Egypt comes out about 27% cheaper. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.
Which country has higher housing costs?
Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $260 in Madagascar and $136 in Egypt. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.
Should I move to Egypt or to Madagascar?
It depends on what you’re after: Egypt wins on affordability, while salaries, visas, language, and lifestyle can tip the balance either way.

Egypt vs other spots: cost of living compared

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