For one person, living is cheaper in Madagascar: $615 a month against $2,080 in Germany, rent and utilities included – about $17,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.
How much you'll spend in Germany 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 Germany and in Madagascar actually costs, broken down by who's living it.
Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,080 in Germany versus $615 in Madagascar.
Germany $2,080
Madagascar $615
Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,130 in Germany versus $959 in Madagascar.
Germany $3,130
Madagascar $959
Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,180 in Germany versus $1,303 in Madagascar.
Germany $4,180
Madagascar $1,303
📏
Internal cost variation is higher in Germany: monthly costs span $1,337 to $2,681, compared to $174–$645 in Madagascar. City choice carries more weight in Germany.
🌍
Living in Germany is roughly 238% more expensive than in Madagascar on average.
📊
Germany (53% above) and Madagascar (55% below) straddle the global median.
Currency
No currencies found
🍽 Eating Out
Germany
Madagascar
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.60€14.81
$2.14MGA 9,816
675.70%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$71.8€64.1
$17.92MGA 82.0K
300.78%
Fast Food Meal(McDonalds, etc)
$12.12€10.82
$4.70MGA 21.5K
157.87%
Cappuccino
$3.96€3.53
$1.31MGA 6,013
202.29%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite(0.33 liter bottle)
$3.36€3.00
$0.75MGA 3,412
348.00%
Water(0.33 liter bottle)
$2.89€2.58
$0.58MGA 2,645
398.28%
Local Beer(0.5 liter draught)
$5.07€4.52
$1.08MGA 4,955
369.44%
Imported Beer(0.33 liter bottle)
$4.50€4.02
$1.79MGA 8,178
151.40%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Germany
Madagascar
Difference
Milk(1 liter)
$1.26€1.13
$1.14MGA 5,215
10.53%
White Bread(500g)
$2.20€1.96
$1.00MGA 4,580
120.00%
Rice(white)(1kg)
$3.54€3.16
$0.75MGA 3,443
372.00%
Eggs
$3.88€3.47
$1.97MGA 9,032
96.95%
Local Cheese(1kg)
$14.24€12.70
$8.41MGA 38.5K
69.32%
Chicken Fillets(1kg)
$11.90€10.62
$4.83MGA 22.1K
146.38%
Beef Round Steak(1kg)
$20.68€18.45
$4.70MGA 21.5K
340.00%
Apples(1kg)
$3.28€2.93
$1.04MGA 4,768
215.38%
Banana(1kg)
$2.05€1.83
$0.62MGA 2,820
230.65%
Oranges(1kg)
$2.31€2.06
$0.92MGA 4,226
151.09%
Tomato(1kg)
$4.29€3.82
$0.86MGA 3,927
398.84%
Potato(1kg)
$1.53€1.37
$0.59MGA 2,686
159.32%
Onion(1kg)
$1.50€1.33
$0.76MGA 3,474
97.37%
Lettuce(1 head)
$1.64€1.46
$0.36MGA 1,630
355.56%
Water(1.5 liter bottle)
$1.02€0.91
$0.61MGA 2,790
67.21%
Cigarettes 20 Pack(Marlboro, Camel)
$9.69€8.64
$1.52MGA 6,979
537.50%
Wine(Bottle)
$6.01€5.36
$5.03MGA 23.0K
19.48%
Local Beer(0.5 liter bottle)
$1.12€1.00
$0.87MGA 3,983
28.74%
Imported Beer(0.33 liter bottle)
$1.56€1.40
$1.59MGA 7,258
-1.89%
🚌 Getting Around
Germany
Madagascar
Difference
One-way Ticket(Public Transport)
$3.85€3.43
$0.12MGA 530
3108.33%
Public Transport Monthly Pass(Regular Price)
$69.7€62.2
$17.30MGA 79.2K
303.01%
Taxi Start(Normal Tariff)
$5.34€4.76
$3.22MGA 14.7K
65.84%
Taxi(Normal Tariff)(1km)
$2.81€2.50
$2.26MGA 10.4K
24.34%
Taxi 1hour Waiting(Normal Tariff)
$38.83€34.65
$4.46MGA 20.4K
770.63%
Gasoline(1 liter)
$2.13€1.90
$1.14MGA 5,195
86.84%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l(Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$32.6K€29.0K
$12.1KMGA 55.6M
168.22%
Compact Sedan 1.6l(Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$37.7K€33.7K
$24.1KMGA 110.4M
56.38%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Germany
Madagascar
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment(Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage)(85m2)
$342€305
$64.6MGA 295.4K
429.95%
SIM Card Monthly Plan(Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$24.87€22.19
$17.45MGA 79.9K
42.52%
Internet(50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$48.49€43.26
$52.5MGA 240.1K
-7.59%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Germany
Madagascar
Difference
Gym Membership(Monthly)
$39.42€35.17
$23.01MGA 105.3K
71.32%
Tennis Court(1 Hour on Weekend)
$27.47€24.51
$7.14MGA 32.7K
284.73%
Cinema Ticket
$14.65€13.07
$6.22MGA 28.5K
135.53%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Germany
Madagascar
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child(Monthly)
$611€545
$25.46MGA 116.5K
2298.15%
International Primary School, 1 Child(Yearly)
$17.3K€15.4K
$14.8KMGA 67.7M
16.83%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Germany
Madagascar
Difference
Jeans(Levis 501 Or Similar)
$89.1€79.5
$20.33MGA 93.0K
338.12%
Summer Dress(H&M, Zara, etc)
$42.07€37.53
$25.07MGA 114.7K
67.81%
Sport Shoes(Adidas, Nike)
$98.3€87.7
$67.2MGA 307.3K
46.39%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$131€117
$46.30MGA 211.9K
182.22%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Germany
Madagascar
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center(Monthly)
$934€834
$294MGA 1.3M
217.40%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center(Monthly)
$718€641
$138MGA 629.5K
422.33%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center(Monthly)
$1,704€1,520
$681MGA 3.1M
150.02%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center(Monthly)
$1,294€1,154
$314MGA 1.4M
311.90%
Buy Apartment in City Center(m2)
$5,944€5,303
$658MGA 3.0M
802.93%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center(m2)
$3,958€3,531
$560MGA 2.6M
606.30%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Germany
Madagascar
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary(After Tax)
$3,290€2,935
$122MGA 557.7K
2600.16%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate(Annual %)
3.96
19.75
-79.95%
CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.
Last update for Germany: October 25, 2026
Last update for Madagascar: October 26, 2026
Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Share of the monthly basket for a family of three, rent included.
🏠Accommodation & Living
Germany
$718 34.6%
Madagascar
$138 22.4% ↓ 80.9%$581
🧾Monthly Utilities & Internet
Germany
$415 20%
Madagascar
$134 21.9% ↓ 67.6%$281
🛒Groceries & Markets
Germany
$335 16.1%
Madagascar
$142 23.1% ↓ 57.5%$193
🍽Eating Out
Germany
$276 13.3%
Madagascar
$61 10% ↓ 77.8%$215
👕👟Clothing & Footwear
Germany
$162 7.8%
Madagascar
$71 11.6% ↓ 55.9%$91
🚌Getting Around
Germany
$104 5%
Madagascar
$32 5.3% ↓ 69.1%$72
🎉Sport & Entertainment
Germany
$69 3.3%
Madagascar
$35 5.8% ↓ 48.4%$33
🏠Accommodation & Living
Germany
$1.3K 31%
Madagascar
$314 24.1% ↓ 75.7%$980
🧾Monthly Utilities & Internet
Germany
$440 10.5%
Madagascar
$152 11.7% ↓ 65.5%$288
🛒Groceries & Markets
Germany
$795 19%
Madagascar
$329 25.2% ↓ 58.7%$466
🍽Eating Out
Germany
$910 21.8%
Madagascar
$207 15.9% ↓ 77.2%$703
👕👟Clothing & Footwear
Germany
$360 8.6%
Madagascar
$159 12.2% ↓ 55.9%$201
🚌Getting Around
Germany
$217 5.2%
Madagascar
$65 5% ↓ 70.1%$152
🎉Sport & Entertainment
Germany
$165 4%
Madagascar
$78 6% ↓ 52.7%$87
Cost Breakdown
🏠National rent averages: $812 in Germany, $260 in Madagascar. Capital cities: $1,407 in Berlin vs $323 in Antananarivo.
💰National salary averages: $3,107 in Germany, $126 in Madagascar. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.
Cost Highlights
⭐Rent is 212% higher in Germany.
⭐Dining out costs 344% more in Germany.
⭐Public transport is 94% more expensive in Germany.
⭐Salaries are about 25 times higher in Germany, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Germany.
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
Germany vs Madagascar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which country is more expensive to live in: Germany or Madagascar?
At $2,080 per month in Germany and $615 in Madagascar, Madagascar comes out about 70% cheaper. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.
Where are groceries and transport cheaper: Germany or Madagascar?
Day-to-day life is cheaper in Madagascar: lower grocery prices, cheaper commutes, and more affordable meals out. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.
How do rents compare between Germany and Madagascar?
Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $812 in Germany and $260 in Madagascar. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.
How do I choose between living in Germany and in Madagascar?
It depends on what you’re after: Madagascar wins on affordability, while salaries, visas, language, and lifestyle can tip the balance either way.