Cost of Living Comparison Between Italy and Madagascar Cost of Living Comparison Between Italy and Madagascar

Name: Madagascar
Address: MG

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,717 in Italy versus $195 in Madagascar.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,624 in Italy versus $336 in Madagascar.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,530 in Italy versus $476 in Madagascar.

Living in Italy is roughly 781% more expensive than Madagascar on average.

Italy (28% above) and Madagascar (85% below) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.44 €15.02

$2.74 MGA 11.5K

536.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.5 €68.4

$17.59 MGA 73.8K

351.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.76 €10.12

$4.35 MGA 18.2K

170.34%

Cappuccino

$2.00 €1.72

$1.28 MGA 5,378

56.25%

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

$3.00 €2.59

$0.90 MGA 3,763

233.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 €1.16

$0.62 MGA 2,618

117.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.94 €5.11

$1.02 MGA 4,286

482.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.36 €4.61

$1.53 MGA 6,431

250.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 €1.41

$1.11 MGA 4,668

47.75%

White Bread (500g)

$2.41 €2.08

$0.98 MGA 4,104

145.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.99 €2.58

$0.71 MGA 2,995

321.13%

Eggs

$3.96 €3.41

$2.00 MGA 8,369

98.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.84 €14.50

$9.82 MGA 41.2K

71.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.43 €10.70

$4.77 MGA 20.0K

160.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.29 €17.47

$4.21 MGA 17.7K

381.95%

Apples (1kg)

$2.47 €2.13

$1.17 MGA 4,899

111.11%

Banana (1kg)

$2.15 €1.85

$0.63 MGA 2,651

241.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.28

$1.02 MGA 4,280

159.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.40 €2.92

$0.88 MGA 3,705

286.36%

Potato (1kg)

$1.92 €1.65

$0.53 MGA 2,238

262.26%

Onion (1kg)

$1.81 €1.56

$0.75 MGA 3,164

141.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.55 €1.33

$0.35 MGA 1,462

342.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 €0.47

$0.63 MGA 2,662

-14.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.79 €5.85

$1.76 MGA 7,374

285.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.18 €6.18

$5.46 MGA 22.9K

31.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 €1.55

$0.84 MGA 3,510

114.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 €2.08

$1.28 MGA 5,367

89.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.00 €1.72

$0.15 MGA 622

1233.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$42.35 €36.46

$9.08 MGA 38.1K

366.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.94 €5.12

$2.25 MGA 9,431

164.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.51 €1.30

$2.04 MGA 8,537

-25.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.04 €29.31

$4.55 MGA 19.1K

648.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.05 €1.77

$1.28 MGA 5,347

60.16%

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

$32.8K €28.3K

$13.6K MGA 56.9M

142.05%

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

$33.7K €29.0K

$23.5K MGA 98.5M

43.33%

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

$225 €194

$46.66 MGA 195.6K

383.09%

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

$13.25 €11.41

$15.15 MGA 63.5K

-12.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.95 €26.65

$51.5 MGA 216.1K

-39.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.7 €48.00

$22.18 MGA 93.0K

151.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.15 €21.65

$6.35 MGA 26.6K

296.06%

Cinema Ticket

$10.25 €8.83

$6.69 MGA 28.1K

53.21%

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

$576 €496

$71.4 MGA 299.3K

706.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K €9,007

$11.5K MGA 48.4M

-9.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.8 €79.1

$26.60 MGA 111.6K

245.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.72 €35.06

$27.46 MGA 115.2K

48.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.0 €84.4

$71.8 MGA 301.2K

36.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 €113

$52.4 MGA 219.8K

149.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$860 €740

$303 MGA 1.3M

184.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 €574

$101 MGA 421.6K

563.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,475 €1,270

$535 MGA 2.2M

175.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,087 €936

$369 MGA 1.5M

194.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,850 €3,316

$686 MGA 2.9M

460.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,359 €2,031

$589 MGA 2.5M

300.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,933 €1,665

$130 MGA 544.9K

1387.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.41

17.25

-74.43%

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

Last update for Italy: May 31, 2026

Last update for Madagascar: June 2, 2026

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $743 in Italy, $71.0 in Madagascar. Capital cities: $1,325 in Rome vs $382 in Antananarivo.

National salary averages: $1,949 in Italy, $130 in Madagascar. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 946% higher in Italy.

Dining out costs 957% more in Italy.

Public transport is 2100% more expensive in Italy.

Salaries are 1399% higher in Italy, giving Italy stronger purchasing power.

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

Italy vs Madagascar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $1,839 per month in Italy and $286 in Madagascar, there's a 544% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Madagascar is simply cheaper day-to-day: lower food prices, cheaper commutes, smaller household bills. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent in Italy beats Madagascar across the board, especially in major cities. Housing is usually the single biggest driver of the overall cost difference between the two countries.

In Madagascar, $800 covers most cities easily. In Italy, it works in regional areas but 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; Italy may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.