Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Mahajanga

For one person, living is cheaper in Mahajanga: $537 a month against $2,206 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $20,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,206

/mo nomad

Mahajanga

🇲🇬 Madagascar

$537

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,206 in Lisbon versus $537 in Mahajanga.

Lisbon $2,206
Mahajanga $537

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,276 in Lisbon versus $788 in Mahajanga.

Lisbon $3,276
Mahajanga $788

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $1,040 in Mahajanga.

Lisbon $4,346
Mahajanga $1,040

Living in Lisbon is roughly 311% more expensive than in Mahajanga, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 63% above, Mahajanga is 60% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.86 €15.04

$1.93 MGA 8,817

773.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.0 €54.5

$17.36 MGA 79.1K

251.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.98 €9.80

Cappuccino

$3.05 €2.72

$0.63 MGA 2,869

384.13%

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

$2.28 €2.04

$0.84 MGA 3,829

171.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 €1.50

$0.92 MGA 4,184

82.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.44 €3.07

$1.02 MGA 4,661

237.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 €3.48

$1.57 MGA 7,181

149.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 €1.02

$1.30 MGA 5,949

-11.54%

White Bread (500g)

$1.89 €1.68

$0.86 MGA 3,928

119.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 €1.34

$0.64 MGA 2,901

134.38%

Eggs

$4.12 €3.67

$2.15 MGA 9,791

91.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.01 €11.60

$6.43 MGA 29.3K

102.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.04 €7.18

$6.41 MGA 29.2K

25.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.89 €15.96

$3.49 MGA 15.9K

412.61%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.03

$1.13 MGA 5,137

100.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 €1.56

$0.60 MGA 2,729

190.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.82 €1.62

$0.64 MGA 2,931

184.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.69 €2.40

$0.64 MGA 2,905

320.31%

Potato (1kg)

$1.77 €1.58

$0.48 MGA 2,167

268.75%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 €1.73

$0.50 MGA 2,259

288.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$0.34 MGA 1,563

329.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 €0.68

$0.54 MGA 2,450

40.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.66 €5.94

Wine (Bottle)

$5.64 €5.03

$9.03 MGA 41.2K

-37.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 €1.15

$0.74 MGA 3,371

74.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$0.89 MGA 4,069

140.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.30 €2.05

$0.22 MGA 1,002

945.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.02 €39.26

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.98 €3.55

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 €0.57

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.93 €16.88

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$1.30 MGA 5,913

75.38%

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

$33.4K €29.8K

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

$38.5K €34.3K

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

$158 €141

$43.20 MGA 197.0K

266.18%

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

$17.54 €15.64

$6.50 MGA 29.6K

169.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.18 €27.82

$21.96 MGA 100.1K

41.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.64 €39.82

$17.86 MGA 81.4K

149.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.98 €16.93

Cinema Ticket

$9.58 €8.54

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

$674 €601

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.7K €16.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.2

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.90 €40.94

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 €91.2

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 €109

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,641 €1,463

$329 MGA 1.5M

398.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,187 €1,059

$265 MGA 1.2M

348.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,825 €2,519

$651 MGA 3.0M

333.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,018 €1,800

$436 MGA 2.0M

362.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,836 €6,989

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,701 €4,193

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,687 €1,505

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.82

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

Last update for Lisbon: November 1, 2026

Last update for Mahajanga: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Mahajanga

–

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$275 12.5%

Mahajanga

–

Eating Out

Lisbon

$245 11.1%

Mahajanga

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$207 9.4%

Mahajanga

–

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.6%

Mahajanga

–

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Mahajanga

–

Getting Around

Lisbon

$60 2.7%

Mahajanga

–

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,641 in Lisbon and $329 in Mahajanga. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $61 in Lisbon vs $17 in Mahajanga for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $275 vs $143 per month, with Mahajanga cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇲🇬 Mahajanga

🕒 Local time

05:15 5:15 AM

08:15 8:15 AM

3 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

246,022

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Malagasy Ariary MGA Ar

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

10,000 MGA = 2.19 USD

10,000 MGA = 1.96 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MGA, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Malagasy Ariary exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 4,560 MGA (10,000 MGA = 2.19 USD). 1 EUR = 5,100 MGA (10,000 MGA = 1.96 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Mahajanga 8,350 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

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Lisbon
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

Lisbon vs Mahajanga: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,206 in Lisbon and $537 in Mahajanga, so Mahajanga is about 76% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,309 in Lisbon and $805 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: $1,641 in Lisbon versus $329 in Mahajanga. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Mahajanga – a meal for two runs $17 versus $61 in Lisbon. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $2,206 per month in Lisbon versus $537 in Mahajanga – Mahajanga is about 76% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $537 in Mahajanga versus $2,206 in Lisbon, a $800 budget is realistic in Mahajanga but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Mahajanga the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.