Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Toamasina

For one person, living is cheaper in Toamasina: $466 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $20,900 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

$2,210

/mo nomad

Toamasina

🇲🇬 Madagascar

$466

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Toamasina

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $466 in Toamasina.

Lisbon $2,210
Toamasina $466

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $753 in Toamasina.

Lisbon $3,275
Toamasina $753

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $1,040 in Toamasina.

Lisbon $4,341
Toamasina $1,040

Living in Lisbon is roughly 375% more expensive than in Toamasina, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 62% above, Toamasina is 66% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.95

$2.71 MGA 12.4K

514.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.5

$15.39 MGA 70.6K

301.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.20

$4.35 MGA 20.0K

161.15%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.67

$1.13 MGA 5,188

162.83%

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

$2.29 €2.06

$0.57 MGA 2,620

301.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.06

$1.14 MGA 5,228

198.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$1.08 MGA 4,938

206.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.07 MGA 4,897

8.41%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.72

$1.13 MGA 5,194

69.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$1.02 MGA 4,662

48.04%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.61

$1.82 MGA 8,368

120.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.62

$12.64 MGA 58.0K

2.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.98

$7.87 MGA 36.1K

-1.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.95

$6.27 MGA 28.8K

183.25%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.07

$1.52 MGA 6,974

51.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.56

$1.36 MGA 6,235

27.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.67

$1.57 MGA 7,201

18.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.33

$0.63 MGA 2,885

311.11%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.64

$0.61 MGA 2,807

198.36%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.77

$0.55 MGA 2,530

258.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$0.35 MGA 1,586

320.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.46 MGA 2,107

56.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.91

$1.70 MGA 7,807

287.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.04

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$0.83 MGA 3,811

63.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.92

$1.11 MGA 5,099

92.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.10

$0.32 MGA 1,446

628.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.14

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.46

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.79

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.98

$1.13 MGA 5,204

94.69%

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

$34.2K €30.7K

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

$38.7K €34.8K

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

$161 €145

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

$18.41 €16.54

$30.75 MGA 141.0K

-40.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.41

$66.0 MGA 302.7K

-50.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €40.02

$22.32 MGA 102.4K

99.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.16

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.62

$6.63 MGA 30.4K

44.80%

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

$668 €600

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.6

$8.88 MGA 40.8K

1048.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.94

$6.79 MGA 31.2K

554.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.5

$54.2 MGA 248.8K

81.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$36.55 MGA 167.7K

238.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,445

$133 MGA 610.3K

1109.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,069

$54.8 MGA 251.2K

2073.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,526

$442 MGA 2.0M

536.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,808

$131 MGA 602.9K

1431.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,042

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,110

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,415

$134 MGA 614.1K

1076.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Toamasina: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Toamasina

–

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Toamasina

–

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Toamasina

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Toamasina

–

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Toamasina

–

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Toamasina

–

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Toamasina

–

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $133 in Toamasina. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays about 12 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $15 in Toamasina for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $171 per month, with Toamasina cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇲🇬 Toamasina

🕒 Local time

20:33 8:33 PM

23:33 11:33 PM

3 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

325,857

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Malagasy Ariary MGA Ar

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

10,000 MGA = 2.18 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 October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

Malagasy Ariary exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 4,587 MGA (10,000 MGA = 2.18 USD). 1 EUR = 5,107 MGA (10,000 MGA = 1.96 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Toamasina 8,780 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Toamasina

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 Toamasina: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $466 in Toamasina, so Toamasina is about 79% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Lisbon is about 12 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,608 in Lisbon versus $133 in Toamasina. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Toamasina – a meal for two runs $15 versus $62 in Lisbon. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $2,210 per month in Lisbon versus $466 in Toamasina – Toamasina is about 79% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $466 in Toamasina versus $2,210 in Lisbon, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Toamasina but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Toamasina 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.

It comes down to priorities – Toamasina wins on affordability, Lisbon on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.