Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Madagascar and Brazil

Name: Brazil
Address: BR

For one person, living is cheaper in Madagascar: $615 a month against $865 in Brazil, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

30

Cost of Living Index in Madagascar
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Madagascar Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Brazil
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Brazil Living Index

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🇲🇬 Madagascar

$615

/mo nomad

🇧🇷 Brazil

$865

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Madagascar and in Brazil

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Madagascar and in Brazil actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $615 per month in Madagascar vs $865 in Brazil, rent included.

Madagascar $615
Brazil $865

A couple spends around $959 per month in Madagascar vs $1,373 in Brazil, rent included.

Madagascar $959
Brazil $1,373

A family of three spends $1,303 per month in Madagascar vs $1,880 in Brazil, rent included.

Madagascar $1,303
Brazil $1,880

The regional cost range is wider in Brazil ($569–$1,349) than in Madagascar ($174–$645), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in Madagascar is roughly 29% lower than in Brazil on average.

Both Madagascar and Brazil are more affordable than the global median – Madagascar 55% lower, Brazil 36% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.14 MGA 9,816

$6.55 R$35.64

-67.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$17.92 MGA 82.0K

$30.71 R$167

-41.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.70 MGA 21.5K

$7.45 R$40.53

-36.91%

Cappuccino

$1.31 MGA 6,013

$1.91 R$10.38

-31.41%

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

$0.75 MGA 3,412

$1.15 R$6.28

-34.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.58 MGA 2,645

$0.76 R$4.11

-23.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.08 MGA 4,955

$1.85 R$10.06

-41.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.79 MGA 8,178

$2.86 R$15.53

-37.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 MGA 5,215

$1.03 R$5.61

10.68%

White Bread (500g)

$1.00 MGA 4,580

$1.57 R$8.51

-36.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.75 MGA 3,443

$1.24 R$6.72

-39.52%

Eggs

$1.97 MGA 9,032

$2.10 R$11.44

-6.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.41 MGA 38.5K

$8.87 R$48.21

-5.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.83 MGA 22.1K

$3.99 R$21.71

21.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.70 MGA 21.5K

$7.76 R$42.17

-39.43%

Apples (1kg)

$1.04 MGA 4,768

$2.15 R$11.71

-51.63%

Banana (1kg)

$0.62 MGA 2,820

$1.27 R$6.91

-51.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.92 MGA 4,226

$1.16 R$6.28

-20.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.86 MGA 3,927

$1.53 R$8.31

-43.79%

Potato (1kg)

$0.59 MGA 2,686

$1.16 R$6.31

-49.14%

Onion (1kg)

$0.76 MGA 3,474

$1.02 R$5.54

-25.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.36 MGA 1,630

$0.74 R$4.03

-51.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 MGA 2,790

$0.72 R$3.90

-15.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.52 MGA 6,979

$2.25 R$12.26

-32.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.03 MGA 23.0K

$7.65 R$41.60

-34.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 MGA 3,983

$1.30 R$7.09

-33.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.59 MGA 7,258

$2.16 R$11.77

-26.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.12 MGA 530

$0.94 R$5.11

-87.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.30 MGA 79.2K

$44.00 R$239

-60.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.22 MGA 14.7K

$1.23 R$6.68

161.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.26 MGA 10.4K

$0.96 R$5.20

135.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.46 MGA 20.4K

$7.42 R$40.34

-39.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.14 MGA 5,195

$1.21 R$6.60

-5.79%

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

$12.1K MGA 55.6M

$22.1K R$120.4K

-45.19%

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

$24.1K MGA 110.4M

$31.6K R$171.6K

-23.55%

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

$64.6 MGA 295.4K

$77.2 R$420

-16.36%

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

$17.45 MGA 79.9K

$12.44 R$67.6

40.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.5 MGA 240.1K

$19.80 R$108

165.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$23.01 MGA 105.3K

$24.36 R$132

-5.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.14 MGA 32.7K

$25.46 R$138

-71.96%

Cinema Ticket

$6.22 MGA 28.5K

$6.98 R$37.97

-10.89%

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

$25.46 MGA 116.5K

$316 R$1,718

-91.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K MGA 67.7M

$8,298 R$45.1K

78.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$20.33 MGA 93.0K

$49.37 R$268

-58.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.07 MGA 114.7K

$45.73 R$249

-45.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.2 MGA 307.3K

$83.4 R$454

-19.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$46.30 MGA 211.9K

$65.6 R$357

-29.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$294 MGA 1.3M

$373 R$2,028

-21.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$138 MGA 629.5K

$251 R$1,362

-45.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$681 MGA 3.1M

$719 R$3,909

-5.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$314 MGA 1.4M

$490 R$2,666

-35.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$658 MGA 3.0M

$1,795 R$9,759

-63.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$560 MGA 2.6M

$1,269 R$6,900

-55.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$122 MGA 557.7K

$496 R$2,699

-75.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

19.75

11.17

76.81%

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

Last update for Madagascar: October 26, 2026

Last update for Brazil: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Madagascar

$142 23.1%

Brazil

$183 21.2% 28.7% $41

Accommodation & Living

Madagascar

$138 22.4%

Brazil

$251 29% 82.1% $113

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Madagascar

$134 21.9%

Brazil

$109 12.6% 18.6% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Madagascar

$71 11.6%

Brazil

$110 12.7% 53.7% $38

Eating Out

Madagascar

$61 10%

Brazil

$120 13.9% 96.3% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Madagascar

$35 5.8%

Brazil

$38 4.4% 8.1% $2.9

Getting Around

Madagascar

$32 5.3%

Brazil

$54 6.2% 66.5% $21

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $260 in Madagascar vs $335 in Brazil. For reference, capital cities sit at $323 in Antananarivo and $517 in Brasilia.

Average salary: $126 in Madagascar vs $468 in Brazil. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 29% higher in Brazil.

Dining out costs 81% more in Brazil.

Public transport is 23% more expensive in Brazil.

Salaries are about 3.7 times higher in Brazil, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Brazil.

Good to know

🇲🇬 Madagascar

🇧🇷 Brazil

🕒 Local time

16:13 4:13 PM

10:13 10:13 AM

6 h behind Madagascar

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

25,570,895

203,062,512

💱 Currency

Malagasy Ariary MGA Ar

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 MGA = 2.18 USD

10,000 MGA = 1.96 EUR

1 BRL = 0.184 USD

1 BRL = 0.165 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, USD, EUR to MGA – Malagasy Ariary Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇬 Malagasy Ariary (Ar)

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).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 5.44 BRL (1 BRL = 0.184 USD). 1 EUR = 6.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.165 EUR).

USD to MGA in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Madagascar Brazil 9,990 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Madagascar
Brazil

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

Madagascar vs Brazil: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Madagascar is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 29% lower on average.

Housing costs more in Brazil: a central one-bedroom averages $335 versus $260 in Madagascar.

Groceries, public transport, and eating out all cost less in Madagascar – part of why living there is about 29% cheaper overall.

$800 buys a comfortable lifestyle in Madagascar, but in Brazil it only works with careful planning outside the capital. Same money, very different lives.

Madagascar is the budget-friendly choice for expats. But cost isn’t everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.