Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Madagascar and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Madagascar: $626 a month against $1,568 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $11,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

30

Cost of Living Index in Madagascar
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Madagascar Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
Learn more

Cape Town Living Index

Jump to prices

🇲🇬 Madagascar

$626

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,568

/mo nomad

🙂 Solo nomad: Madagascar is 44.4% cheaper than Cape Town without rent, and 60% cheaper with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Madagascar is 47.3% cheaper than Cape Town without rent, and 60.3% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 MGA 9,997

$11.78 R 194

-80.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$17.83 MGA 79.7K

$46.55 R 768

-61.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.88 MGA 21.8K

$5.96 R 98.4

-18.12%

Cappuccino

$1.41 MGA 6,296

$2.47 R 40.80

-42.91%

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

$0.81 MGA 3,612

$1.33 R 21.91

-39.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.64 MGA 2,859

$1.03 R 16.99

-37.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.11 MGA 4,961

$3.01 R 49.72

-63.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 MGA 8,504

$3.66 R 60.4

-48.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 MGA 5,108

$1.39 R 22.96

-17.99%

White Bread (500g)

$1.01 MGA 4,519

$1.19 R 19.60

-15.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.70 MGA 3,116

$2.11 R 34.84

-66.82%

Eggs

$2.11 MGA 9,413

$3.01 R 49.58

-29.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.62 MGA 38.5K

$8.96 R 148

-3.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.79 MGA 21.4K

$6.65 R 110

-27.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.63 MGA 20.7K

$9.29 R 153

-50.16%

Apples (1kg)

$1.10 MGA 4,926

$1.83 R 30.13

-39.89%

Banana (1kg)

$0.62 MGA 2,784

$1.90 R 31.31

-67.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.03 MGA 4,592

$1.75 R 28.83

-41.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.83 MGA 3,707

$2.09 R 34.41

-60.29%

Potato (1kg)

$0.54 MGA 2,432

$1.55 R 25.64

-65.16%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 MGA 3,459

$1.49 R 24.53

-48.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.35 MGA 1,566

$1.30 R 21.41

-73.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 MGA 3,008

$1.16 R 19.19

-42.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.54 MGA 6,889

$3.71 R 61.2

-58.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.12 MGA 22.9K

$6.06 R 100

-15.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 MGA 3,907

$1.39 R 22.85

-37.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 MGA 7,069

$2.20 R 36.32

-28.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.12 MGA 539

$1.51 R 24.98

-92.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.82 MGA 79.6K

$61.0 R 1,006

-70.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.46 MGA 15.5K

$0.63 R 10.33

449.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.30 MGA 10.3K

$1.53 R 25.29

50.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.44 MGA 19.9K

$4.81 R 79.4

-7.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.19 MGA 5,324

$1.58 R 26.08

-24.68%

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

$12.6K MGA 56.2M

$35.5K R 585.7K

-64.59%

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

$24.4K MGA 109.1M

$31.7K R 523.8K

-23.16%

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

$65.2 MGA 291.6K

$116 R 1,920

-43.95%

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

$17.41 MGA 77.8K

$28.37 R 468

-38.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.9 MGA 245.5K

$40.69 R 671

34.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$22.86 MGA 102.2K

$48.85 R 806

-53.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.05 MGA 31.5K

$11.13 R 184

-36.66%

Cinema Ticket

$6.26 MGA 28.0K

$8.83 R 146

-29.11%

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

$25.42 MGA 113.6K

$261 R 4,314

-90.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K MGA 65.9M

$6,702 R 110.6K

120.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$20.93 MGA 93.5K

$55.4 R 914

-62.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.13 MGA 116.8K

$32.27 R 532

-19.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$69.0 MGA 308.3K

$118 R 1,939

-41.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$48.01 MGA 214.6K

$107 R 1,766

-55.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$289 MGA 1.3M

$1,015 R 16.7K

-71.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$138 MGA 616.9K

$715 R 11.8K

-80.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$704 MGA 3.1M

$1,801 R 29.7K

-60.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$329 MGA 1.5M

$1,330 R 22.0K

-75.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$652 MGA 2.9M

$2,331 R 38.5K

-72.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$561 MGA 2.5M

$1,513 R 25.0K

-62.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$125 MGA 556.7K

$1,636 R 27.0K

-92.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

19.75

10.97

80.04%

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

Last update for Madagascar: October 6, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Madagascar

$144 23%

Cape Town

$222 14.1% 54.1% $78

Accommodation & Living

Madagascar

$138 22%

Cape Town

$715 45.3% 418% $577

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Madagascar

$138 21.9%

Cape Town

$185 11.7% 34.8% $48

Clothing & Footwear

Madagascar

$74 11.8%

Cape Town

$141 8.9% 90.3% $67

Eating Out

Madagascar

$65 10.3%

Cape Town

$174 11% 169% $109

Sport & Entertainment

Madagascar

$35 5.6%

Cape Town

$67 4.2% 88% $31

Getting Around

Madagascar

$33 5.3%

Cape Town

$75 4.8% 126% $42

Good to know

🇲🇬 Madagascar

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

09:08 9:08 AM

08:08 8:08 AM

1 h behind Madagascar

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

25,570,895

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

Malagasy Ariary MGA Ar

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 MGA = 2.24 USD

10,000 MGA = 1.99 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.06 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to MGA – Malagasy Ariary Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇬 Malagasy Ariary (Ar)

Malagasy Ariary exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4,470 MGA (10,000 MGA = 2.24 USD). 1 EUR = 5,013 MGA (10,000 MGA = 1.99 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 16.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.06 USD). 1 EUR = 18.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

USD to MGA in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Madagascar Cape Town 3,330 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Madagascar
Cape Town

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 other spots: cost of living compared

Cost of Living Comparison Between Madagascar and Cape Town

ZAR, USD, EUR to MGA – Malagasy Ariary Converter

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

Madagascar

Cape Town

Madagascar

Cape Town

Madagascar vs other spots: cost of living compared

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