Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Madagascar and Dubai

For one person, living is cheaper in Madagascar: $626 a month against $2,854 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $26,700 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
139

Cost of Living Index in Dubai
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Dubai Living Index

Jump to prices

🇲🇬 Madagascar

$626

/mo nomad

Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,854

/mo nomad

🙂 Solo nomad: Madagascar is 61.9% cheaper than Dubai without rent, and 78% cheaper with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Madagascar is 64.6% cheaper than Dubai without rent, and 77.3% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 MGA 9,997

$13.04 AED 47.89

-82.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$17.83 MGA 79.7K

$81.4 AED 299

-78.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.88 MGA 21.8K

$9.32 AED 34.25

-47.64%

Cappuccino

$1.41 MGA 6,296

$5.97 AED 21.93

-76.38%

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

$0.81 MGA 3,612

$1.63 AED 5.98

-50.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.64 MGA 2,859

$0.81 AED 2.99

-20.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.11 MGA 4,961

$13.65 AED 50.1

-91.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 MGA 8,504

$13.38 AED 49.15

-85.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 MGA 5,108

$1.81 AED 6.64

-37.02%

White Bread (500g)

$1.01 MGA 4,519

$1.57 AED 5.78

-35.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.70 MGA 3,116

$2.49 AED 9.16

-71.89%

Eggs

$2.11 MGA 9,413

$3.28 AED 12.04

-35.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.62 MGA 38.5K

$12.67 AED 46.53

-31.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.79 MGA 21.4K

$9.75 AED 35.80

-50.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.63 MGA 20.7K

$13.18 AED 48.40

-64.87%

Apples (1kg)

$1.10 MGA 4,926

$2.61 AED 9.57

-57.85%

Banana (1kg)

$0.62 MGA 2,784

$1.93 AED 7.09

-67.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.03 MGA 4,592

$1.92 AED 7.05

-46.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.83 MGA 3,707

$1.36 AED 5.00

-38.97%

Potato (1kg)

$0.54 MGA 2,432

$1.17 AED 4.29

-53.85%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 MGA 3,459

$1.01 AED 3.71

-23.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.35 MGA 1,566

$1.51 AED 5.56

-76.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 MGA 3,008

$0.62 AED 2.29

8.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.54 MGA 6,889

$5.85 AED 21.50

-73.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.12 MGA 22.9K

$16.14 AED 59.3

-68.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 MGA 3,907

$2.65 AED 9.74

-67.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 MGA 7,069

$2.95 AED 10.82

-46.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.12 MGA 539

$1.64 AED 6.03

-92.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.82 MGA 79.6K

$73.6 AED 270

-75.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.46 MGA 15.5K

$3.17 AED 11.66

9.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.30 MGA 10.3K

$0.71 AED 2.63

223.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.44 MGA 19.9K

$7.96 AED 29.23

-44.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.19 MGA 5,324

$0.99 AED 3.64

20.20%

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

$12.6K MGA 56.2M

$27.4K AED 100.5K

-54.08%

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

$24.4K MGA 109.1M

$22.5K AED 82.8K

8.24%

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

$65.2 MGA 291.6K

$250 AED 920

-73.95%

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

$17.41 MGA 77.8K

$54.2 AED 199

-67.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.9 MGA 245.5K

$91.8 AED 337

-40.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$22.86 MGA 102.2K

$98.6 AED 362

-76.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.05 MGA 31.5K

$42.61 AED 156

-83.45%

Cinema Ticket

$6.26 MGA 28.0K

$16.03 AED 58.9

-60.95%

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

$25.42 MGA 113.6K

$843 AED 3,098

-96.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K MGA 65.9M

$18.3K AED 67.1K

-19.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$20.93 MGA 93.5K

$68.0 AED 250

-69.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.13 MGA 116.8K

$57.9 AED 213

-54.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$69.0 MGA 308.3K

$101 AED 370

-31.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$48.01 MGA 214.6K

$101 AED 371

-52.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$289 MGA 1.3M

$2,380 AED 8,741

-87.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$138 MGA 616.9K

$1,506 AED 5,531

-90.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$704 MGA 3.1M

$4,437 AED 16.3K

-84.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$329 MGA 1.5M

$3,010 AED 11.1K

-89.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$652 MGA 2.9M

$7,121 AED 26.2K

-90.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$561 MGA 2.5M

$4,135 AED 15.2K

-86.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$125 MGA 556.7K

$3,391 AED 12.5K

-96.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

19.75

4.54

335.02%

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

Last update for Madagascar: October 6, 2026

Last update for Dubai: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Madagascar

$144 23%

Dubai

$293 10.2% 103% $148

Accommodation & Living

Madagascar

$138 22%

Dubai

$1.5K 52.5% 991% $1.4K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Madagascar

$138 21.9%

Dubai

$396 13.8% 188% $259

Clothing & Footwear

Madagascar

$74 11.8%

Dubai

$147 5.1% 99.7% $74

Eating Out

Madagascar

$65 10.3%

Dubai

$309 10.8% 378% $244

Sport & Entertainment

Madagascar

$35 5.6%

Dubai

$131 4.6% 270% $95

Getting Around

Madagascar

$33 5.3%

Dubai

$87 3% 161% $54

Good to know

🇲🇬 Madagascar

🇦🇪 Dubai

🕒 Local time

06:53 6:53 AM

07:53 7:53 AM

1 h ahead of Madagascar

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

25,570,895

3,790,000

💱 Currency

Malagasy Ariary MGA Ar

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 MGA = 2.24 USD

10,000 MGA = 1.99 EUR

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.243 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AED, 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).

UAE Dirham exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.67 AED (1 AED = 0.272 USD). 1 EUR = 4.12 AED (1 AED = 0.243 EUR).

USD to MGA in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Madagascar Dubai 4,960 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Madagascar
Dubai

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 Dubai

AED, USD, EUR to MGA – Malagasy Ariary Converter

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

Madagascar

Dubai

Madagascar

Dubai

Madagascar vs other spots: cost of living compared

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