Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Madagascar and Egypt

Name: Egypt
Address: EG

For one person, living is cheaper in Egypt: $449 a month against $615 in Madagascar, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 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
22

Cost of Living Index in Egypt
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Egypt Living Index

Jump to prices

🇲🇬 Madagascar

$615

/mo nomad

🇪🇬 Egypt

$449

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Madagascar and in Egypt

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $615 in Madagascar versus $449 in Egypt.

Madagascar $615
Egypt $449

Estimated couple costs with rent: $959 in Madagascar versus $733 in Egypt.

Madagascar $959
Egypt $733

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,303 in Madagascar versus $1,017 in Egypt.

Madagascar $1,303
Egypt $1,017

Madagascar ($174–$645) and Egypt ($295–$677) have similar cost spreads. Where you settle within each country has roughly equal impact on the budget.

Living in Madagascar is roughly 37% more expensive than in Egypt on average.

Both countries sit below the global median: Madagascar 55% lower, Egypt 67% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.14 MGA 9,816

$3.46 E£193

-38.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$17.92 MGA 82.0K

$17.81 E£992

0.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.70 MGA 21.5K

$4.51 E£251

4.21%

Cappuccino

$1.31 MGA 6,013

$1.38 E£77.1

-5.07%

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

$0.75 MGA 3,412

$0.34 E£18.69

120.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.58 MGA 2,645

$0.14 E£7.63

314.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.08 MGA 4,955

$1.37 E£76.2

-21.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.79 MGA 8,178

$2.70 E£151

-33.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 MGA 5,215

$0.79 E£43.95

44.30%

White Bread (500g)

$1.00 MGA 4,580

$0.68 E£37.92

47.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.75 MGA 3,443

$0.60 E£33.21

25.00%

Eggs

$1.97 MGA 9,032

$1.18 E£65.5

66.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.41 MGA 38.5K

$3.18 E£177

164.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.83 MGA 22.1K

$3.91 E£218

23.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.70 MGA 21.5K

$7.74 E£431

-39.28%

Apples (1kg)

$1.04 MGA 4,768

$1.45 E£80.8

-28.28%

Banana (1kg)

$0.62 MGA 2,820

$0.67 E£37.08

-7.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.92 MGA 4,226

$0.49 E£27.15

87.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.86 MGA 3,927

$0.35 E£19.77

145.71%

Potato (1kg)

$0.59 MGA 2,686

$0.36 E£20.14

63.89%

Onion (1kg)

$0.76 MGA 3,474

$0.35 E£19.66

117.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.36 MGA 1,630

$0.28 E£15.67

28.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 MGA 2,790

$0.19 E£10.36

221.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.52 MGA 6,979

$1.83 E£102

-16.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.03 MGA 23.0K

$6.19 E£345

-18.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 MGA 3,983

$1.30 E£72.2

-33.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.59 MGA 7,258

$1.87 E£104

-14.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.12 MGA 530

$0.28 E£15.62

-57.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.30 MGA 79.2K

$7.24 E£404

138.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.22 MGA 14.7K

$0.37 E£20.76

770.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.26 MGA 10.4K

$0.26 E£14.46

769.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.46 MGA 20.4K

$1.82 E£102

145.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.14 MGA 5,195

$0.40 E£22.19

185.00%

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

$12.1K MGA 55.6M

$29.9K E£1.7M

-59.37%

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

$24.1K MGA 110.4M

$24.0K E£1.3M

0.47%

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

$64.6 MGA 295.4K

$20.40 E£1,137

216.42%

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

$17.45 MGA 79.9K

$6.78 E£378

157.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.5 MGA 240.1K

$12.41 E£691

322.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$23.01 MGA 105.3K

$17.00 E£948

35.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.14 MGA 32.7K

$6.36 E£354

12.26%

Cinema Ticket

$6.22 MGA 28.5K

$2.93 E£164

112.29%

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

$25.46 MGA 116.5K

$94.2 E£5,249

-72.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K MGA 67.7M

$2,362 E£131.6K

526.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$20.33 MGA 93.0K

$25.33 E£1,412

-19.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.07 MGA 114.7K

$41.23 E£2,298

-39.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.2 MGA 307.3K

$105 E£5,850

-36.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$46.30 MGA 211.9K

$47.95 E£2,672

-3.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$294 MGA 1.3M

$140 E£7,793

110.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$138 MGA 629.5K

$88.9 E£4,953

54.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$681 MGA 3.1M

$282 E£15.7K

141.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$314 MGA 1.4M

$179 E£9,979

75.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$658 MGA 3.0M

$683 E£38.1K

-3.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$560 MGA 2.6M

$432 E£24.1K

29.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$122 MGA 557.7K

$141 E£7,866

-13.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

19.75

17.11

15.43%

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

Last update for Madagascar: October 26, 2026

Last update for Egypt: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Madagascar

$142 23.1%

Egypt

$117 26% 17.9% $25

Accommodation & Living

Madagascar

$138 22.4%

Egypt

$89 19.8% 35.4% $49

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Madagascar

$134 21.9%

Egypt

$40 8.8% 70.6% $95

Clothing & Footwear

Madagascar

$71 11.6%

Egypt

$99 22% 38.2% $27

Eating Out

Madagascar

$61 10%

Egypt

$72 16% 17.4% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Madagascar

$35 5.8%

Egypt

$23 5.1% 35.5% $13

Getting Around

Madagascar

$32 5.3%

Egypt

$10 2.2% 68.9% $22

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $260 in Madagascar, $136 in Egypt. Capital cities: $323 in Antananarivo vs $203 in Cairo.

National salary averages: $126 in Madagascar, $129 in Egypt. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 91% higher in Madagascar.

Public transport is 400% more expensive in Madagascar.

Good to know

🇲🇬 Madagascar

🇪🇬 Egypt

🕒 Local time

14:19 2:19 PM

13:19 1:19 PM

1 h behind Madagascar

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

25,570,895

114,535,772

💱 Currency

Malagasy Ariary MGA Ar

Egyptian Pound EGP £

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 MGA = 2.18 USD

10,000 MGA = 1.96 EUR

100 EGP = 1.79 USD

100 EGP = 1.61 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

EGP, 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).

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 55.73 EGP (100 EGP = 1.79 USD). 1 EUR = 62.19 EGP (100 EGP = 1.61 EUR).

USD to MGA in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Madagascar Egypt 5,720 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Madagascar
Egypt

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 Egypt: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $449 per month in Egypt and $615 in Madagascar, Egypt comes out about 27% cheaper. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $260 in Madagascar and $136 in Egypt. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

It depends on what you’re after: Egypt wins on affordability, while salaries, visas, language, and lifestyle can tip the balance either way.