Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Madagascar and India

Name: India
Address: IN

For one person, living is cheaper in India: $399 a month against $615 in Madagascar, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

30

Cost of Living Index in Madagascar
Learn more

Madagascar Living Index
19

Cost of Living Index in India
Learn more

India Living Index

Jump to prices

🇲🇬 Madagascar

$615

/mo nomad

🇮🇳 India

$399

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Madagascar and in India

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $615 in Madagascar versus $399 in India.

Madagascar $615
India $399

Estimated couple costs with rent: $959 in Madagascar versus $639 in India.

Madagascar $959
India $639

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,303 in Madagascar versus $879 in India.

Madagascar $1,303
India $879

Madagascar ($174–$645) and India ($230–$813) have similar cost spreads. Where you settle within each country has roughly equal impact on the budget.

Living in Madagascar is roughly 54% more expensive than in India on average.

Both countries sit below the global median: Madagascar 55% lower, India 71% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.14 MGA 9,816

$2.14 ₹203

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$17.92 MGA 82.0K

$10.46 ₹993

71.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.70 MGA 21.5K

$3.80 ₹361

23.68%

Cappuccino

$1.31 MGA 6,013

$1.68 ₹159

-22.02%

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

$0.75 MGA 3,412

$0.38 ₹35.93

97.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.58 MGA 2,645

$0.15 ₹14.58

286.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.08 MGA 4,955

$1.87 ₹177

-42.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.79 MGA 8,178

$3.18 ₹302

-43.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 MGA 5,215

$0.62 ₹59.1

83.87%

White Bread (500g)

$1.00 MGA 4,580

$0.50 ₹47.68

100.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.75 MGA 3,443

$0.63 ₹60.2

19.05%

Eggs

$1.97 MGA 9,032

$0.96 ₹91.1

105.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.41 MGA 38.5K

$4.85 ₹460

73.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.83 MGA 22.1K

$2.84 ₹270

70.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.70 MGA 21.5K

Apples (1kg)

$1.04 MGA 4,768

$2.00 ₹190

-48.00%

Banana (1kg)

$0.62 MGA 2,820

$0.65 ₹61.3

-4.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.92 MGA 4,226

$0.97 ₹92.1

-5.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.86 MGA 3,927

$0.47 ₹44.22

82.98%

Potato (1kg)

$0.59 MGA 2,686

$0.34 ₹31.82

73.53%

Onion (1kg)

$0.76 MGA 3,474

$0.42 ₹39.66

80.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.36 MGA 1,630

$0.47 ₹44.32

-23.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 MGA 2,790

$0.31 ₹29.62

96.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.52 MGA 6,979

$5.08 ₹482

-70.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.03 MGA 23.0K

$7.31 ₹694

-31.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 MGA 3,983

$1.63 ₹154

-46.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.59 MGA 7,258

$2.76 ₹262

-42.39%

Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)

$5.11 ₹485

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.12 MGA 530

$0.26 ₹24.81

-53.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.30 MGA 79.2K

$8.58 ₹815

101.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.22 MGA 14.7K

$1.00 ₹94.5

222.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.26 MGA 10.4K

$0.27 ₹25.69

737.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.46 MGA 20.4K

$1.54 ₹146

189.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.14 MGA 5,195

$1.07 ₹102

6.54%

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

$12.1K MGA 55.6M

$11.2K ₹1.1M

8.24%

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

$24.1K MGA 110.4M

$20.1K ₹1.9M

20.35%

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

$64.6 MGA 295.4K

$37.08 ₹3,521

74.08%

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

$17.45 MGA 79.9K

$3.58 ₹340

387.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.5 MGA 240.1K

$7.15 ₹679

633.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$23.01 MGA 105.3K

$15.00 ₹1,424

53.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.14 MGA 32.7K

$7.17 ₹681

-0.42%

Cinema Ticket

$6.22 MGA 28.5K

$3.20 ₹303

94.37%

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

$25.46 MGA 116.5K

$58.8 ₹5,583

-56.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K MGA 67.7M

$1,667 ₹158.2K

787.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$20.33 MGA 93.0K

$23.03 ₹2,187

-11.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.07 MGA 114.7K

$24.17 ₹2,295

3.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.2 MGA 307.3K

$41.20 ₹3,911

62.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$46.30 MGA 211.9K

$29.62 ₹2,812

56.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$294 MGA 1.3M

$146 ₹13.9K

100.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$138 MGA 629.5K

$96.4 ₹9,149

42.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$681 MGA 3.1M

$343 ₹32.6K

98.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$314 MGA 1.4M

$234 ₹22.2K

34.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$658 MGA 3.0M

$1,177 ₹111.7K

-44.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$560 MGA 2.6M

$633 ₹60.1K

-11.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$122 MGA 557.7K

$409 ₹38.8K

-70.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

19.75

8.93

121.16%

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

Last update for Madagascar: October 26, 2026

Last update for India: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Madagascar

$142 23.1%

India

$102 25.6% 28.2% $40

Accommodation & Living

Madagascar

$138 22.4%

India

$96 24.1% 29.9% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Madagascar

$134 21.9%

India

$48 12% 64.4% $87

Clothing & Footwear

Madagascar

$71 11.6%

India

$53 13.3% 25.7% $18

Eating Out

Madagascar

$61 10%

India

$67 16.7% 8.5% $5.2

Sport & Entertainment

Madagascar

$35 5.8%

India

$21 5.4% 39.7% $14

Getting Around

Madagascar

$32 5.3%

India

$12 3% 62.9% $20

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $260 in Madagascar, $120 in India. Capital cities: $323 in Antananarivo vs $277 in Delhi.

National salary averages: $126 in Madagascar, $412 in India. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 117% higher in Madagascar.

Dining out costs 45% more in Madagascar.

Public transport is 338% more expensive in Madagascar.

Salaries are about 3.3 times higher in India, and purchasing power comes out stronger in India.

Good to know

🇲🇬 Madagascar

🇮🇳 India

🕒 Local time

14:19 2:19 PM

16:49 4:49 PM

2 h 30 min ahead of Madagascar

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

25,570,895

1,326,093,247

💱 Currency

Malagasy Ariary MGA Ar

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 MGA = 2.18 USD

10,000 MGA = 1.96 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.53 USD

1,000 INR = 9.44 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

INR, 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).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 94.94 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 106 INR (1,000 INR = 9.44 EUR).

USD to MGA in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Madagascar India 6,180 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Madagascar
India

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 India: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $399 per month in India and $615 in Madagascar, India comes out about 35% cheaper. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Day-to-day life is cheaper in India: lower grocery prices, cheaper commutes, and more affordable meals out. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $260 in Madagascar and $120 in India. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

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