Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Madagascar and Italy

Name: Italy
Address: IT

For one person, living is cheaper in Madagascar: $615 a month against $1,843 in Italy, rent and utilities included – about $14,700 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
88

Cost of Living Index in Italy
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Italy Living Index

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🇲🇬 Madagascar

$615

/mo nomad

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,843

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Madagascar and in Italy

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $615 in Madagascar versus $1,843 in Italy.

Madagascar $615
Italy $1,843

Estimated couple costs with rent: $959 in Madagascar versus $2,816 in Italy.

Madagascar $959
Italy $2,816

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,303 in Madagascar versus $3,788 in Italy.

Madagascar $1,303
Italy $3,788

Internal cost variation is higher in Italy: monthly costs span $1,038 to $2,555, compared to $174–$645 in Madagascar. City choice carries more weight in Italy.

Living in Madagascar costs about 67% less than in Italy on average.

Madagascar (55% below) and Italy (35% above) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.14 MGA 9,816

$20.46 €18.25

-89.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$17.92 MGA 82.0K

$79.5 €70.9

-77.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.70 MGA 21.5K

$11.15 €9.95

-57.85%

Cappuccino

$1.31 MGA 6,013

$2.04 €1.82

-35.78%

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

$0.75 MGA 3,412

$3.10 €2.77

-75.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.58 MGA 2,645

$1.40 €1.25

-58.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.08 MGA 4,955

$5.51 €4.92

-80.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.79 MGA 8,178

$5.74 €5.12

-68.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 MGA 5,215

$1.57 €1.40

-27.39%

White Bread (500g)

$1.00 MGA 4,580

$2.38 €2.12

-57.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.75 MGA 3,443

$2.90 €2.59

-74.14%

Eggs

$1.97 MGA 9,032

$4.07 €3.63

-51.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.41 MGA 38.5K

$17.44 €15.56

-51.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.83 MGA 22.1K

$12.56 €11.20

-61.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.70 MGA 21.5K

$20.17 €17.99

-76.70%

Apples (1kg)

$1.04 MGA 4,768

$2.58 €2.30

-59.69%

Banana (1kg)

$0.62 MGA 2,820

$2.19 €1.95

-71.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.92 MGA 4,226

$2.68 €2.39

-65.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.86 MGA 3,927

$3.27 €2.91

-73.70%

Potato (1kg)

$0.59 MGA 2,686

$1.90 €1.70

-68.95%

Onion (1kg)

$0.76 MGA 3,474

$1.82 €1.62

-58.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.36 MGA 1,630

$1.57 €1.40

-77.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 MGA 2,790

$0.55 €0.49

10.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.52 MGA 6,979

$6.69 €5.97

-77.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.03 MGA 23.0K

$7.99 €7.13

-37.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 MGA 3,983

$1.77 €1.58

-50.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.59 MGA 7,258

$2.35 €2.10

-32.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.12 MGA 530

$1.91 €1.70

-93.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.30 MGA 79.2K

$43.44 €38.75

-60.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.22 MGA 14.7K

$5.62 €5.01

-42.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.26 MGA 10.4K

$1.71 €1.53

32.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.46 MGA 20.4K

$33.64 €30.01

-86.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.14 MGA 5,195

$2.03 €1.81

-43.84%

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

$12.1K MGA 55.6M

$35.3K €31.5K

-65.62%

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

$24.1K MGA 110.4M

$36.7K €32.8K

-34.33%

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

$64.6 MGA 295.4K

$227 €202

-71.51%

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

$17.45 MGA 79.9K

$11.59 €10.34

50.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.5 MGA 240.1K

$30.38 €27.11

72.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$23.01 MGA 105.3K

$51.8 €46.19

-55.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.14 MGA 32.7K

$23.70 €21.14

-69.87%

Cinema Ticket

$6.22 MGA 28.5K

$10.60 €9.46

-41.32%

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

$25.46 MGA 116.5K

$568 €506

-95.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K MGA 67.7M

$11.5K €10.3K

28.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$20.33 MGA 93.0K

$90.5 €80.8

-77.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.07 MGA 114.7K

$38.55 €34.40

-34.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.2 MGA 307.3K

$103 €91.6

-34.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$46.30 MGA 211.9K

$131 €117

-64.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$294 MGA 1.3M

$826 €737

-64.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$138 MGA 629.5K

$646 €577

-78.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$681 MGA 3.1M

$1,400 €1,249

-51.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$314 MGA 1.4M

$1,054 €941

-70.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$658 MGA 3.0M

$3,662 €3,267

-82.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$560 MGA 2.6M

$2,301 €2,053

-75.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$122 MGA 557.7K

$1,886 €1,683

-93.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

19.75

3.56

454.78%

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

Last update for Madagascar: October 26, 2026

Last update for Italy: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Madagascar

$142 23.1%

Italy

$348 18.9% 145% $206

Accommodation & Living

Madagascar

$138 22.4%

Italy

$646 35.1% 370% $509

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Madagascar

$134 21.9%

Italy

$269 14.6% 99.7% $134

Clothing & Footwear

Madagascar

$71 11.6%

Italy

$163 8.9% 128% $92

Eating Out

Madagascar

$61 10%

Italy

$279 15.1% 355% $217

Sport & Entertainment

Madagascar

$35 5.8%

Italy

$73 4% 106% $38

Getting Around

Madagascar

$32 5.3%

Italy

$65 3.5% 102% $33

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $260 in Madagascar, $729 in Italy. Capital cities: $323 in Antananarivo vs $1,297 in Rome.

National salary averages: $126 in Madagascar, $1,890 in Italy. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 180% higher in Italy.

Dining out costs 356% more in Italy.

Public transport is 23% more expensive in Italy.

Salaries are about 15 times higher in Italy, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Italy.

Good to know

🇲🇬 Madagascar

🇮🇹 Italy

🕒 Local time

16:53 4:53 PM

14:53 2:53 PM

2 h behind Madagascar

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

25,570,895

58,850,717

💱 Currency

Malagasy Ariary MGA Ar

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 MGA = 2.18 USD

10,000 MGA = 1.96 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD 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).

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to MGA in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Madagascar Italy 7,660 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Madagascar
Italy

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 Italy: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $1,843 per month in Italy and $615 in Madagascar, Madagascar comes out about 67% 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 Madagascar: 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 $729 in Italy and $260 in Madagascar. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

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