Cost of Living Comparison Between Madagascar and South Africa Cost of Living Comparison Between Madagascar and South Africa

🙂 Solo nomad: Madagascar is 30.1% cheaper than South Africa without rent, and 47.3% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Madagascar is 35.9% cheaper than South Africa without rent, and 41.6% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Madagascar
South Africa
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.74 MGA 12.2K
$9.05 R 161
-69.72%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$17.74 MGA 79K
$38.84 R 691
-54.33%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.33 MGA 19.3K
$4.9 R 87.1
-11.63%
Cappuccino
$1.28 MGA 5,709
$1.98 R 35.28
-35.35%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.91 MGA 4,044
$0.96 R 17.06
-5.21%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.66 MGA 2,937
$0.75 R 13.31
-12.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.07 MGA 4,751
$2.18 R 38.72
-50.92%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.56 MGA 6,955
$2.54 R 45.1
-38.58%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Madagascar
South Africa
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.06 MGA 4,724
$1.1 R 19.58
-3.64%
White Bread (500g)
$0.96 MGA 4,277
$1.03 R 18.32
-6.80%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.69 MGA 3,062
$1.56 R 27.71
-55.77%
Eggs
$2.05 MGA 9,148
$2.25 R 39.93
-8.89%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.83 MGA 43.8K
$7.67 R 136
28.16%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.95 MGA 22.1K
$4.62 R 82.2
7.14%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$4.14 MGA 18.4K
$6.86 R 122
-39.65%
Apples (1kg)
$1.16 MGA 5,161
$1.58 R 28.02
-26.58%
Banana (1kg)
$0.59 MGA 2,634
$1.42 R 25.3
-58.45%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.03 MGA 4,575
$1.44 R 25.58
-28.47%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.91 MGA 4,066
$1.49 R 26.5
-38.93%
Potato (1kg)
$0.57 MGA 2,524
$1.25 R 22.16
-54.40%
Onion (1kg)
$0.78 MGA 3,482
$1.34 R 23.81
-41.79%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.34 MGA 1,527
$1.09 R 19.31
-68.81%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.63 MGA 2,818
$0.96 R 17.15
-34.37%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$1.75 MGA 7,809
$2.9 R 51.6
-39.66%
Wine (Bottle)
$4.82 MGA 21.5K
$5.07 R 90.3
-4.93%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.89 MGA 3,956
$1.38 R 24.49
-35.51%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.22 MGA 5,439
$1.68 R 29.79
-27.38%
🚌 Getting Around
Madagascar
South Africa
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.15 MGA 666
$1.71 R 30.47
-91.23%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$8.67 MGA 38.6K
$45.01 R 801
-80.74%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.23 MGA 9,932
$1.1 R 19.61
102.73%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.07 MGA 9,205
$1.09 R 19.41
89.91%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$4.47 MGA 19.9K
$4.8 R 85.3
-6.88%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.22 MGA 5,443
$1.31 R 23.23
-6.87%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$13.5K MGA 60.3M
$21K R 374.2K
-35.67%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.1K MGA 102.7M
$23.7K R 421.3K
-2.64%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Madagascar
South Africa
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$45.8 MGA 204K
$113 R 2,009
-59.45%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$14.88 MGA 66.3K
$33.11 R 589
-55.06%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$52.8 MGA 235.3K
$41.49 R 738
27.31%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Madagascar
South Africa
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$22.63 MGA 100.8K
$31.69 R 564
-28.59%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$6.51 MGA 29K
$9.45 R 168
-31.11%
Cinema Ticket
$6.74 MGA 30K
$6.7 R 119
0.60%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Madagascar
South Africa
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$71.5 MGA 318.5K
$186 R 3,303
-61.49%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.9K MGA 53M
$4,336 R 77.1K
174.20%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Madagascar
South Africa
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$26.45 MGA 117.8K
$48.56 R 864
-45.53%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$27.53 MGA 122.6K
$30.74 R 547
-10.44%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$71.9 MGA 320.4K
$92 R 1,636
-21.80%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$52.2 MGA 232.6K
$79.6 R 1,415
-34.36%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Madagascar
South Africa
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$294 MGA 1.3M
$442 R 7,860
-33.55%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$101 MGA 449.9K
$370 R 6,579
-72.70%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$546 MGA 2.4M
$880 R 15.7K
-38.02%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$369 MGA 1.6M
$724 R 12.9K
-49.04%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$842 MGA 3.8M
$1,021 R 18.2K
-17.50%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$571 MGA 2.5M
$803 R 14.3K
-28.87%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Madagascar
South Africa
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$112 MGA 497.5K
$1,406 R 25K
-92.06%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
17.25
11.55
49.35%

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

Last update for Madagascar: October 28, 2025

Last update for South Africa: October 29, 2025

Similar cities

Join the CityCost newsletter – low traffic, no spam, and easy to unsubscribe. Your email stays private.