Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Madagascar and the United Kingdom

For one person, living is cheaper in Madagascar: $615 a month against $2,462 in the United Kingdom, rent and utilities included – about $22,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Madagascar
United Kingdom
🇲🇬 Madagascar
$615
/mo nomad
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$2,462
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Madagascar and in the United Kingdom

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 the United Kingdom actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $615 per month in Madagascar vs $2,462 in the United Kingdom, rent included.

  • Madagascar $615
  • United Kingdom $2,462

A couple spends around $959 per month in Madagascar vs $3,600 in the United Kingdom, rent included.

  • Madagascar $959
  • United Kingdom $3,600

A family of three spends $1,303 per month in Madagascar vs $4,738 in the United Kingdom, rent included.

  • Madagascar $1,303
  • United Kingdom $4,738

The regional cost range is wider in the United Kingdom ($1,126–$4,646) than in Madagascar ($174–$645), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in Madagascar is roughly 75% lower than in the United Kingdom on average.

Madagascar sits 55% below the global median, while the United Kingdom is 81% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Madagascar
United Kingdom
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.14 MGA 9,816
$21.48 £16.05
-90.04%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$17.92 MGA 82.0K
$85.7 £64.1
-79.10%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.70 MGA 21.5K
$10.61 £7.93
-55.70%
Cappuccino
$1.31 MGA 6,013
$4.91 £3.67
-73.32%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.75 MGA 3,412
$2.66 £1.99
-71.80%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.58 MGA 2,645
$1.87 £1.39
-68.98%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.08 MGA 4,955
$6.63 £4.95
-83.71%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.79 MGA 8,178
$6.84 £5.11
-73.83%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Madagascar
United Kingdom
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.14 MGA 5,215
$1.68 £1.26
-32.14%
White Bread (500g)
$1.00 MGA 4,580
$1.72 £1.28
-41.86%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.75 MGA 3,443
$2.17 £1.62
-65.44%
Eggs
$1.97 MGA 9,032
$4.00 £2.99
-50.75%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.41 MGA 38.5K
$9.42 £7.04
-10.72%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.83 MGA 22.1K
$9.19 £6.86
-47.44%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$4.70 MGA 21.5K
$14.77 £11.03
-68.18%
Apples (1kg)
$1.04 MGA 4,768
$2.97 £2.22
-64.98%
Banana (1kg)
$0.62 MGA 2,820
$1.62 £1.21
-61.73%
Oranges (1kg)
$0.92 MGA 4,226
$2.85 £2.13
-67.72%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.86 MGA 3,927
$3.52 £2.63
-75.57%
Potato (1kg)
$0.59 MGA 2,686
$1.83 £1.37
-67.76%
Onion (1kg)
$0.76 MGA 3,474
$1.61 £1.20
-52.80%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.36 MGA 1,630
$1.25 £0.93
-71.20%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.61 MGA 2,790
$1.66 £1.24
-63.25%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$1.52 MGA 6,979
$23.65 £17.67
-93.57%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.03 MGA 23.0K
$10.50 £7.84
-52.10%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.87 MGA 3,983
$2.98 £2.23
-70.81%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.59 MGA 7,258
$3.51 £2.62
-54.70%
🚌 Getting Around
Madagascar
United Kingdom
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.12 MGA 530
$3.98 £2.97
-96.98%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$17.30 MGA 79.2K
$107 £80.3
-83.89%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.22 MGA 14.7K
$5.18 £3.87
-37.84%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.26 MGA 10.4K
$2.35 £1.75
-3.83%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$4.46 MGA 20.4K
$26.84 £20.05
-83.38%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.14 MGA 5,195
$1.99 £1.48
-42.71%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$12.1K MGA 55.6M
$39.4K £29.5K
-69.23%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.1K MGA 110.4M
$40.5K £30.2K
-40.39%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Madagascar
United Kingdom
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$64.6 MGA 295.4K
$327 £244
-80.27%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$17.45 MGA 79.9K
$18.21 £13.60
-4.17%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$52.5 MGA 240.1K
$43.60 £32.57
20.34%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Madagascar
United Kingdom
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$23.01 MGA 105.3K
$42.36 £31.64
-45.68%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$7.14 MGA 32.7K
$18.22 £13.61
-60.81%
Cinema Ticket
$6.22 MGA 28.5K
$13.85 £10.34
-55.09%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Madagascar
United Kingdom
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$25.46 MGA 116.5K
$1,868 £1,396
-98.64%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$14.8K MGA 67.7M
$22.6K £16.9K
-34.66%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Madagascar
United Kingdom
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$20.33 MGA 93.0K
$92.9 £69.4
-78.12%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$25.07 MGA 114.7K
$45.92 £34.30
-45.41%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$67.2 MGA 307.3K
$102 £75.9
-33.94%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$46.30 MGA 211.9K
$102 £76.4
-54.71%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Madagascar
United Kingdom
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$294 MGA 1.3M
$1,342 £1,003
-78.07%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$138 MGA 629.5K
$1,073 £802
-87.19%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$681 MGA 3.1M
$2,231 £1,667
-69.47%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$314 MGA 1.4M
$1,742 £1,301
-81.97%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$658 MGA 3.0M
$5,601 £4,185
-88.25%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$560 MGA 2.6M
$4,265 £3,186
-86.86%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Madagascar
United Kingdom
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$122 MGA 557.7K
$3,349 £2,502
-96.36%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
19.75
5.32
271.24%

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

Last update for Madagascar: October 26, 2026

Last update for the United Kingdom: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Madagascar
$142
United Kingdom
$307 116% $165
Accommodation & Living
Madagascar
$138
United Kingdom
$1.1K 680% $936
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Madagascar
$134
United Kingdom
$389 189% $255
Clothing & Footwear
Madagascar
$71
United Kingdom
$154 116% $83
Eating Out
Madagascar
$61
United Kingdom
$328 435% $266
Sport & Entertainment
Madagascar
$35
United Kingdom
$70 97.6% $35
Getting Around
Madagascar
$32
United Kingdom
$140 334% $108

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $260 in Madagascar vs $1,287 in the United Kingdom. For reference, capital cities sit at $323 in Antananarivo and $2,811 in London.

Average salary: $126 in Madagascar vs $3,251 in the United Kingdom. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 395% higher in the United Kingdom.

Dining out costs 419% more in the United Kingdom.

Public transport is 189% more expensive in the United Kingdom.

Salaries are about 26 times higher in the United Kingdom, and purchasing power comes out stronger in the United Kingdom.

Good to know
🇲🇬 Madagascar
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
🕒 Local time
14:19 2:19 PM
11:19 11:19 AM
3 h behind Madagascar
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
25,570,895
67,326,569
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, USD, EUR to MGA – Malagasy Ariary Converter

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).

British Pound exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.747 GBP (1 GBP = 1.34 USD). 1 EUR = 0.834 GBP (1 GBP = 1.2 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Madagascar United Kingdom 9,090 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Madagascar
  • United Kingdom

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 United Kingdom: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which country is cheaper: Madagascar or the United Kingdom?
Madagascar is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 75% lower on average.
Is rent more expensive in Madagascar or in the United Kingdom?
Housing costs more in the United Kingdom: a central one-bedroom averages $1,287 versus $260 in Madagascar.
How do daily expenses compare in Madagascar vs the United Kingdom?
Groceries, public transport, and eating out all cost less in Madagascar – part of why living there is about 75% cheaper overall.
Which country is better for expats: Madagascar or the United Kingdom?
Madagascar is the budget-friendly choice for expats. But cost isn’t everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.

Madagascar vs other spots: cost of living compared

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