Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mahajanga and Belgrade

For one person, living is cheaper in Mahajanga: $557 a month against $1,538 in Belgrade, rent and utilities included – about $11,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

76

Cost of Living Index in Belgrade
Learn more

Belgrade Living Index

Jump to prices

Mahajanga

🇲🇬 Madagascar

$557

/mo nomad

Belgrade

🇷🇸 Serbia

$1,538

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mahajanga and in Belgrade

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Mahajanga and in Belgrade actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $557 per month in Mahajanga vs $1,538 in Belgrade, rent included.

Mahajanga $557
Belgrade $1,538

A couple spends around $813 per month in Mahajanga vs $2,321 in Belgrade, rent included.

Mahajanga $813
Belgrade $2,321

A family of three spends $1,069 per month in Mahajanga vs $3,105 in Belgrade, rent included.

Mahajanga $1,069
Belgrade $3,105

Mahajanga is about 64% cheaper than Belgrade, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Mahajanga sits 58% below the global median, while Belgrade is 15% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.02 MGA 9,027

$13.33 RSD 1,389

-84.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.34 MGA 82.0K

$58.4 RSD 6,085

-68.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.58 RSD 1,414

Cappuccino

$0.69 MGA 3,104

$3.13 RSD 326

-77.96%

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

$0.93 MGA 4,169

$2.77 RSD 288

-66.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.90 MGA 4,013

$2.27 RSD 237

-60.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.05 MGA 4,710

$3.75 RSD 390

-72.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 MGA 7,211

$4.38 RSD 456

-63.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.35 MGA 6,053

$1.40 RSD 146

-3.57%

White Bread (500g)

$0.87 MGA 3,900

$1.17 RSD 122

-25.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.64 MGA 2,880

$2.71 RSD 282

-76.38%

Eggs

$2.23 MGA 9,963

$2.78 RSD 289

-19.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.91 MGA 30.9K

$11.36 RSD 1,184

-39.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.85 MGA 30.6K

$7.01 RSD 731

-2.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$3.75 MGA 16.8K

$15.72 RSD 1,638

-76.15%

Apples (1kg)

$1.12 MGA 4,990

$1.66 RSD 173

-32.53%

Banana (1kg)

$0.62 MGA 2,765

$1.81 RSD 188

-65.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.70 MGA 3,109

$1.83 RSD 190

-61.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.70 MGA 3,146

$3.13 RSD 326

-77.64%

Potato (1kg)

$0.53 MGA 2,382

$0.88 RSD 91.3

-39.77%

Onion (1kg)

$0.52 MGA 2,333

$0.67 RSD 70.3

-22.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.35 MGA 1,574

$0.81 RSD 84.4

-56.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 MGA 2,657

$0.68 RSD 70.9

-13.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.78 RSD 498

Wine (Bottle)

$9.30 MGA 41.6K

$8.54 RSD 889

8.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 MGA 3,518

$0.94 RSD 97.7

-15.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.95 MGA 4,245

$1.44 RSD 150

-34.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.23 MGA 1,020

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.09 RSD 322

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 RSD 107

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.18 RSD 1,789

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 MGA 5,996

$1.87 RSD 195

-28.34%

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

$30.7K RSD 3.2M

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

$24.3K RSD 2.5M

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

$44.71 MGA 199.8K

$218 RSD 22.7K

-79.46%

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

$6.69 MGA 29.9K

$25.24 RSD 2,629

-73.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.67 MGA 101.3K

$35.35 RSD 3,683

-35.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$18.07 MGA 80.8K

$41.77 RSD 4,351

-56.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.80 RSD 2,375

Cinema Ticket

$8.47 RSD 882

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

$426 RSD 44.4K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K RSD 1.2M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$111 RSD 11.6K

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.99 RSD 4,791

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$119 RSD 12.4K

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$154 RSD 16.0K

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$337 MGA 1.5M

$821 RSD 85.6K

-58.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$275 MGA 1.2M

$561 RSD 58.4K

-50.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$693 MGA 3.1M

$1,511 RSD 157.4K

-54.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$448 MGA 2.0M

$942 RSD 98.1K

-52.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,312 RSD 553.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,165 RSD 329.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,228 RSD 127.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.61

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

Last update for Mahajanga: October 4, 2026

Last update for Belgrade: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mahajanga

–

Belgrade

$561 35.5%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mahajanga

–

Belgrade

$278 17.6%

Groceries & Markets

Mahajanga

–

Belgrade

$246 15.6%

Eating Out

Mahajanga

–

Belgrade

$233 14.7%

Clothing & Footwear

Mahajanga

–

Belgrade

$194 12.3%

Sport & Entertainment

Mahajanga

–

Belgrade

$59 3.7%

Getting Around

Mahajanga

–

Belgrade

$8.2 * 0.5%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $337 in Mahajanga versus $821 in Belgrade. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $18.00 in Mahajanga versus $58.0 in Belgrade. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $151 vs $246 – making Mahajanga the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇬 Mahajanga

🇷🇸 Belgrade

🕒 Local time

16:50 4:50 PM

15:50 3:50 PM

1 h behind Mahajanga

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

246,022

1,197,714 Capital

💱 Currency

Malagasy Ariary MGA Ar

Serbian Dinar RSD din

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 MGA = 2.24 USD

10,000 MGA = 2 EUR

1,000 RSD = 9.6 USD

1,000 RSD = 8.57 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RSD, USD, EUR to MGA – Malagasy Ariary Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇬 Malagasy Ariary (Ar)

Malagasy Ariary exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4,470 MGA (10,000 MGA = 2.24 USD). 1 EUR = 5,009 MGA (10,000 MGA = 2 EUR).

Serbian Dinar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 104 RSD (1,000 RSD = 9.6 USD). 1 EUR = 117 RSD (1,000 RSD = 8.57 EUR).

USD to MGA in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mahajanga Belgrade 7,220 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Mahajanga
Belgrade

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

Mahajanga vs Belgrade: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $557 in Mahajanga, $1,538 in Belgrade – roughly 176% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $835 per month in Mahajanga and $2,307 in Belgrade. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Mahajanga, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $18.00 in Mahajanga and $58.0 in Belgrade. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $557 in Mahajanga and $1,538 in Belgrade. That's a gap of about 176%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Mahajanga, where all-in costs run around $557, than in Belgrade at $1,538. In Mahajanga it covers expenses comfortably, while in Belgrade it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Mahajanga – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Mahajanga. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Belgrade makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.