Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mahajanga and Dubai

For one person, living is cheaper in Mahajanga: $557 a month against $2,854 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $27,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Dubai
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Dubai Living Index

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Mahajanga

🇲🇬 Madagascar

$557

/mo nomad

Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,854

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mahajanga and in Dubai

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $557 in Mahajanga versus $2,854 in Dubai.

Mahajanga $557
Dubai $2,854

Estimated couple costs with rent: $813 in Mahajanga versus $4,321 in Dubai.

Mahajanga $813
Dubai $4,321

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,069 in Mahajanga versus $5,788 in Dubai.

Mahajanga $1,069
Dubai $5,788

Living in Mahajanga costs roughly 80% less than in Dubai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mahajanga is 58% below, Dubai is 113% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.02 MGA 9,027

$13.04 AED 47.89

-84.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.34 MGA 82.0K

$81.4 AED 299

-77.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.32 AED 34.25

Cappuccino

$0.69 MGA 3,104

$5.97 AED 21.93

-88.44%

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

$0.93 MGA 4,169

$1.63 AED 5.98

-42.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.90 MGA 4,013

$0.81 AED 2.99

11.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.05 MGA 4,710

$13.65 AED 50.1

-92.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 MGA 7,211

$13.38 AED 49.15

-87.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.35 MGA 6,053

$1.81 AED 6.64

-25.41%

White Bread (500g)

$0.87 MGA 3,900

$1.57 AED 5.78

-44.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.64 MGA 2,880

$2.49 AED 9.16

-74.30%

Eggs

$2.23 MGA 9,963

$3.28 AED 12.04

-32.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.91 MGA 30.9K

$12.67 AED 46.53

-45.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.85 MGA 30.6K

$9.75 AED 35.80

-29.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$3.75 MGA 16.8K

$13.18 AED 48.40

-71.55%

Apples (1kg)

$1.12 MGA 4,990

$2.61 AED 9.57

-57.09%

Banana (1kg)

$0.62 MGA 2,765

$1.93 AED 7.09

-67.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.70 MGA 3,109

$1.92 AED 7.05

-63.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.70 MGA 3,146

$1.36 AED 5.00

-48.53%

Potato (1kg)

$0.53 MGA 2,382

$1.17 AED 4.29

-54.70%

Onion (1kg)

$0.52 MGA 2,333

$1.01 AED 3.71

-48.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.35 MGA 1,574

$1.51 AED 5.56

-76.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 MGA 2,657

$0.62 AED 2.29

-4.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.85 AED 21.50

Wine (Bottle)

$9.30 MGA 41.6K

$16.14 AED 59.3

-42.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 MGA 3,518

$2.65 AED 9.74

-70.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.95 MGA 4,245

$2.95 AED 10.82

-67.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.23 MGA 1,020

$1.64 AED 6.03

-85.98%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.6 AED 270

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.17 AED 11.66

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 AED 2.63

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.96 AED 29.23

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 MGA 5,996

$0.99 AED 3.64

35.35%

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

$27.4K AED 100.5K

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

$22.5K AED 82.8K

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

$44.71 MGA 199.8K

$250 AED 920

-82.14%

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

$6.69 MGA 29.9K

$54.2 AED 199

-87.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.67 MGA 101.3K

$91.8 AED 337

-75.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$18.07 MGA 80.8K

$98.6 AED 362

-81.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$42.61 AED 156

Cinema Ticket

$16.03 AED 58.9

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

$843 AED 3,098

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.3K AED 67.1K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.0 AED 250

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.9 AED 213

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 AED 370

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 AED 371

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$337 MGA 1.5M

$2,380 AED 8,741

-85.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$275 MGA 1.2M

$1,506 AED 5,531

-81.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$693 MGA 3.1M

$4,437 AED 16.3K

-84.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$448 MGA 2.0M

$3,010 AED 11.1K

-85.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,121 AED 26.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,135 AED 15.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,391 AED 12.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.54

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

Last update for Mahajanga: October 4, 2026

Last update for Dubai: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mahajanga

–

Dubai

$1.5K 52.5%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mahajanga

–

Dubai

$396 13.8%

Eating Out

Mahajanga

–

Dubai

$309 10.8%

Groceries & Markets

Mahajanga

–

Dubai

$293 10.2%

Clothing & Footwear

Mahajanga

–

Dubai

$147 5.1%

Sport & Entertainment

Mahajanga

–

Dubai

$131 4.6%

Getting Around

Mahajanga

–

Dubai

$87 3%

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $337 in Mahajanga and $2,380 in Dubai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $18.00 in Mahajanga vs $81.0 in Dubai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $151 vs $293 per month, with Mahajanga cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇬 Mahajanga

🇦🇪 Dubai

🕒 Local time

15:22 3:22 PM

16:22 4:22 PM

1 h ahead of Mahajanga

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

246,022

3,790,000

💱 Currency

Malagasy Ariary MGA Ar

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 MGA = 2.24 USD

10,000 MGA = 2 EUR

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.243 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AED, 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).

UAE Dirham exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.67 AED (1 AED = 0.272 USD). 1 EUR = 4.12 AED (1 AED = 0.243 EUR).

USD to MGA in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mahajanga Dubai 4,640 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Mahajanga
Dubai

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 Dubai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mahajanga is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. The 413% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $835 in Mahajanga and $4,281 in Dubai to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $337 in Mahajanga versus $2,380 in Dubai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 94% higher in Dubai. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Mahajanga – a meal for two runs $18.00 versus $81.0 in Dubai. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $557 in Mahajanga versus $2,854 in Dubai, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Mahajanga but tight or insufficient in Dubai. The gap between the two cities makes Mahajanga the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Mahajanga is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Dubai, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Mahajanga and Dubai are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Mahajanga gentler on the wallet – expenses run 413% less than in Dubai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.