Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Antananarivo

For one person, living is cheaper in Antananarivo: $645 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $7,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index
31

Cost of Living Index in Antananarivo
Learn more

Antananarivo Living Index

Jump to prices

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Antananarivo

🇲🇬 Madagascar

$645

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Antananarivo

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

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $645 in Antananarivo, rent included.

Phuket $1,278
Antananarivo $645

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $991 in Antananarivo, rent included.

Phuket $2,216
Antananarivo $991

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $1,338 in Antananarivo, rent included.

Phuket $3,154
Antananarivo $1,338

Phuket costs about 98% more than Antananarivo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Phuket and Antananarivo are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 6% lower, Antananarivo 53% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$2.62 MGA 12.0K

70.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$19.47 MGA 89.1K

66.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$5.52 MGA 25.3K

59.60%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$1.58 MGA 7,217

79.11%

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

$0.87 ฿29.42

$0.79 MGA 3,636

10.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.66

$0.45 MGA 2,059

8.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$1.01 MGA 4,631

153.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$2.14 MGA 9,782

71.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$0.92 MGA 4,226

80.43%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.32

$0.97 MGA 4,440

50.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$0.74 MGA 3,374

102.70%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$2.02 MGA 9,250

3.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$8.07 MGA 36.9K

136.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$4.24 MGA 19.4K

-22.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$4.70 MGA 21.5K

132.13%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$1.07 MGA 4,903

173.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$0.57 MGA 2,628

196.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$0.99 MGA 4,551

127.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$0.79 MGA 3,617

163.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$0.59 MGA 2,685

155.93%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.54

$0.95 MGA 4,358

45.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.97

$0.32 MGA 1,451

234.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.71 MGA 3,242

-26.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$1.56 MGA 7,148

169.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$4.98 MGA 22.8K

277.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$0.96 MGA 4,401

89.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$1.77 MGA 8,123

60.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.00

$0.13 MGA 610

1015.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$3.38 MGA 15.5K

-10.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.34

$1.93 MGA 8,822

-47.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$4.45 MGA 20.4K

-17.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.78

$1.14 MGA 5,235

28.95%

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

$26.8K ฿903.7K

$11.7K MGA 53.5M

128.94%

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

$26.7K ฿900.8K

$25.2K MGA 115.5M

5.77%

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

$96.4 ฿3,252

$72.7 MGA 332.5K

32.62%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$16.30 MGA 74.6K

-30.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$56.6 MGA 259.0K

-70.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,269

$28.53 MGA 130.6K

135.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$6.88 MGA 31.5K

55.96%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$5.65 MGA 25.8K

32.74%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$24.31 MGA 111.3K

1857.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.1K

$14.7K MGA 67.2M

-23.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,105

$28.35 MGA 129.7K

119.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$26.86 MGA 122.9K

5.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,182

$74.7 MGA 341.7K

26.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,896

$66.9 MGA 306.0K

28.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$323 MGA 1.5M

121.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$149 MGA 680.8K

230.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$706 MGA 3.2M

172.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$314 MGA 1.4M

356.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$665 MGA 3.0M

527.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$574 MGA 2.6M

430.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$130 MGA 593.6K

287.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

15.75

-64.63%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Antananarivo: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Antananarivo

$149 23.1% 69.7% $342

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Antananarivo

$138 21.4% 48.2% $128

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Antananarivo

$146 22.6% 16.9% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Antananarivo

$89 13.7% 27.4% $33

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Antananarivo

$71 11% 41.9% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Antananarivo

$40 6.2% 51.6% $42

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Antananarivo

$14 * 2.1% 80.8% $57

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $716 in Phuket versus $323 in Antananarivo. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Phuket are about 3.9 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $19 in Antananarivo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $266 vs $138 – making Antananarivo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇲🇬 Antananarivo

🕒 Local time

17:54 5:54 PM

13:54 1:54 PM

4 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

1,274,225 Capital

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Malagasy Ariary MGA Ar

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

10,000 MGA = 2.18 USD

10,000 MGA = 1.96 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MGA, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.66 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

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).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Antananarivo 6,320 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Antananarivo

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

Phuket vs Antananarivo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Phuket is pricier by about 98%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,917 per month in Phuket and $967 in Antananarivo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Antananarivo, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $323 there versus $716 in Phuket.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,278 in Phuket and $645 in Antananarivo. That makes Antananarivo about 50% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $476 per month in Phuket and $24 in Antananarivo. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Antananarivo, where all-in costs run around $645, than in Phuket at $1,278. In Antananarivo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

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