Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Toamasina and Athens

For one person, living is cheaper in Toamasina: $465 a month against $1,779 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $15,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

85

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index

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Toamasina

🇲🇬 Madagascar

$465

/mo nomad

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,779

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Toamasina and in Athens

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $465 in Toamasina versus $1,779 in Athens.

Toamasina $465
Athens $1,779

Estimated couple costs with rent: $751 in Toamasina versus $2,721 in Athens.

Toamasina $751
Athens $2,721

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,038 in Toamasina versus $3,663 in Athens.

Toamasina $1,038
Athens $3,663

Living in Toamasina costs roughly 74% less than in Athens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Toamasina is 66% below, Athens is 32% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.71 MGA 12.4K

$16.83 €14.99

-83.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$15.16 MGA 69.3K

$66.0 €58.8

-77.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.50 MGA 20.5K

$11.21 €9.98

-59.86%

Cappuccino

$1.08 MGA 4,949

$4.08 €3.64

-73.53%

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

$0.56 MGA 2,579

$2.77 €2.47

-79.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 €0.48

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.08 MGA 4,933

$5.70 €5.07

-81.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.12 MGA 5,137

$6.26 €5.58

-82.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 MGA 5,119

$1.84 €1.64

-39.13%

White Bread (500g)

$1.09 MGA 4,961

$1.43 €1.27

-23.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.02 MGA 4,663

$2.67 €2.38

-61.80%

Eggs

$1.82 MGA 8,340

$4.95 €4.41

-63.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.63 MGA 57.7K

$15.09 €13.44

-16.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.68 MGA 35.1K

$10.99 €9.79

-30.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.15 MGA 28.1K

$19.77 €17.60

-68.89%

Apples (1kg)

$1.52 MGA 6,927

$2.12 €1.89

-28.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.34 MGA 6,145

$1.98 €1.76

-32.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.51 MGA 6,881

$1.33 €1.18

13.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.69 MGA 3,160

$2.16 €1.92

-68.06%

Potato (1kg)

$0.58 MGA 2,647

$1.06 €0.94

-45.28%

Onion (1kg)

$0.55 MGA 2,528

$1.15 €1.02

-52.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.31 MGA 1,436

$1.08 €0.96

-71.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.45 MGA 2,053

$0.85 €0.75

-47.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.77 MGA 8,070

$5.46 €4.86

-67.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.03 €8.93

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 MGA 4,043

$2.04 €1.82

-56.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.07 MGA 4,879

$2.38 €2.12

-55.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 MGA 1,566

$1.35 €1.20

-74.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.52 €27.18

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 €3.39

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 €0.92

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.49 €14.68

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.09 MGA 5,004

$2.34 €2.09

-53.42%

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

$27.8K €24.7K

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

$26.6K €23.7K

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

$202 €180

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

$31.65 MGA 144.7K

$26.81 €23.87

18.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.0 MGA 306.1K

$30.49 €27.14

119.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.94 MGA 100.3K

$54.1 €48.14

-59.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.40 €24.40

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 MGA 29.8K

$10.44 €9.30

-37.64%

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

$568 €505

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.2K €13.5K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$8.59 MGA 39.2K

$90.7 €80.7

-90.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$6.75 MGA 30.8K

$39.32 €35.01

-82.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$54.1 MGA 247.4K

$105 €93.7

-48.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$37.61 MGA 171.9K

$129 €115

-70.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$133 MGA 609.7K

$742 €661

-82.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$54.4 MGA 248.8K

$648 €577

-91.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$436 MGA 2.0M

$1,271 €1,132

-65.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$133 MGA 605.8K

$1,122 €999

-88.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,999 €3,561

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,281 €2,921

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$134 MGA 614.1K

$1,245 €1,109

-89.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.44

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

Last update for Toamasina: November 2, 2026

Last update for Athens: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Toamasina

–

Athens

$648 36.4%

Groceries & Markets

Toamasina

–

Athens

$316 17.8%

Eating Out

Toamasina

–

Athens

$272 15.3%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Toamasina

–

Athens

$260 14.6%

Clothing & Footwear

Toamasina

–

Athens

$164 9.2%

Sport & Entertainment

Toamasina

–

Athens

$75 4.2%

Getting Around

Toamasina

–

Athens

$45 2.5%

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $133 in Toamasina and $742 in Athens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens pays about 9.3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $15 in Toamasina vs $66 in Athens for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $169 vs $316 per month, with Toamasina cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇬 Toamasina

🇬🇷 Athens

🕒 Local time

15:24 3:24 PM

14:24 2:24 PM

1 h behind Toamasina

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

325,857

3,090,508 Capital

💱 Currency

Malagasy Ariary MGA Ar

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 MGA = 2.19 USD

10,000 MGA = 1.95 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to MGA – Malagasy Ariary Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇬 Malagasy Ariary (Ar)

Malagasy Ariary exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 4,571 MGA (10,000 MGA = 2.19 USD). 1 EUR = 5,133 MGA (10,000 MGA = 1.95 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.89 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to MGA in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Toamasina Athens 6,790 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Toamasina
Athens

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

Toamasina vs Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Toamasina wins on cost – living expenses run 74% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Toamasina the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 89% lower in Toamasina. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $133 in Toamasina versus $742 in Athens. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $465 per month in Toamasina versus $1,779 in Athens – Toamasina is about 74% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Supermarket bills run roughly 87% higher in Athens. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $465 in Toamasina versus $1,779 in Athens, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Toamasina but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Toamasina the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

It comes down to priorities – Toamasina wins on affordability, Athens on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.