Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Toamasina and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Toamasina: $466 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $20,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Toamasina

🇲🇬 Madagascar

$466

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Toamasina and in Lisbon

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $466 in Toamasina versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

Toamasina $466
Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $753 in Toamasina versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

Toamasina $753
Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,040 in Toamasina versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

Toamasina $1,040
Lisbon $4,341

Living in Toamasina costs roughly 79% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Toamasina is 66% below, Lisbon is 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.71 MGA 12.4K

$16.65 €14.95

-83.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$15.39 MGA 70.6K

$61.7 €55.5

-75.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.35 MGA 20.0K

$11.36 €10.20

-61.71%

Cappuccino

$1.13 MGA 5,188

$2.97 €2.67

-61.95%

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

$0.57 MGA 2,620

$2.29 €2.06

-75.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.14 MGA 5,228

$3.40 €3.06

-66.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.08 MGA 4,938

$3.31 €2.97

-67.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.07 MGA 4,897

$1.16 €1.04

-7.76%

White Bread (500g)

$1.13 MGA 5,194

$1.91 €1.72

-40.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.02 MGA 4,662

$1.51 €1.36

-32.45%

Eggs

$1.82 MGA 8,368

$4.02 €3.61

-54.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.64 MGA 58.0K

$12.94 €11.62

-2.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.87 MGA 36.1K

$7.77 €6.98

1.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.27 MGA 28.8K

$17.76 €15.95

-64.70%

Apples (1kg)

$1.52 MGA 6,974

$2.30 €2.07

-33.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.36 MGA 6,235

$1.73 €1.56

-21.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 MGA 7,201

$1.86 €1.67

-15.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.63 MGA 2,885

$2.59 €2.33

-75.68%

Potato (1kg)

$0.61 MGA 2,807

$1.82 €1.64

-66.48%

Onion (1kg)

$0.55 MGA 2,530

$1.97 €1.77

-72.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.35 MGA 1,586

$1.47 €1.32

-76.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.46 MGA 2,107

$0.72 €0.65

-36.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.70 MGA 7,807

$6.58 €5.91

-74.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.04

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 MGA 3,811

$1.36 €1.22

-38.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.11 MGA 5,099

$2.14 €1.92

-48.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.32 MGA 1,446

$2.33 €2.10

-86.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.14

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.46

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.79

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.13 MGA 5,204

$2.20 €1.98

-48.64%

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

$34.2K €30.7K

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

$38.7K €34.8K

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

$161 €145

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

$30.75 MGA 141.0K

$18.41 €16.54

67.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$66.0 MGA 302.7K

$32.74 €29.41

101.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$22.32 MGA 102.4K

$44.55 €40.02

-49.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.16

Cinema Ticket

$6.63 MGA 30.4K

$9.60 €8.62

-30.94%

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

$668 €600

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$8.88 MGA 40.8K

$102 €91.6

-91.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$6.79 MGA 31.2K

$44.46 €39.94

-84.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$54.2 MGA 248.8K

$98.5 €88.5

-44.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$36.55 MGA 167.7K

$124 €111

-70.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$133 MGA 610.3K

$1,608 €1,445

-91.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$54.8 MGA 251.2K

$1,190 €1,069

-95.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$442 MGA 2.0M

$2,812 €2,526

-84.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$131 MGA 602.9K

$2,013 €1,808

-93.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,042

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,110

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$134 MGA 614.1K

$1,575 €1,415

-91.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

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

Last update for Toamasina: October 25, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Toamasina

–

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Groceries & Markets

Toamasina

–

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Eating Out

Toamasina

–

Lisbon

$243 11%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Toamasina

–

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Clothing & Footwear

Toamasina

–

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Sport & Entertainment

Toamasina

–

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Getting Around

Toamasina

–

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $133 in Toamasina and $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays about 12 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $15 in Toamasina vs $62 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $171 vs $272 per month, with Toamasina cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇬 Toamasina

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

19:06 7:06 PM

16:06 4:06 PM

3 h behind Toamasina

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

325,857

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Malagasy Ariary MGA Ar

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 MGA = 2.18 USD

10,000 MGA = 1.96 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 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 October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 4,587 MGA (10,000 MGA = 2.18 USD). 1 EUR = 5,106 MGA (10,000 MGA = 1.96 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

USD to MGA in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Toamasina Lisbon 8,780 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Toamasina
Lisbon

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 Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Toamasina and Lisbon differ by about 375% in total monthly costs ($466 vs $2,210 including rent). Toamasina is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 92% 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 $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Toamasina – a meal for two runs $15 versus $62 in Lisbon. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $466 per month in Toamasina versus $2,210 in Lisbon – a 375% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $466 in Toamasina versus $2,210 in Lisbon, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Toamasina but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. 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, Lisbon on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.