Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between the United Kingdom and Madagascar

Name: Madagascar
Address: MG

For one person, living is cheaper in Madagascar: $615 a month against $2,462 in the United Kingdom, rent and utilities included – about $22,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

119

Cost of Living Index in the United Kingdom
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United Kingdom Living Index
30

Cost of Living Index in Madagascar
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Madagascar Living Index

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🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,462

/mo nomad

🇲🇬 Madagascar

$615

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in the United Kingdom and in Madagascar

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

A single person spends $2,462 per month in the United Kingdom vs $615 in Madagascar, rent included.

United Kingdom $2,462
Madagascar $615

A couple spends around $3,600 per month in the United Kingdom vs $959 in Madagascar, rent included.

United Kingdom $3,600
Madagascar $959

A family of three spends $4,738 per month in the United Kingdom vs $1,303 in Madagascar, rent included.

United Kingdom $4,738
Madagascar $1,303

The regional cost range is wider in the United Kingdom ($1,126–$4,646) than in Madagascar ($174–$645), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in the United Kingdom is about 300% higher than in Madagascar on average.

The United Kingdom sits 81% above the global median, while Madagascar is 55% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.48 £16.02

$2.14 MGA 9,816

903.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.7 £63.9

$17.92 MGA 82.0K

378.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.61 £7.91

$4.70 MGA 21.5K

125.74%

Cappuccino

$4.91 £3.66

$1.31 MGA 6,013

274.81%

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

$2.66 £1.98

$0.75 MGA 3,412

254.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 £1.39

$0.58 MGA 2,645

222.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.63 £4.94

$1.08 MGA 4,955

513.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.84 £5.10

$1.79 MGA 8,178

282.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 £1.25

$1.14 MGA 5,215

47.37%

White Bread (500g)

$1.72 £1.28

$1.00 MGA 4,580

72.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.17 £1.62

$0.75 MGA 3,443

189.33%

Eggs

$4.00 £2.98

$1.97 MGA 9,032

103.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.42 £7.02

$8.41 MGA 38.5K

12.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.19 £6.85

$4.83 MGA 22.1K

90.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.77 £11.01

$4.70 MGA 21.5K

214.26%

Apples (1kg)

$2.97 £2.21

$1.04 MGA 4,768

185.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 £1.21

$0.62 MGA 2,820

161.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.85 £2.13

$0.92 MGA 4,226

209.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.52 £2.63

$0.86 MGA 3,927

309.30%

Potato (1kg)

$1.83 £1.37

$0.59 MGA 2,686

210.17%

Onion (1kg)

$1.61 £1.20

$0.76 MGA 3,474

111.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 £0.93

$0.36 MGA 1,630

247.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 £1.24

$0.61 MGA 2,790

172.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.65 £17.63

$1.52 MGA 6,979

1455.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.50 £7.83

$5.03 MGA 23.0K

108.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.98 £2.22

$0.87 MGA 3,983

242.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.51 £2.62

$1.59 MGA 7,258

120.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.98 £2.97

$0.12 MGA 530

3216.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$107 £80.1

$17.30 MGA 79.2K

520.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.18 £3.86

$3.22 MGA 14.7K

60.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.35 £1.75

$2.26 MGA 10.4K

3.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.84 £20.01

$4.46 MGA 20.4K

501.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.99 £1.48

$1.14 MGA 5,195

74.56%

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

$39.4K £29.4K

$12.1K MGA 55.6M

224.98%

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

$40.5K £30.2K

$24.1K MGA 110.4M

67.77%

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

$327 £244

$64.6 MGA 295.4K

406.86%

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

$18.21 £13.58

$17.45 MGA 79.9K

4.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.60 £32.51

$52.5 MGA 240.1K

-16.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.36 £31.58

$23.01 MGA 105.3K

84.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.22 £13.58

$7.14 MGA 32.7K

155.18%

Cinema Ticket

$13.85 £10.32

$6.22 MGA 28.5K

122.67%

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

$1,868 £1,393

$25.46 MGA 116.5K

7236.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.6K £16.9K

$14.8K MGA 67.7M

53.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$92.9 £69.3

$20.33 MGA 93.0K

357.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.92 £34.24

$25.07 MGA 114.7K

83.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 £75.8

$67.2 MGA 307.3K

51.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 £76.2

$46.30 MGA 211.9K

120.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,342 £1,001

$294 MGA 1.3M

356.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,073 £800

$138 MGA 629.5K

680.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,231 £1,664

$681 MGA 3.1M

227.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,742 £1,299

$314 MGA 1.4M

454.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,601 £4,176

$658 MGA 3.0M

750.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,265 £3,180

$560 MGA 2.6M

661.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,349 £2,497

$122 MGA 557.7K

2649.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.32

19.75

-73.06%

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

Last update for the United Kingdom: October 26, 2026

Last update for Madagascar: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

United Kingdom

$1.1K 43.6%

Madagascar

$138 22.4% 87.2% $936

Monthly Utilities & Internet

United Kingdom

$389 15.8%

Madagascar

$134 21.9% 65.4% $255

Eating Out

United Kingdom

$328 13.3%

Madagascar

$61 10% 81.3% $266

Groceries & Markets

United Kingdom

$307 12.5%

Madagascar

$142 23.1% 53.7% $165

Clothing & Footwear

United Kingdom

$154 6.3%

Madagascar

$71 11.6% 53.7% $83

Getting Around

United Kingdom

$140 5.7%

Madagascar

$32 5.3% 77% $108

Sport & Entertainment

United Kingdom

$70 2.9%

Madagascar

$35 5.8% 49.4% $35

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $1,287 in the United Kingdom vs $260 in Madagascar. For reference, capital cities sit at $2,811 in London and $323 in Antananarivo.

Average salary: $3,251 in the United Kingdom vs $126 in Madagascar. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 395% higher in the United Kingdom.

Dining out costs 419% more in the United Kingdom.

Public transport is 189% more expensive in the United Kingdom.

Salaries are about 26 times higher in the United Kingdom, and purchasing power comes out stronger in the United Kingdom.

Good to know

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

🇲🇬 Madagascar

🕒 Local time

15:57 3:57 PM

18:57 6:57 PM

3 h ahead of the United Kingdom

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

67,326,569

25,570,895

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Malagasy Ariary MGA Ar

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.34 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

10,000 MGA = 2.18 USD

10,000 MGA = 1.96 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MGA, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.746 GBP (1 GBP = 1.34 USD). 1 EUR = 0.832 GBP (1 GBP = 1.2 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 GBP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

United Kingdom Madagascar 9,090 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

United Kingdom
Madagascar

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

United Kingdom vs Madagascar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Madagascar is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 75% lower on average.

Housing costs more in the United Kingdom: a central one-bedroom averages $1,287 versus $260 in Madagascar.

Groceries, public transport, and eating out all cost less in Madagascar – part of why living there is about 75% cheaper overall.

Madagascar is the budget-friendly choice for expats. But cost isn’t everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.