Cost of living comparison
compared to
South Africa vs. Madagascar Cost of Living Summary
South Africa is 70.5% more expensive than Madagascar overall.
- Restaurants
- pay 67.5% more in South Africa
- Groceries
- pay 32.3% more in South Africa
- Transportation
- pay 11.5% more in South Africa
- Housing
- pay 2.3 times more in South Africa
- Childcare
- pay 2.1 times more in South Africa
- Entertainment and Sports
- pay 59.7% more in South Africa
- Clothing
- pay 82.8% more in South Africa
South Africa vs. Madagascar Cost Breakdown
If you lived in South Africa instead of Madagascar, you would:
pay 67.5% more for restaurants
Madagascar | South Africa | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant | $3.04 MGA12,875 | $9.33 ZAR158.57 | |
| Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar | $4.73 MGA20,024 | $5.11 ZAR86.86 | |
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) | $0.82 MGA3,471 | $1.03 ZAR17.52 | |
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) | $0.62 MGA2,635 | $0.80 ZAR13.64 | |
Madagascar vs. South Africa - Cost of restaurants
pay 32.3% more for groceries
Madagascar | South Africa | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Bread 1 loaf | $0.88 MGA3,711 | $1.00 ZAR17.04 | |
| Local cheese (8 oz) | $5.36 MGA22,700 | $3.88 ZAR65.99 | |
| Milk (1 gallon) | $3.89 MGA16,462 | $4.37 ZAR74.25 | |
| Eggs 1 dozen | $1.97 MGA8,343 | $2.33 ZAR39.64 | |
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) | $2.63 MGA11,154 | $2.13 ZAR36.25 | |
| Apples (1 lb) | $0.64 MGA2,713 | $0.73 ZAR12.37 | |
| Bananas (1 lb) | $0.33 MGA1,406 | $0.65 ZAR11.08 | |
| Oranges (1 lb) | $0.57 MGA2,396 | $0.68 ZAR11.61 | |
| Tomatoes (1 lb) | $0.41 MGA1,730 | $0.71 ZAR12.05 | |
| Potatoes (1 lb) | $0.29 MGA1,214 | $0.59 ZAR9.95 | |
| Onions (1 lb) | $0.40 MGA1,714 | $0.60 ZAR10.19 | |
Madagascar vs. South Africa - Cost of groceries
pay 11.5% more for transportation
Madagascar | South Africa | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) | $4.44 MGA18,797 | $4.92 ZAR83.64 | |
| Monthly public transit pass | ?? | $56.18 ZAR954.32 | |
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) | $12,651.72 MGA54M | $21,394.82 ZAR363K | |
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) | $17.17 MGA72,692 | $9.34 ZAR158.63 | |
Madagascar vs. South Africa - Cost of transportation
pay 2.3 times more for housing
Madagascar | South Africa | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl | $60.23 MGA255K | $39.36 ZAR668.59 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area | $257.49 MGA1M | $404.16 ZAR6,865.77 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center | $71.69 MGA304K | $361.59 ZAR6,142.63 | |
| Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating | $44.95 MGA190K | $88.13 ZAR1,497.10 | |
Madagascar vs. South Africa - Cost of housing
pay 2.1 times more for childcare
Madagascar | South Africa | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly | $46.54 MGA197K | $173.48 ZAR2,946.96 | |
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters | $8,634.52 MGA37M | $3,962.11 ZAR67,307.48 | |
Madagascar vs. South Africa - Cost of childcare
pay 59.7% more for entertainment and sports
Madagascar | South Africa | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) | $0.82 MGA3,456 | $2.18 ZAR37.00 | |
| Cappuccino in mid-range area | $1.33 MGA5,628 | $2.05 ZAR34.81 | |
| Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar | $1.73 MGA7,340 | $2.96 ZAR50.35 | |
| Monthly membership at local gym | $29.94 MGA127K | $30.26 ZAR514.07 | |
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema | $6.47 MGA27,406 | $6.85 ZAR116.34 | |
Madagascar vs. South Africa - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 82.8% more for clothing
Madagascar | South Africa | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular jeans Levi's brand | $19.48 MGA82,457 | $50.74 ZAR862.01 | |
| Regular dress from H&M or similar store | $17.20 MGA72,838 | $32.75 ZAR556.39 | |
| Running shoes Nike or Adidas | $70.84 MGA300K | $94.19 ZAR1,600.10 | |
| Men's business shoes (leather) | $55.48 MGA235K | $81.80 ZAR1,389.52 | |
Madagascar vs. South Africa - Cost of clothing
The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you. We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: June 2026
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