Mahajanga vs Toamasina: Which City Wins for Expats in 2026?
Mahajanga costs roughly 5% less than Toamasina. Beyond cost, the two cities are closely matched — lifestyle fit and visa options are likely the deciding factors. Use our tool below to personalize the estimate based on your income and lifestyle.
Toamasina is approximately 150% less expensive than Mahajanga based on cost of living including rent. This makes Toamasina a more budget-friendly option for expats considering a move.
Toamasina has a FIRE Score of 70/100, indicating its suitability for financial independence and early retirement. The city's safety index is 40, suggesting moderate safety levels.
Recommended profile: Toamasina is ideal for GeoArbitragers and remote workers looking to maximize savings.
About Mahajanga
Mahajanga is a cheap, warm, low-rise port town where a single adult can live on a budget tier of $383/mo and still eat out for $2 a meal, which is why its FIRE score of 74/100 outshines its retiree score of 44/100. The catch is everything that comes with a 34/100 cost of living index: poor healthcare, limited English, a small expat community, and 13 Mbps internet that will test your patience. If you want tropical heat, a $335/mo city-center one-bedroom, and cyclone season from November to March, it delivers; if you need good hospitals or a deep social scene, look elsewhere.
About Madagascar
A 1BR apartment in the city center runs $314 a month, less than a parking spot in most US downtowns, and total costs land near $406 monthly. But healthcare scores just 26.4, with limited English-speaking doctors, and political stability sits at -0.91. The retirement visa only needs EUR 500/mo income. This works only if you accept real medical risk in exchange for the savings.
$2,457/mo
Cost of Living (Without Rent)
Rent Per Month
Attractiveness
City Details
About Toamasina
A one-bedroom outside Toamasina's center rents for $56 a month, with city-center units at $134, among the cheapest housing on the planet. That matters most to extreme geo-arbitrage retirees chasing a $930 budget lifestyle. The offsetting weakness is healthcare access rated poor, which raises real medical-evacuation risk for older expats.
About Madagascar
A 1BR apartment in the city center runs $314 a month, less than a parking spot in most US downtowns, and total costs land near $406 monthly. But healthcare scores just 26.4, with limited English-speaking doctors, and political stability sits at -0.91. The retirement visa only needs EUR 500/mo income. This works only if you accept real medical risk in exchange for the savings.
$1,650/mo
Cost of Living (Without Rent)
Rent Per Month
Attractiveness
City Details
Battle of Lifestyles
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| Metric | Mahajanga | Toamasina |
|---|---|---|
| 1BR Apartment (Center) | $334.65 | $133.86 |
| 1BR Apartment (Outside) | $267.72 | $55.77 |
| 3BR Apartment (Center) | $669.29 | $446.19 |
| 3BR Apartment (Outside) | $446.19 | $133.86 |
| Safety Index | 53 | 40 |
| Internet Speed | 12.7Mbps | 10Mbps |
| Walkability Score | N/A | N/A |
Monthly cost by categoryOne person, computed from each city's own average prices
| Category | Mahajanga | Toamasina |
|---|---|---|
| Total (rent included) | $515/mo | N/A |
| Excluding rent | $247/mo | N/A |
| Rent | $268/mo | N/A |
| Groceries | $127/mo | N/A |
| Dining out | $20.00/mo | N/A |
| Entertainment & lifestyle | $26.00/mo | N/A |
| Utilities & connectivity | $74.00/mo | N/A |
| Transport | N/A | N/A |
Usage-based estimates from this city's own average prices. A row marked N/A means that city is missing data, so no figure is shown instead of a stale one.
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Mahajanga vs Toamasina -- Frequently Asked Questions
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