Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ambatolampy and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Ambatolampy: $466 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $8,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

22

Cost of Living Index in Ambatolampy
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Ambatolampy Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index

Jump to prices

Ambatolampy

🇲🇬 Madagascar

$466

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ambatolampy and in Playa del Carmen

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $466 in Ambatolampy versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Ambatolampy $466
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $689 in Ambatolampy versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Ambatolampy $689
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $912 in Ambatolampy versus $2,959 in Playa del Carmen.

Ambatolampy $912
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Living in Ambatolampy costs roughly 61% less than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Ambatolampy 66% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.60 MGA 11.9K

$10.92 MX$204

-76.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$9.84 MGA 45.1K

$43.37 MX$808

-77.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.64 MGA 25.9K

$11.78 MX$220

-52.12%

Cappuccino

$1.58 MGA 7,263

$3.81 MX$71.0

-58.53%

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

$0.75 MGA 3,432

$1.28 MX$23.90

-41.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.45 MGA 2,058

$0.78 MX$14.59

-42.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.94 MGA 4,327

$3.17 MX$59.0

-70.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 MGA 9,798

$4.93 MX$92.0

-56.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.85 MGA 3,898

$1.41 MX$26.22

-39.72%

White Bread (500g)

$0.98 MGA 4,488

$2.22 MX$41.33

-55.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.70 MGA 3,230

$1.42 MX$26.42

-50.70%

Eggs

$1.95 MGA 8,945

$2.52 MX$47.03

-22.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.48 MGA 38.9K

$7.26 MX$135

16.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.39 MGA 20.1K

$7.70 MX$143

-42.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.86 MGA 22.3K

$12.69 MX$237

-61.70%

Apples (1kg)

$1.03 MGA 4,727

$2.78 MX$51.9

-62.95%

Banana (1kg)

$0.56 MGA 2,588

$1.37 MX$25.50

-59.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.03 MGA 4,704

$2.55 MX$47.55

-59.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.82 MGA 3,744

$2.12 MX$39.58

-61.32%

Potato (1kg)

$0.54 MGA 2,489

$1.94 MX$36.13

-72.16%

Onion (1kg)

$0.91 MGA 4,154

$1.89 MX$35.16

-51.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.31 MGA 1,440

$1.15 MX$21.37

-73.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 MGA 3,262

$1.18 MX$21.98

-39.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.57 MGA 7,185

$4.30 MX$80.1

-63.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.83 MGA 22.1K

$9.95 MX$185

-51.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 MGA 4,612

$1.58 MX$29.52

-36.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.82 MGA 8,346

$2.67 MX$49.79

-31.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.34 MGA 15.3K

$4.97 MX$92.6

-32.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.94 MGA 8,891

$3.33 MX$62.1

-41.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.37 MGA 20.1K

$5.36 MX$99.8

-18.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.83 MGA 3,815

$1.44 MX$26.92

-42.36%

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

$11.7K MGA 53.8M

$20.7K MX$385.2K

-43.21%

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

$25.3K MGA 116.2M

$23.5K MX$437.4K

7.98%

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

$71.4 MGA 327.7K

$84.8 MX$1,581

-15.74%

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

$16.52 MGA 75.8K

$23.41 MX$436

-29.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.7 MGA 250.9K

$28.66 MX$534

90.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,063

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$5.37 MGA 24.6K

$5.14 MX$95.8

4.47%

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

$23.91 MGA 109.7K

$207 MX$3,851

-88.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.5K MGA 66.7M

$3,927 MX$73.2K

270.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$28.41 MGA 130.3K

$43.35 MX$808

-34.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.96 MGA 123.7K

$41.44 MX$772

-34.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.8 MGA 347.7K

$74.2 MX$1,383

2.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.6 MGA 314.6K

$89.3 MX$1,664

-23.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,099

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

15.75

11.45

37.55%

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

Last update for Ambatolampy: October 25, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ambatolampy

$143 30.6%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 4.1% $5.8

Groceries & Markets

Ambatolampy

$139 29.9%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 83.1% $116

Clothing & Footwear

Ambatolampy

$90 19.3%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 24.3% $22

Eating Out

Ambatolampy

$70 15.1%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 187% $132

Getting Around

Ambatolampy

$13 * 2.8%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 287% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Ambatolampy

$11 * 2.3%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 527% $57

Accommodation & Living

Ambatolampy

- * 0%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $10 in Ambatolampy vs $43 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $139 vs $255 per month, with Ambatolampy cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇬 Ambatolampy

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

02:13 2:13 AM

18:13 6:13 PM

8 h behind Ambatolampy

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

32,291

149,923

💱 Currency

Malagasy Ariary MGA Ar

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 MGA = 2.18 USD

10,000 MGA = 1.96 EUR

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR 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 = 5,107 MGA (10,000 MGA = 1.96 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

USD to MGA in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ambatolampy Playa del Carmen 15,280 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Ambatolampy
Playa del Carmen

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

Ambatolampy vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ambatolampy wins on cost – living expenses run 61% lower than in Playa del Carmen. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Ambatolampy the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $699 in Ambatolampy and $1,806 in Playa del Carmen to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Childcare runs $24 in Ambatolampy versus $207 in Playa del Carmen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Ambatolampy – a meal for two runs $10 versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $466 in Ambatolampy versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, a $800 budget is realistic in Ambatolampy but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Ambatolampy 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.