Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Antananarivo and Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon

For one person, living is cheaper in Antananarivo: $650 a month against $1,596 in Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon, rent and utilities included – about $11,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

32

Cost of Living Index in Antananarivo
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Antananarivo Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon
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Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon Living Index

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Antananarivo

🇲🇬 Madagascar

$650

/mo nomad

Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,596

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Antananarivo and in Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Antananarivo and in Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $650 per month in Antananarivo vs $1,596 in Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon, rent included.

Antananarivo $650
Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon $1,596

A couple spends around $1,004 per month in Antananarivo vs $2,398 in Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon, rent included.

Antananarivo $1,004
Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon $2,398

A family of three spends $1,358 per month in Antananarivo vs $3,200 in Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon, rent included.

Antananarivo $1,358
Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon $3,200

Antananarivo is about 59% cheaper than Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Antananarivo sits 52% below the global median, while Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon is 18% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.68 MGA 12.2K

$11.94 ₡5,353

-77.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$20.32 MGA 92.7K

$44.58 ₡20.0K

-54.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.40 MGA 24.6K

$10.82 ₡4,855

-50.09%

Cappuccino

$1.59 MGA 7,251

$4.03 ₡1,808

-60.55%

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

$0.80 MGA 3,647

$2.38 ₡1,067

-66.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.45 MGA 2,033

$1.83 ₡819

-75.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.98 MGA 4,488

$3.37 ₡1,510

-70.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 MGA 10.2K

$4.01 ₡1,800

-44.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.92 MGA 4,197

$2.08 ₡931

-55.77%

White Bread (500g)

$1.03 MGA 4,700

$3.16 ₡1,418

-67.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.75 MGA 3,435

$2.43 ₡1,089

-69.14%

Eggs

$2.07 MGA 9,435

$3.07 ₡1,378

-32.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.20 MGA 37.4K

$6.56 ₡2,942

25.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.32 MGA 19.7K

$7.76 ₡3,479

-44.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.78 MGA 21.8K

$14.16 ₡6,350

-66.24%

Apples (1kg)

$1.08 MGA 4,924

$2.59 ₡1,161

-58.30%

Banana (1kg)

$0.57 MGA 2,580

$1.12 ₡504

-49.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.04 MGA 4,749

$1.29 ₡576

-19.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.86 MGA 3,922

$1.74 ₡781

-50.57%

Potato (1kg)

$0.59 MGA 2,696

$2.60 ₡1,165

-77.31%

Onion (1kg)

$0.97 MGA 4,438

$1.97 ₡881

-50.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.32 MGA 1,441

$0.69 ₡311

-53.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 MGA 3,013

$2.00 ₡898

-67.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.57 MGA 7,147

$3.12 ₡1,398

-49.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.98 MGA 22.7K

$15.10 ₡6,773

-67.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 MGA 4,628

$2.86 ₡1,284

-64.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.84 MGA 8,410

$3.71 ₡1,663

-50.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.13 MGA 605

$1.30 ₡582

-90.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.11 ₡19.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.33 MGA 15.2K

$1.84 ₡825

80.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.00 MGA 9,126

$1.54 ₡693

29.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.34 MGA 19.8K

$8.50 ₡3,814

-48.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.13 MGA 5,140

$1.50 ₡674

-24.67%

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

$11.8K MGA 54.0M

$22.3K ₡10.0M

-46.81%

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

$24.7K MGA 112.7M

$35.0K ₡15.7M

-29.51%

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

$72.9 MGA 332.5K

$95.5 ₡42.8K

-23.71%

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

$16.41 MGA 74.9K

$35.40 ₡15.9K

-53.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.0 MGA 260.1K

$32.86 ₡14.7K

73.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.95 MGA 132.1K

$73.5 ₡33.0K

-60.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.20 MGA 32.8K

Cinema Ticket

$5.68 MGA 25.9K

$7.71 ₡3,458

-26.33%

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

$24.15 MGA 110.2K

$972 ₡435.8K

-97.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K MGA 67.3M

$17.1K ₡7.7M

-13.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$28.92 MGA 131.9K

$64.6 ₡29.0K

-55.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.29 MGA 124.5K

$25.92 ₡11.6K

5.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.6 MGA 349.4K

$97.0 ₡43.5K

-21.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$67.8 MGA 309.4K

$54.5 ₡24.4K

24.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$321 MGA 1.5M

$690 ₡309.3K

-53.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$148 MGA 674.2K

$659 ₡295.6K

-77.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$725 MGA 3.3M

$1,981 ₡888.2K

-63.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$317 MGA 1.4M

$1,135 ₡508.8K

-72.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$650 MGA 3.0M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$557 MGA 2.5M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$132 MGA 600.8K

$976 ₡437.6K

-86.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

15.75

8.62

82.71%

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

Last update for Antananarivo: October 11, 2026

Last update for Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Antananarivo

$148 22.8%

Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon

$659 41.3% 346% $511

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Antananarivo

$146 22.5%

Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon

$164 10.3% 11.9% $17

Groceries & Markets

Antananarivo

$140 21.6%

Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon

$299 18.8% 114% $159

Clothing & Footwear

Antananarivo

$90 13.9%

Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon

$109 6.8% 20.6% $19

Eating Out

Antananarivo

$71 10.9%

Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon

$218 13.7% 207% $147

Sport & Entertainment

Antananarivo

$40 6.2%

Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon

$89 5.6% 121% $49

Getting Around

Antananarivo

$14 * 2.1%

Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon

$58 3.6% 317% $44

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $321 in Antananarivo versus $690 in Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 641% higher in Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $20.00 in Antananarivo versus $45.00 in Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $140 vs $299 – making Antananarivo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇬 Antananarivo

🇨🇷 Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon

🕒 Local time

13:41 1:41 PM

04:41 4:41 AM

9 h behind Antananarivo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,274,225 Capital

💱 Currency

Malagasy Ariary MGA Ar

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 MGA = 2.19 USD

10,000 MGA = 1.95 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to MGA – Malagasy Ariary Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇬 Malagasy Ariary (Ar)

Malagasy Ariary exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 4,562 MGA (10,000 MGA = 2.19 USD). 1 EUR = 5,128 MGA (10,000 MGA = 1.95 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to MGA in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Antananarivo Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon 14,920 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Antananarivo
Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon

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

Antananarivo vs Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon is pricier by about 146%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $975 per month in Antananarivo and $2,394 in Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Antananarivo, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $650 in Antananarivo and $1,596 in Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon. That's a gap of about 146%.

Kindergarten costs $24.15 per month in Antananarivo and $972 in Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Antananarivo, where all-in costs run around $650, than in Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon at $1,596. In Antananarivo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Antananarivo – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Antananarivo. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.