Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Mahajanga

For one person, living is cheaper in Mahajanga: $557 a month against $1,685 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $13,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index

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Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,685

/mo nomad

Mahajanga

🇲🇬 Madagascar

$557

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Buenos Aires and in Mahajanga

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,685 in Buenos Aires versus $557 in Mahajanga.

Buenos Aires $1,685
Mahajanga $557

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,742 in Buenos Aires versus $813 in Mahajanga.

Buenos Aires $2,742
Mahajanga $813

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,799 in Buenos Aires versus $1,069 in Mahajanga.

Buenos Aires $3,799
Mahajanga $1,069

Living in Buenos Aires is roughly 203% more expensive than in Mahajanga, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Buenos Aires is 26% above, Mahajanga is 58% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.73 ARS 28.4K

$2.02 MGA 9,027

827.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.5 ARS 97.8K

$18.34 MGA 82.0K

251.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.88 ARS 19.5K

Cappuccino

$3.98 ARS 6,029

$0.69 MGA 3,104

476.81%

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

$2.05 ARS 3,103

$0.93 MGA 4,169

120.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 ARS 2,349

$0.90 MGA 4,013

72.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.84 ARS 5,830

$1.05 MGA 4,710

265.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.60 ARS 6,970

$1.61 MGA 7,211

185.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 ARS 2,181

$1.35 MGA 6,053

6.67%

White Bread (500g)

$2.46 ARS 3,738

$0.87 MGA 3,900

182.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 ARS 2,467

$0.64 MGA 2,880

154.69%

Eggs

$2.89 ARS 4,385

$2.23 MGA 9,963

29.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.65 ARS 16.1K

$6.91 MGA 30.9K

54.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

$6.85 MGA 30.6K

45.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.74 ARS 20.8K

$3.75 MGA 16.8K

266.40%

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 ARS 4,166

$1.12 MGA 4,990

145.54%

Banana (1kg)

$2.18 ARS 3,300

$0.62 MGA 2,765

251.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.45 ARS 2,205

$0.70 MGA 3,109

107.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.99 ARS 3,013

$0.70 MGA 3,146

184.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ARS 1,885

$0.53 MGA 2,382

133.96%

Onion (1kg)

$1.27 ARS 1,921

$0.52 MGA 2,333

144.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.70 ARS 2,575

$0.35 MGA 1,574

385.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 ARS 2,617

$0.59 MGA 2,657

193.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.18 ARS 6,337

Wine (Bottle)

$5.80 ARS 8,790

$9.30 MGA 41.6K

-37.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.09 ARS 3,163

$0.79 MGA 3,518

164.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 ARS 4,198

$0.95 MGA 4,245

191.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 ARS 1,132

$0.23 MGA 1,020

226.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.15 ARS 41.2K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.62 ARS 2,451

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.98 ARS 1,481

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.72 ARS 11.7K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 ARS 2,058

$1.34 MGA 5,996

1.49%

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

$28.0K ARS 42.5M

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

$34.5K ARS 52.4M

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

$216 ARS 326.9K

$44.71 MGA 199.8K

382.15%

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

$25.61 ARS 38.8K

$6.69 MGA 29.9K

282.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.36 ARS 47.6K

$22.67 MGA 101.3K

38.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.82 ARS 75.6K

$18.07 MGA 80.8K

175.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.06 ARS 25.9K

Cinema Ticket

$10.43 ARS 15.8K

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

$466 ARS 706.7K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,057 ARS 13.7M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$122 ARS 185.2K

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$97.4 ARS 147.8K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 ARS 177.4K

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$140 ARS 211.9K

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$763 ARS 1.2M

$337 MGA 1.5M

126.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$505 ARS 766.1K

$275 MGA 1.2M

83.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,598 ARS 2.4M

$693 MGA 3.1M

130.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,185 ARS 1.8M

$448 MGA 2.0M

164.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,678 ARS 4.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,858 ARS 2.8M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$954 ARS 1.4M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 6, 2026

Last update for Mahajanga: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$505 30.4%

Mahajanga

–

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$284 17.1%

Mahajanga

–

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$279 16.8%

Mahajanga

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$273 16.4%

Mahajanga

–

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$214 12.9%

Mahajanga

–

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$71 4.3%

Mahajanga

–

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2%

Mahajanga

–

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $763 in Buenos Aires and $337 in Mahajanga. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $64.0 in Buenos Aires vs $18.00 in Mahajanga for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $284 vs $151 per month, with Mahajanga cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇲🇬 Mahajanga

🕒 Local time

06:46 6:46 AM

12:46 12:46 PM

6 h ahead of Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

246,022

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

Malagasy Ariary MGA Ar

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR

10,000 MGA = 2.24 USD

10,000 MGA = 2 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MGA, USD, EUR to ARS – Argentine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇷 Argentine Peso ($)

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,699 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR).

Malagasy Ariary exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4,470 MGA (10,000 MGA = 2.24 USD). 1 EUR = 5,009 MGA (10,000 MGA = 2 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

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Buenos Aires Mahajanga 10,310 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

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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

Buenos Aires vs Mahajanga: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buenos Aires and Mahajanga differ by about 203% in total monthly costs ($1,685 vs $557 including rent). Mahajanga is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,528 in Buenos Aires and $835 in Mahajanga 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $763 in Buenos Aires versus $337 in Mahajanga. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Mahajanga – a meal for two runs $18.00 versus $64.0 in Buenos Aires. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,685 per month in Buenos Aires versus $557 in Mahajanga – a 203% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $557 in Mahajanga versus $1,685 in Buenos Aires, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Mahajanga but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Mahajanga 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.

Safety-wise, Buenos Aires and Mahajanga are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Mahajanga gentler on the wallet – expenses run 203% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.