Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Manakara

For one person, living is cheaper in Manakara: $397 a month against $1,656 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $15,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
Learn more

Buenos Aires Living Index
19

Cost of Living Index in Manakara
Learn more

Manakara Living Index

Jump to prices

Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,656

/mo nomad

Manakara

🇲🇬 Madagascar

$397

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Manakara actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,656 in Buenos Aires versus $397 in Manakara.

Buenos Aires $1,656
Manakara $397

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,697 in Buenos Aires versus $609 in Manakara.

Buenos Aires $2,697
Manakara $609

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,737 in Buenos Aires versus $821 in Manakara.

Buenos Aires $3,737
Manakara $821

Living in Buenos Aires is roughly 317% more expensive than in Manakara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Buenos Aires is 23% above, Manakara is 71% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.09 ARS 29.0K

$2.23 MGA 10.2K

756.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 ARS 99.9K

$14.63 MGA 66.8K

349.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.20 ARS 20.0K

$3.44 MGA 15.7K

283.72%

Cappuccino

$3.85 ARS 5,841

$1.15 MGA 5,250

234.78%

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

$1.99 ARS 3,020

$0.62 MGA 2,806

220.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ARS 2,430

$0.57 MGA 2,584

180.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.93 ARS 5,959

$1.14 MGA 5,215

244.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 ARS 7,003

$1.43 MGA 6,505

222.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 ARS 2,272

$1.80 MGA 8,189

-16.67%

White Bread (500g)

$2.53 ARS 3,837

$1.01 MGA 4,627

150.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 ARS 2,445

$0.69 MGA 3,140

133.33%

Eggs

$2.84 ARS 4,316

$2.34 MGA 10.7K

21.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.30 ARS 15.6K

$6.40 MGA 29.2K

60.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

$3.31 MGA 15.1K

202.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.30 ARS 20.2K

$3.51 MGA 16.0K

278.92%

Apples (1kg)

$2.88 ARS 4,366

$0.95 MGA 4,313

203.16%

Banana (1kg)

$2.20 ARS 3,334

$0.72 MGA 3,268

205.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.40 ARS 2,120

$0.35 MGA 1,586

300.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.98 ARS 3,004

$0.72 MGA 3,294

175.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.21 ARS 1,835

$0.54 MGA 2,456

124.07%

Onion (1kg)

$1.26 ARS 1,910

$0.75 MGA 3,433

68.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.71 ARS 2,592

$0.34 MGA 1,566

402.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 ARS 2,603

$0.63 MGA 2,887

173.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.29 ARS 6,505

$1.43 MGA 6,513

200.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.70 ARS 8,645

$4.52 MGA 20.6K

26.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.17 ARS 3,288

$1.02 MGA 4,660

112.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 ARS 4,188

$1.30 MGA 5,918

112.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 ARS 1,141

$0.23 MGA 1,051

226.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.27 ARS 41.4K

$34.89 MGA 159.1K

-21.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.57 ARS 2,375

$1.10 MGA 4,995

42.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 ARS 1,558

$2.20 MGA 10.0K

-53.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.90 ARS 12.0K

$3.34 MGA 15.2K

136.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 ARS 2,160

$1.14 MGA 5,215

24.56%

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

$27.9K ARS 42.4M

$15.7K MGA 71.5M

78.30%

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

$35.0K ARS 53.1M

$20.1K MGA 91.6M

74.24%

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

$195 ARS 296.2K

$42.27 MGA 192.8K

361.79%

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

$25.16 ARS 38.2K

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.54 ARS 47.9K

$53.3 MGA 243.0K

-40.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.9 ARS 77.3K

$11.44 MGA 52.2K

345.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.73 ARS 25.4K

Cinema Ticket

$10.34 ARS 15.7K

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

$463 ARS 703.2K

$22.50 MGA 102.6K

1959.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,793 ARS 13.3M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$120 ARS 181.8K

$16.28 MGA 74.2K

636.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$95.5 ARS 144.9K

$20.38 MGA 93.0K

368.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 ARS 173.1K

$44.83 MGA 204.5K

154.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 ARS 211.4K

$45.59 MGA 208.0K

205.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$756 ARS 1.1M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$520 ARS 788.8K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,590 ARS 2.4M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,198 ARS 1.8M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,713 ARS 4.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,901 ARS 2.9M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$938 ARS 1.4M

$115 MGA 524.9K

714.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

138.54%

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 11, 2026

Last update for Manakara: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$520 31.4%

Manakara

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$283 17.1%

Manakara

$129 32.6% 54.3% $154

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$282 17%

Manakara

$55 13.9% 80.4% $226

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$252 15.2%

Manakara

$96 * 24.1% 62.1% $156

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$211 12.7%

Manakara

$57 14.4% 72.9% $154

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$72 4.3%

Manakara

$11 * 2.9% 84% $60

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2%

Manakara

$48 12.1% 29.5% $11

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

Cost Breakdown

Buenos Aires pays 715% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $66.0 in Buenos Aires vs $15.00 in Manakara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $283 vs $129 per month, with Manakara cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇲🇬 Manakara

🕒 Local time

02:28 2:28 AM

08:28 8:28 AM

6 h ahead of Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

44,237

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

Malagasy Ariary MGA Ar

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR

10,000 MGA = 2.19 USD

10,000 MGA = 1.95 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,706 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR).

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).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Buenos Aires Manakara 10,020 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Buenos Aires
Manakara

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 Manakara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buenos Aires and Manakara differ by about 317% in total monthly costs ($1,656 vs $397 including rent). Manakara is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 715% higher in Buenos Aires, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Childcare runs $463 in Buenos Aires versus $22.50 in Manakara. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 119% higher in Buenos Aires. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $397 in Manakara versus $1,656 in Buenos Aires, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Manakara but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Manakara 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 Manakara 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 Manakara gentler on the wallet – expenses run 317% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.