Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mahajanga and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Mahajanga: $538 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $12,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Mahajanga

🇲🇬 Madagascar

$538

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mahajanga and in Mexico City

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

A single person spends $538 per month in Mahajanga vs $1,608 in Mexico City, rent included.

Mahajanga $538
Mexico City $1,608

A couple spends around $792 per month in Mahajanga vs $2,549 in Mexico City, rent included.

Mahajanga $792
Mexico City $2,549

A family of three spends $1,045 per month in Mahajanga vs $3,490 in Mexico City, rent included.

Mahajanga $1,045
Mexico City $3,490

Mahajanga is about 67% cheaper than Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Mahajanga sits 60% below the global median, while Mexico City is 18% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.02 MGA 9,260

$10.62 MX$198

-80.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$17.69 MGA 81.2K

$48.35 MX$901

-63.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$193

Cappuccino

$0.64 MGA 2,933

$3.69 MX$68.8

-82.66%

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

$0.90 MGA 4,117

$1.67 MX$31.07

-46.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 MGA 3,859

$1.27 MX$23.59

-33.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.97 MGA 4,442

$3.19 MX$59.5

-69.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 MGA 7,214

$5.31 MX$98.9

-70.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.34 MGA 6,142

$1.72 MX$32.15

-22.09%

White Bread (500g)

$0.81 MGA 3,735

$3.04 MX$56.7

-73.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.60 MGA 2,746

$1.94 MX$36.19

-69.07%

Eggs

$2.06 MGA 9,468

$2.89 MX$53.8

-28.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.55 MGA 30.0K

$10.97 MX$205

-40.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.55 MGA 30.0K

$9.25 MX$172

-29.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$3.46 MGA 15.9K

$15.13 MX$282

-77.13%

Apples (1kg)

$1.07 MGA 4,909

$3.05 MX$56.8

-64.92%

Banana (1kg)

$0.63 MGA 2,872

$1.94 MX$36.19

-67.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.68 MGA 3,117

$2.03 MX$37.75

-66.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.68 MGA 3,141

$2.31 MX$43.15

-70.56%

Potato (1kg)

$0.52 MGA 2,371

$2.04 MX$37.94

-74.51%

Onion (1kg)

$0.54 MGA 2,469

$1.80 MX$33.55

-70.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.32 MGA 1,454

$1.48 MX$27.58

-78.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 MGA 2,604

$1.27 MX$23.63

-55.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$98.9

Wine (Bottle)

$8.85 MGA 40.6K

$16.10 MX$300

-45.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 MGA 3,470

$1.98 MX$36.97

-61.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.90 MGA 4,138

$4.25 MX$79.3

-78.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.24 MGA 1,106

$0.31 MX$5.69

-22.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$368

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.25

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.94

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$98.7

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 MGA 6,124

$1.51 MX$28.16

-11.92%

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

$21.8K MX$405.5K

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

$24.0K MX$447.1K

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

$43.81 MGA 201.0K

$63.0 MX$1,174

-30.44%

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

$6.56 MGA 30.1K

$27.39 MX$511

-76.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.87 MGA 100.3K

$35.67 MX$665

-38.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$17.71 MGA 81.2K

$58.9 MX$1,099

-69.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$441

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$119

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

$432 MX$8,045

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$212.9K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,272

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$990

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,009

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,186

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$325 MGA 1.5M

$1,113 MX$20.8K

-70.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$265 MGA 1.2M

$710 MX$13.2K

-62.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$661 MGA 3.0M

$2,588 MX$48.2K

-74.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$436 MGA 2.0M

$1,406 MX$26.2K

-69.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$67.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$39.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

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

Last update for Mahajanga: October 26, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mahajanga

–

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Groceries & Markets

Mahajanga

–

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Eating Out

Mahajanga

–

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Clothing & Footwear

Mahajanga

–

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mahajanga

–

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Sport & Entertainment

Mahajanga

–

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Getting Around

Mahajanga

–

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $325 in Mahajanga versus $1,113 in Mexico City. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $18 in Mahajanga versus $48 in Mexico City. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $144 vs $320 – making Mahajanga the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇬 Mahajanga

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

19:58 7:58 PM

10:58 10:58 AM

9 h behind Mahajanga

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

246,022

9,209,944 Capital

💱 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 = 5,106 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

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Between locations

Mahajanga Mexico City 16,340 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Mahajanga
Mexico City

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

Mahajanga vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City costs about 199% more than Mahajanga, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $808 per month in Mahajanga and $2,412 in Mexico City. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Mahajanga, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $325 there versus $1,113 in Mexico City.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $538 in Mahajanga and $1,608 in Mexico City. That’s a gap of about 199%.

Groceries cost about 122% more in Mexico City, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Mahajanga, where all-in costs run around $538, than in Mexico City at $1,608. In Mahajanga it covers expenses comfortably, while in Mexico City it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Mexico City has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $538 in Mahajanga to $1,608 in Mexico City. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.