Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Manakara and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Manakara: $397 a month against $918 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

19

Cost of Living Index in Manakara
Learn more

Manakara Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
Learn more

Cebu Living Index

Jump to prices

Manakara

🇲🇬 Madagascar

$397

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Manakara and in Cebu

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $397 in Manakara versus $918 in Cebu.

Manakara $397
Cebu $918

Estimated couple costs with rent: $609 in Manakara versus $1,409 in Cebu.

Manakara $609
Cebu $1,409

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $821 in Manakara versus $1,900 in Cebu.

Manakara $821
Cebu $1,900

Living in Manakara costs roughly 57% less than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Manakara 71% lower, Cebu 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.23 MGA 10.2K

$3.09 ₱194

-27.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$14.63 MGA 66.8K

$24.22 ₱1,525

-39.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.44 MGA 15.7K

$3.92 ₱247

-12.24%

Cappuccino

$1.15 MGA 5,250

$2.51 ₱158

-54.18%

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

$0.62 MGA 2,806

$1.59 ₱100

-61.01%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.57 MGA 2,584

$0.53 ₱33.43

7.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.14 MGA 5,215

$1.78 ₱112

-35.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.43 MGA 6,505

$2.17 ₱137

-34.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.80 MGA 8,189

$1.92 ₱121

-6.25%

White Bread (500g)

$1.01 MGA 4,627

$1.36 ₱85.4

-25.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.69 MGA 3,140

$1.01 ₱63.5

-31.68%

Eggs

$2.34 MGA 10.7K

$2.03 ₱128

15.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.40 MGA 29.2K

$9.86 ₱621

-35.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.31 MGA 15.1K

$4.39 ₱277

-24.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$3.51 MGA 16.0K

$7.60 ₱479

-53.82%

Apples (1kg)

$0.95 MGA 4,313

$3.30 ₱208

-71.21%

Banana (1kg)

$0.72 MGA 3,268

$1.39 ₱87.8

-48.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.35 MGA 1,586

$2.33 ₱147

-84.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.72 MGA 3,294

$1.50 ₱94.3

-52.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.54 MGA 2,456

$2.36 ₱149

-77.12%

Onion (1kg)

$0.75 MGA 3,433

$1.90 ₱119

-60.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.34 MGA 1,566

$1.19 ₱74.9

-71.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 MGA 2,887

$0.63 ₱39.71

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.43 MGA 6,513

$3.00 ₱189

-52.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.52 MGA 20.6K

$6.03 ₱379

-25.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 MGA 4,660

$1.23 ₱77.7

-17.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.30 MGA 5,918

$1.75 ₱110

-25.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.23 MGA 1,051

$0.25 ₱15.86

-8.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.89 MGA 159.1K

$12.64 ₱796

176.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.10 MGA 4,995

$0.77 ₱48.62

42.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.20 MGA 10.0K

$0.23 ₱14.53

856.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.34 MGA 15.2K

$4.46 ₱281

-25.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.14 MGA 5,215

$1.31 ₱82.8

-12.98%

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

$15.7K MGA 71.5M

$21.2K ₱1.3M

-26.21%

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

$20.1K MGA 91.6M

$19.1K ₱1.2M

4.82%

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

$42.27 MGA 192.8K

$120 ₱7,569

-64.84%

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

$14.00 ₱882

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.3 MGA 243.0K

$27.54 ₱1,734

93.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$11.44 MGA 52.2K

$32.33 ₱2,035

-64.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.65 ₱419

Cinema Ticket

$5.65 ₱356

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

$22.50 MGA 102.6K

$275 ₱17.3K

-91.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,918 ₱498.5K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$16.28 MGA 74.2K

$49.33 ₱3,106

-67.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$20.38 MGA 93.0K

$25.24 ₱1,589

-19.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$44.83 MGA 204.5K

$77.0 ₱4,846

-41.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$45.59 MGA 208.0K

$57.2 ₱3,601

-20.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₱31.5K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ₱19.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 ₱67.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$615 ₱38.7K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,886 ₱181.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,917 ₱120.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$115 MGA 524.9K

$346 ₱21.8K

-66.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

233.33%

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

Last update for Manakara: October 12, 2026

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Manakara

$129 32.6%

Cebu

$206 22.4% 59.1% $77

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Manakara

$96 * 24.1%

Cebu

$162 17.6% 69.3% $66

Clothing & Footwear

Manakara

$57 14.4%

Cebu

$94 10.2% 64.3% $37

Eating Out

Manakara

$55 13.9%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 59.6% $33

Getting Around

Manakara

$48 12.1%

Cebu

$16 1.7% 67.5% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Manakara

$11 * 2.9%

Cebu

$44 4.8% 281% $32

Accommodation & Living

Manakara

- * 0%

Cebu

$309 33.6%

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

Cost Breakdown

Cebu pays 201% 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: $15.00 in Manakara vs $24.00 in Cebu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $129 vs $206 per month, with Manakara cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇬 Manakara

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

08:27 8:27 AM

13:27 1:27 PM

5 h ahead of Manakara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

44,237

964,169

💱 Currency

Malagasy Ariary MGA Ar

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 MGA = 2.19 USD

10,000 MGA = 1.95 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, 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).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to MGA in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Manakara Cebu 9,020 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Manakara
Cebu

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

Manakara vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Manakara is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 131% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 201% lower in Cebu. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

All in, you'll spend $397 per month in Manakara versus $918 in Cebu – a 131% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Manakara runs roughly 176% less than in Cebu. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Either city works on $1,000 a month, though Manakara gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

For families, Manakara is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Cebu, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Manakara and Cebu 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 131% less than in Cebu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.