Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Manakara and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Manakara: $397 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $9,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

19

Cost of Living Index in Manakara
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Manakara Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Manakara

🇲🇬 Madagascar

$397

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Manakara and in Playa del Carmen

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 Playa del Carmen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $397 per month in Manakara vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Manakara $397
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $610 per month in Manakara vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Manakara $610
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $822 per month in Manakara vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Manakara $822
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Manakara is about 67% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Manakara and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Manakara 71% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.23 MGA 10.2K

$10.92 MX$203

-79.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$14.74 MGA 67.5K

$43.37 MX$808

-66.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.58 MGA 16.4K

$11.78 MX$219

-69.61%

Cappuccino

$1.14 MGA 5,205

$3.81 MX$71.0

-70.08%

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

$0.61 MGA 2,771

$1.28 MX$23.89

-52.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 MGA 2,424

$0.78 MX$14.58

-32.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.18 MGA 5,424

$3.17 MX$59.0

-62.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.47 MGA 6,721

$4.93 MX$91.9

-70.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.78 MGA 8,161

$1.41 MX$26.20

26.24%

White Bread (500g)

$1.02 MGA 4,685

$2.22 MX$41.30

-54.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.67 MGA 3,057

$1.42 MX$26.40

-52.82%

Eggs

$2.28 MGA 10.4K

$2.52 MX$47.00

-9.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.56 MGA 30.0K

$7.26 MX$135

-9.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 MGA 15.6K

$7.70 MX$143

-55.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$3.60 MGA 16.5K

$12.69 MX$236

-71.63%

Apples (1kg)

$0.95 MGA 4,365

$2.78 MX$51.9

-65.83%

Banana (1kg)

$0.72 MGA 3,304

$1.37 MX$25.49

-47.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.37 MGA 1,696

$2.55 MX$47.52

-85.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.71 MGA 3,265

$2.12 MX$39.55

-66.51%

Potato (1kg)

$0.58 MGA 2,679

$1.94 MX$36.11

-70.10%

Onion (1kg)

$0.70 MGA 3,203

$1.89 MX$35.13

-62.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.35 MGA 1,584

$1.15 MX$21.36

-69.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 MGA 2,903

$1.18 MX$21.96

-46.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.36 MGA 6,248

$4.30 MX$80.0

-68.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.34 MGA 19.9K

$9.95 MX$185

-56.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.06 MGA 4,858

$1.58 MX$29.50

-32.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.25 MGA 5,707

$2.67 MX$49.76

-53.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.21 MGA 961

$0.55 MX$10.31

-61.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.72 MGA 159.0K

$26.62 MX$496

30.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.12 MGA 5,152

$4.97 MX$92.6

-77.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.26 MGA 10.4K

$3.33 MX$62.1

-32.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.32 MGA 15.2K

$5.36 MX$99.8

-38.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.12 MGA 5,111

$1.44 MX$26.90

-22.22%

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

$15.2K MGA 69.6M

$20.7K MX$385.0K

-26.44%

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

$20.7K MGA 94.7M

$23.5K MX$437.2K

-11.92%

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

$42.29 MGA 193.7K

$84.8 MX$1,580

-50.12%

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

$23.41 MX$436

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 MGA 245.6K

$28.66 MX$534

87.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$11.63 MGA 53.3K

$57.1 MX$1,063

-79.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.7

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

$22.17 MGA 101.5K

$207 MX$3,848

-89.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.2K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$16.20 MGA 74.2K

$43.35 MX$808

-62.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$20.07 MGA 91.9K

$41.44 MX$772

-51.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$44.60 MGA 204.3K

$74.2 MX$1,382

-39.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$43.80 MGA 200.6K

$89.3 MX$1,663

-50.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.2K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,095

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$115 MGA 527.9K

$735 MX$13.7K

-84.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

109.61%

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

Last update for Manakara: October 26, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Manakara

$130 32.7%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 95.9% $125

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Manakara

$96 * 24.1%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 42.7% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Manakara

$56 14.1%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 99.1% $56

Eating Out

Manakara

$56 14%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 264% $147

Getting Around

Manakara

$48 12.1%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 5.1% $2.5

Sport & Entertainment

Manakara

$12 * 2.9%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 479% $56

Accommodation & Living

Manakara

- * 0%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries in Playa del Carmen are about 6.4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $15 in Manakara versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $130 vs $255 – making Manakara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇬 Manakara

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

08:27 8:27 AM

00:27 12:27 AM

8 h behind Manakara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

44,237

149,923

💱 Currency

Malagasy Ariary MGA Ar

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 MGA = 2.18 USD

10,000 MGA = 1.96 EUR

100 MXN = 5.37 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 4,580 MGA (10,000 MGA = 2.18 USD). 1 EUR = 5,099 MGA (10,000 MGA = 1.96 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18.63 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.74 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

USD to MGA in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Manakara Playa del Carmen 15,380 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Manakara
Playa del Carmen

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 Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 203%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $596 per month in Manakara and $1,806 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Kindergarten costs $22 per month in Manakara and $207 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 96% more in Playa del Carmen, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Manakara, where all-in costs run around $397, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Manakara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $397 in Manakara to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Manakara. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Playa del Carmen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.