Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Ambatolampy

For one person, living is cheaper in Ambatolampy: $466 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $13,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
22

Cost of Living Index in Ambatolampy
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Ambatolampy Living Index

Jump to prices

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Ambatolampy

🇲🇬 Madagascar

$466

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $466 in Ambatolampy.

Mexico City $1,608
Ambatolampy $466

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $689 in Ambatolampy.

Mexico City $2,549
Ambatolampy $689

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $912 in Ambatolampy.

Mexico City $3,490
Ambatolampy $912

Living in Mexico City is roughly 245% more expensive than in Ambatolampy, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 18% above, Ambatolampy is 66% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$200

$2.60 MGA 11.9K

308.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$909

$9.84 MGA 45.0K

391.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$194

$5.64 MGA 25.8K

83.51%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$69.4

$1.58 MGA 7,247

133.54%

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

$1.67 MX$31.32

$0.75 MGA 3,424

122.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.78

$0.45 MGA 2,053

182.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$60.0

$0.94 MGA 4,317

239.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$99.7

$2.14 MGA 9,775

148.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.41

$0.85 MGA 3,889

102.35%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$57.1

$0.98 MGA 4,478

210.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.48

$0.70 MGA 3,222

177.14%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$54.3

$1.95 MGA 8,925

48.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$206

$8.48 MGA 38.8K

29.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$174

$4.39 MGA 20.1K

110.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$284

$4.86 MGA 22.2K

211.32%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$57.3

$1.03 MGA 4,716

196.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.48

$0.56 MGA 2,582

246.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.06

$1.03 MGA 4,694

97.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.50

$0.82 MGA 3,735

181.71%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$38.25

$0.54 MGA 2,484

277.78%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.83

$0.91 MGA 4,144

97.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.80

$0.31 MGA 1,437

377.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.82

$0.71 MGA 3,255

78.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$99.7

$1.57 MGA 7,168

237.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$303

$4.83 MGA 22.1K

233.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$37.27

$1.01 MGA 4,601

96.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.9

$1.82 MGA 8,327

133.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.73

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$371

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.53

$3.34 MGA 15.3K

-44.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$10.03

$1.94 MGA 8,871

-72.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$99.5

$4.37 MGA 20.0K

21.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.39

$0.83 MGA 3,806

81.93%

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

$21.8K MX$408.8K

$11.7K MGA 53.7M

85.35%

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

$24.0K MX$450.8K

$25.3K MGA 116.0M

-5.34%

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

$63.0 MX$1,184

$71.4 MGA 327.0K

-11.84%

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

$27.39 MX$515

$16.52 MGA 75.6K

65.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$670

$54.7 MGA 250.3K

-34.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,108

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$444

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$120

$5.37 MGA 24.6K

19.18%

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

$432 MX$8,111

$23.91 MGA 109.4K

1705.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$214.7K

$14.5K MGA 66.5M

-21.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,282

$28.41 MGA 130.0K

140.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$999

$26.96 MGA 123.4K

97.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,026

$75.8 MGA 346.9K

42.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,204

$68.6 MGA 313.8K

71.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.9K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$68.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$40.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

15.75

-27.94%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Ambatolampy: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Ambatolampy

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Ambatolampy

$139 29.9% 56.5% $180

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Ambatolampy

$70 15.1% 64.5% $128

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Ambatolampy

$90 19.3% 42.3% $66

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Ambatolampy

$143 30.6% 13.2% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Ambatolampy

$11 * 2.3% 85% $61

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Ambatolampy

$13 * 2.8% 48.8% $12

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $48 in Mexico City vs $10 in Ambatolampy for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $139 per month, with Ambatolampy cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇲🇬 Ambatolampy

🕒 Local time

04:58 4:58 AM

13:58 1:58 PM

9 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

32,291

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Malagasy Ariary MGA Ar

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

10,000 MGA = 2.18 USD

10,000 MGA = 1.96 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MGA, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.97 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Malagasy Ariary exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 4,577 MGA (10,000 MGA = 2.18 USD). 1 EUR = 5,108 MGA (10,000 MGA = 1.96 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Ambatolampy 16,510 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Ambatolampy

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

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

Ambatolampy wins on cost – living expenses run 71% lower than in Mexico City. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Ambatolampy the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $2,412 in Mexico City and $699 in Ambatolampy 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.

Childcare runs $432 in Mexico City versus $24 in Ambatolampy. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Ambatolampy – a meal for two runs $10 versus $48 in Mexico City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $466 in Ambatolampy versus $1,608 in Mexico City, a $800 budget is realistic in Ambatolampy but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Ambatolampy 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.