Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Ambatolampy

For one person, living is cheaper in Ambatolampy: $466 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $8,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index
22

Cost of Living Index in Ambatolampy
Learn more

Ambatolampy Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Ambatolampy

🇲🇬 Madagascar

$466

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen 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 Playa del Carmen and in Ambatolampy actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $466 in Ambatolampy.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Ambatolampy $466

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $689 in Ambatolampy.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Ambatolampy $689

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $912 in Ambatolampy.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Ambatolampy $912

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 158% more expensive than in Ambatolampy, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Ambatolampy 66% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$2.60 MGA 11.9K

320.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$815

$9.84 MGA 45.0K

340.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$5.64 MGA 25.8K

108.87%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.6

$1.58 MGA 7,247

141.14%

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

$1.28 MX$24.10

$0.75 MGA 3,424

70.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.71

$0.45 MGA 2,053

73.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

$0.94 MGA 4,317

237.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$2.14 MGA 9,775

130.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.43

$0.85 MGA 3,889

65.88%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.66

$0.98 MGA 4,478

126.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.64

$0.70 MGA 3,222

102.86%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.41

$1.95 MGA 8,925

29.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$137

$8.48 MGA 38.8K

-14.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$145

$4.39 MGA 20.1K

75.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$239

$4.86 MGA 22.2K

161.11%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

$1.03 MGA 4,716

169.90%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.71

$0.56 MGA 2,582

144.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.94

$1.03 MGA 4,694

147.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.90

$0.82 MGA 3,735

158.54%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.43

$0.54 MGA 2,484

259.26%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.44

$0.91 MGA 4,144

107.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.55

$0.31 MGA 1,437

270.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.16

$0.71 MGA 3,255

66.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.7

$1.57 MGA 7,168

173.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

$4.83 MGA 22.1K

106.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.76

$1.01 MGA 4,601

56.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.2

$1.82 MGA 8,327

46.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.40

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.4

$3.34 MGA 15.3K

48.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.6

$1.94 MGA 8,871

71.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

$4.37 MGA 20.0K

22.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.14

$0.83 MGA 3,806

73.49%

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

$20.7K MX$388.4K

$11.7K MGA 53.7M

76.07%

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

$23.5K MX$441.0K

$25.3K MGA 116.0M

-7.39%

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

$84.8 MX$1,594

$71.4 MGA 327.0K

18.69%

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

$23.41 MX$440

$16.52 MGA 75.6K

41.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$539

$54.7 MGA 250.3K

-47.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,072

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.6

$5.37 MGA 24.6K

-4.28%

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

$207 MX$3,882

$23.91 MGA 109.4K

763.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.8K

$14.5K MGA 66.5M

-72.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$815

$28.41 MGA 130.0K

52.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$779

$26.96 MGA 123.4K

53.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,394

$75.8 MGA 346.9K

-2.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,677

$68.6 MGA 313.8K

30.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,157

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.1K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

15.75

-27.30%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: 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

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Ambatolampy

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Ambatolampy

$139 29.9% 45.4% $116

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Ambatolampy

$70 15.1% 65.2% $132

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Ambatolampy

$143 30.6% 4.2% $5.8

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Ambatolampy

$90 19.3% 19.5% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Ambatolampy

$11 * 2.3% 84.1% $57

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Ambatolampy

$13 * 2.8% 74.2% $37

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $43 in Playa del Carmen vs $10 in Ambatolampy for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $255 vs $139 per month, with Ambatolampy cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇲🇬 Ambatolampy

🕒 Local time

06:00 6:00 AM

14:00 2:00 PM

8 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Ambatolampy 15,280 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
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

Playa del Carmen vs Ambatolampy: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ambatolampy wins on cost – living expenses run 61% lower than in Playa del Carmen. 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 $1,806 in Playa del Carmen 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 $207 in Playa del Carmen 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 $43 in Playa del Carmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $466 in Ambatolampy versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, a $800 budget is realistic in Ambatolampy but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. 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.