Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Antsirabe

For one person, living is cheaper in Antsirabe: $450 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $9,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
22

Cost of Living Index in Antsirabe
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Antsirabe Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Antsirabe

🇲🇬 Madagascar

$450

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Antsirabe actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $450 in Antsirabe.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Antsirabe $450

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $677 in Antsirabe.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Antsirabe $677

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $903 in Antsirabe.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Antsirabe $903

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 167% more expensive than in Antsirabe, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Antsirabe 67% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$204

$1.13 MGA 5,165

866.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$808

$15.30 MGA 70.2K

183.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$220

$5.59 MGA 25.7K

110.73%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.0

$1.36 MGA 6,217

180.15%

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

$1.28 MX$23.90

$0.74 MGA 3,406

72.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.59

$0.44 MGA 2,020

77.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.0

$0.97 MGA 4,430

226.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.0

$2.15 MGA 9,884

129.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$0.97 MGA 4,445

45.36%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.33

$1.01 MGA 4,652

119.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.42

$0.71 MGA 3,241

100.00%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.03

$2.03 MGA 9,327

24.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$8.29 MGA 38.0K

-12.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$4.24 MGA 19.4K

81.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$237

$4.65 MGA 21.3K

172.90%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.9

$1.04 MGA 4,770

167.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.50

$0.53 MGA 2,415

158.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.55

$0.98 MGA 4,503

160.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.58

$0.86 MGA 3,933

146.51%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.13

$0.55 MGA 2,543

252.73%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.16

$0.97 MGA 4,469

94.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.37

$0.31 MGA 1,443

270.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.98

$0.46 MGA 2,112

156.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.1

$1.58 MGA 7,238

172.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

$5.08 MGA 23.3K

95.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.52

$0.97 MGA 4,433

62.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.79

$1.77 MGA 8,108

50.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.6

$3.26 MGA 14.9K

52.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.1

$1.95 MGA 8,941

70.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.8

$4.53 MGA 20.8K

18.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.92

$1.15 MGA 5,283

25.22%

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

$20.7K MX$385.2K

$11.6K MGA 53.0M

78.91%

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

$23.5K MX$437.4K

$25.2K MGA 115.7M

-6.93%

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

$84.8 MX$1,581

$73.7 MGA 338.2K

15.00%

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

$23.41 MX$436

$16.33 MGA 74.9K

43.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$534

$54.8 MGA 251.6K

-47.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,063

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.8

$5.34 MGA 24.5K

-3.75%

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

$207 MX$3,851

$24.61 MGA 112.9K

739.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.2K

$14.7K MGA 67.5M

-73.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$808

$28.16 MGA 129.2K

53.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$772

$26.58 MGA 121.9K

55.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,383

$75.8 MGA 347.7K

-2.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,664

$68.3 MGA 313.4K

30.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,099

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$114.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

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 Antsirabe: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Antsirabe

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Antsirabe

$136 30.3% 46.5% $118

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Antsirabe

$56 12.4% 72.4% $146

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Antsirabe

$145 32.2% 5.9% $8.1

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Antsirabe

$89 19.9% 19.9% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Antsirabe

$11 * 2.4% 84.1% $57

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Antsirabe

$13 * 2.9% 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 $15 in Antsirabe for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $255 vs $136 per month, with Antsirabe cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇲🇬 Antsirabe

🕒 Local time

18:00 6:00 PM

02:00 2:00 AM

8 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

246,354

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Malagasy Ariary MGA Ar

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 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 October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

Malagasy Ariary exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 4,587 MGA (10,000 MGA = 2.18 USD). 1 EUR = 5,107 MGA (10,000 MGA = 1.96 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Antsirabe 15,240 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Antsirabe

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 Antsirabe: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Antsirabe is about 63% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,806 in Playa del Carmen and $675 in Antsirabe 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.

Supermarket bills run roughly 87% higher in Playa del Carmen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen versus $450 in Antsirabe – Antsirabe is about 63% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $450 in Antsirabe versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Antsirabe but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Antsirabe 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.