Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Mahajanga

For one person, living is cheaper in Mahajanga: $538 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $8,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

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

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Mahajanga

🇲🇬 Madagascar

$538

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $538 in Mahajanga, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Mahajanga $538

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $792 in Mahajanga, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Mahajanga $792

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,045 in Mahajanga, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Mahajanga $1,045

Playa del Carmen costs about 124% more than Mahajanga, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Mahajanga are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Mahajanga 60% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$2.02 MGA 9,238

440.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$815

$17.69 MGA 81.0K

145.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.6

$0.64 MGA 2,927

495.31%

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

$1.28 MX$24.10

$0.90 MGA 4,108

42.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.71

$0.84 MGA 3,850

-7.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

$0.97 MGA 4,431

226.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$1.57 MGA 7,197

214.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.43

$1.34 MGA 6,128

5.22%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.66

$0.81 MGA 3,726

174.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.64

$0.60 MGA 2,740

136.67%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.41

$2.06 MGA 9,446

22.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$137

$6.55 MGA 30.0K

10.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$145

$6.55 MGA 30.0K

17.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$239

$3.46 MGA 15.9K

266.76%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

$1.07 MGA 4,898

159.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.71

$0.63 MGA 2,866

117.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.94

$0.68 MGA 3,110

275.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.90

$0.68 MGA 3,134

211.76%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.43

$0.52 MGA 2,366

273.08%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.44

$0.54 MGA 2,463

250.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.55

$0.32 MGA 1,450

259.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.16

$0.57 MGA 2,598

107.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.7

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

$8.85 MGA 40.5K

12.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.76

$0.76 MGA 3,462

107.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.2

$0.90 MGA 4,128

196.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.40

$0.24 MGA 1,104

129.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.4

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.6

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.14

$1.33 MGA 6,110

8.27%

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

$20.7K MX$388.4K

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

$23.5K MX$441.0K

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

$84.8 MX$1,594

$43.81 MGA 200.5K

93.54%

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

$23.41 MX$440

$6.56 MGA 30.0K

256.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$539

$21.87 MGA 100.1K

31.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,072

$17.71 MGA 81.0K

222.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.6

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

$207 MX$3,882

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$815

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$779

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,394

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,677

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$325 MGA 1.5M

201.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,157

$265 MGA 1.2M

43.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

$661 MGA 3.0M

158.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

$436 MGA 2.0M

146.80%

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

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 Mahajanga: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Mahajanga

–

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Mahajanga

–

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Mahajanga

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Mahajanga

–

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Mahajanga

–

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Mahajanga

–

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Mahajanga

–

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $325 in Mahajanga. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $18 in Mahajanga. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $144 – making Mahajanga the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇲🇬 Mahajanga

🕒 Local time

08:10 8:10 AM

16:10 4:10 PM

8 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

246,022

💱 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

Playa del Carmen Mahajanga 15,080 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Mahajanga

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 Mahajanga: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen costs about 124% more than Mahajanga, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $808 in Mahajanga. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Mahajanga, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $325 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $538 in Mahajanga. That makes Mahajanga about 55% cheaper.

Groceries cost about 77% more in Playa del Carmen, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Mahajanga, where all-in costs run around $538, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Mahajanga 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 $538 in Mahajanga to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.