Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Manakara

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.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
19

Cost of Living Index in Manakara
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Manakara Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Manakara

🇲🇬 Madagascar

$397

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

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

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Manakara $397

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

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Manakara $610

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

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Manakara $822

Playa del Carmen costs about 203% more than Manakara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$203

$2.23 MGA 10.2K

389.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$808

$14.74 MGA 67.5K

194.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$219

$3.58 MGA 16.4K

229.05%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.0

$1.14 MGA 5,205

234.21%

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

$1.28 MX$23.89

$0.61 MGA 2,771

109.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.58

$0.53 MGA 2,424

47.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.0

$1.18 MGA 5,424

168.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.9

$1.47 MGA 6,721

235.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.20

$1.78 MGA 8,161

-20.79%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.30

$1.02 MGA 4,685

117.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.40

$0.67 MGA 3,057

111.94%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.00

$2.28 MGA 10.4K

10.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$6.56 MGA 30.0K

10.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$3.40 MGA 15.6K

126.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$236

$3.60 MGA 16.5K

252.50%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.9

$0.95 MGA 4,365

192.63%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.49

$0.72 MGA 3,304

90.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.52

$0.37 MGA 1,696

589.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.55

$0.71 MGA 3,265

198.59%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.11

$0.58 MGA 2,679

234.48%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.13

$0.70 MGA 3,203

170.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.36

$0.35 MGA 1,584

228.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.96

$0.63 MGA 2,903

87.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.0

$1.36 MGA 6,248

216.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

$4.34 MGA 19.9K

129.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.50

$1.06 MGA 4,858

49.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.76

$1.25 MGA 5,707

113.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

$0.21 MGA 961

161.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

$34.72 MGA 159.0K

-23.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.6

$1.12 MGA 5,152

343.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.1

$2.26 MGA 10.4K

47.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.8

$3.32 MGA 15.2K

61.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.90

$1.12 MGA 5,111

28.57%

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

$20.7K MX$385.0K

$15.2K MGA 69.6M

35.94%

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

$23.5K MX$437.2K

$20.7K MGA 94.7M

13.53%

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

$84.8 MX$1,580

$42.29 MGA 193.7K

100.50%

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

$23.41 MX$436

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$534

$53.6 MGA 245.6K

-46.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,063

$11.63 MGA 53.3K

390.54%

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)

$207 MX$3,848

$22.17 MGA 101.5K

831.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.2K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$808

$16.20 MGA 74.2K

167.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$772

$20.07 MGA 91.9K

106.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,382

$44.60 MGA 204.3K

66.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,663

$43.80 MGA 200.6K

103.77%

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)

$735 MX$13.7K

$115 MGA 527.9K

537.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

-52.29%

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 Manakara: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Manakara

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Manakara

$130 32.7% 48.9% $125

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Manakara

$56 14% 72.5% $147

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Manakara

$96 * 24.1% 29.9% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Manakara

$56 14.1% 49.8% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Manakara

$12 * 2.9% 82.7% $56

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Manakara

$48 12.1% 4.9% $2.5

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

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇲🇬 Manakara

🕒 Local time

01:28 1:28 AM

09:28 9:28 AM

8 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

44,237

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Malagasy Ariary MGA Ar

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18.63 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.74 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

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).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

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

From you

Playa del Carmen
Manakara

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 Manakara: 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 $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $596 in Manakara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $22 in Manakara. 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.