Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ajijic and Rabat

For one person, living is cheaper in Ajijic: $1,267 a month against $1,928 in Rabat, rent and utilities included – about $7,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Ajijic
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Ajijic Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Rabat
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Rabat Living Index

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Ajijic

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,267

/mo nomad

Rabat

🇲🇹 Malta

$1,928

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ajijic and in Rabat

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

A single person spends $1,267 per month in Ajijic vs $1,928 in Rabat, rent included.

Ajijic $1,267
Rabat $1,928

A couple spends around $2,020 per month in Ajijic vs $2,701 in Rabat, rent included.

Ajijic $2,020
Rabat $2,701

A family of three spends $2,773 per month in Ajijic vs $3,474 in Rabat, rent included.

Ajijic $2,773
Rabat $3,474

Ajijic is about 34% cheaper than Rabat, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Ajijic sits 6% below the global median, while Rabat is 43% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.81 MX$181

$16.55 €14.72

-40.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.69 MX$807

$50.4 €44.82

-13.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.22 MX$133

$11.19 €9.96

-35.48%

Cappuccino

$3.47 MX$64.1

$2.25 €2.00

54.22%

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

$1.60 MX$29.62

$2.48 €2.20

-35.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$22.92

$1.69 €1.51

-26.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.24 MX$41.31

$3.33 €2.97

-32.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 MX$61.4

$3.43 €3.05

-3.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 MX$27.52

$1.11 €0.99

34.23%

White Bread (500g)

$2.24 MX$41.31

$1.34 €1.19

67.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.07 MX$19.78

$2.26 €2.01

-52.65%

Eggs

$2.19 MX$40.54

$3.50 €3.11

-37.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.84 MX$145

$7.97 €7.09

-1.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.56 MX$158

$7.87 €7.00

8.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.21 MX$133

$12.51 €11.13

-42.37%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 MX$42.42

$4.12 €3.67

-44.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.32 MX$24.42

$2.18 €1.94

-39.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.48 MX$27.42

$3.55 €3.16

-58.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.71 MX$31.66

$2.21 €1.97

-22.62%

Potato (1kg)

$1.60 MX$29.60

$1.15 €1.02

39.13%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.57

$1.14 €1.01

21.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.03 MX$19.03

$1.09 €0.97

-5.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 MX$15.55

$1.09 €0.97

-22.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.47 MX$82.7

$6.80 €6.05

-34.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.92 MX$165

$8.23 €7.32

8.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 MX$28.60

$1.76 €1.57

-11.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.39 MX$25.61

$2.44 €2.17

-43.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.64 MX$11.84

$2.71 €2.41

-76.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.25 MX$23.18

$5.73 €5.09

-78.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.40 MX$81.3

$2.21 €1.96

99.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.00 MX$203

$26.77 €23.81

-58.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 MX$27.50

$1.51 €1.34

-1.32%

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

$20.9K MX$386.5K

$37.7K €33.6K

-44.59%

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

$24.2K MX$447.2K

$38.6K €34.3K

-37.32%

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

$55.9 MX$1,033

$101 €90.2

-44.87%

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

$14.30 MX$264

$12.17 €10.82

17.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.07 MX$445

$42.85 €38.12

-43.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.24 MX$448

$62.1 €55.3

-60.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.42 MX$100

$22.18 €19.73

-75.56%

Cinema Ticket

$4.78 MX$88.3

$10.09 €8.98

-52.63%

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

$212 MX$3,922

$369 €328

-42.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,953 MX$54.6K

$11.3K €10.0K

-73.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.03 MX$814

$86.2 €76.7

-48.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.71 MX$309

$27.60 €24.55

-39.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.7 MX$1,270

$73.7 €65.6

-6.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$69.6 MX$1,286

$76.8 €68.3

-9.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$841 MX$15.5K

$1,051 €934

-19.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$630 MX$11.6K

$1,049 €933

-39.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,506 MX$27.8K

$1,735 €1,543

-13.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,267 MX$23.4K

$1,460 €1,299

-13.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,332 MX$61.6K

$4,396 €3,910

-24.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,734 MX$32.0K

$3,149 €2,801

-44.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$562 MX$10.4K

$1,318 €1,173

-57.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.2

2.9

286.21%

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

Last update for Ajijic: October 12, 2026

Last update for Rabat: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ajijic

$630 49.7%

Rabat

$1K 54.4% 66.5% $419

Groceries & Markets

Ajijic

$222 17.6%

Rabat

$261 13.5% 17.3% $38

Eating Out

Ajijic

$171 13.5%

Rabat

$233 12.1% 36.4% $62

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ajijic

$94 7.4%

Rabat

$156 8.1% 65.9% $62

Clothing & Footwear

Ajijic

$90 7.1%

Rabat

$119 6.2% 32.8% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Ajijic

$34 2.7%

Rabat

$82 4.3% 144% $49

Getting Around

Ajijic

$26 * 2%

Rabat

$28 * 1.4% 6.8% $1.8

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $841 in Ajijic versus $1,051 in Rabat. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 135% higher in Rabat, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44.00 in Ajijic versus $50.0 in Rabat. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $222 vs $261 – making Ajijic the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Ajijic

🇲🇹 Rabat

🕒 Local time

09:21 9:21 AM

17:21 5:21 PM

8 h ahead of Ajijic

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,439

11,497

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Ajijic Rabat 10,960 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Ajijic
Rabat

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

Ajijic vs Rabat: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Rabat is pricier by about 52%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,900 per month in Ajijic and $2,892 in Rabat. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ajijic, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,267 in Ajijic and $1,928 in Rabat. That's a gap of about 52%.

Kindergarten costs $212 per month in Ajijic and $369 in Rabat. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Ajijic, where all-in costs run around $1,267, than in Rabat at $1,928. In Ajijic it covers expenses comfortably, while in Rabat it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Ajijic – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Ajijic. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Rabat makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.