Cost of Living Comparison Between Essaouira and Playa del Carmen Cost of Living Comparison Between Essaouira and Playa del Carmen

🙂 Solo nomad: Essaouira is 36.8% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 35.6% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Essaouira is 38.3% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 44.6% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Essaouira
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.44 MAD 41.24
$11.85 MX$209
-62.53%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$24.63 MAD 229
$42.16 MX$744
-41.58%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.02 MAD 46.63
$10.75 MX$190
-53.30%
Cappuccino
$1.79 MAD 16.59
$3.47 MX$61.3
-48.41%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.49 MAD 4.51
$1.45 MX$25.65
-66.21%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.26 MAD 2.41
$0.90 MX$15.93
-71.11%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.76 MAD 34.90
$3.05 MX$53.9
23.28%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.74 MAD 34.66
$4.42 MX$77.9
-15.38%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Essaouira
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.85 MAD 7.87
$1.37 MX$24.17
-37.96%
White Bread (500g)
$0.50 MAD 4.64
$1.87 MX$33.05
-73.26%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.72 MAD 15.92
$1.54 MX$27.25
11.69%
Eggs
$1.88 MAD 17.41
$2.50 MX$44.18
-24.80%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.31 MAD 86.4
$8.61 MX$152
8.13%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.34 MAD 49.59
$8.63 MX$152
-38.12%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.24 MAD 104
$11.02 MX$195
2.00%
Apples (1kg)
$1.43 MAD 13.27
$2.75 MX$48.53
-48.00%
Banana (1kg)
$1.22 MAD 11.31
$1.43 MX$25.21
-14.69%
Oranges (1kg)
$0.78 MAD 7.25
$1.87 MX$33.05
-58.29%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.89 MAD 8.25
$2.17 MX$38.26
-58.99%
Potato (1kg)
$0.70 MAD 6.49
$1.88 MX$33.23
-62.77%
Onion (1kg)
$0.84 MAD 7.84
$2.25 MX$39.65
-62.67%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.36 MAD 3.36
$1.07 MX$18.85
-66.36%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.55 MAD 5.06
$1.07 MX$18.95
-48.60%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.16 MAD 38.61
$4.15 MX$73.3
0.24%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.38 MAD 59.2
$10.34 MX$182
-38.30%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.92 MAD 17.81
$1.68 MX$29.64
14.29%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.24 MAD 20.82
$2.48 MX$43.84
-9.68%
🚌 Getting Around
Essaouira
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.89 MAD 8.28
$0.55 MX$9.80
61.82%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$16.34 MAD 152
$26.53 MX$468
-38.41%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.68 MAD 6.35
$3.22 MX$56.8
-78.88%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.49 MAD 4.52
$2.48 MX$43.80
-80.24%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.71 MAD 80.9
$3.11 MX$54.9
180.06%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.54 MAD 14.27
$1.26 MX$22.16
22.22%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$37.4K MAD 346.7K
$30.7K MX$541.1K
21.87%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$20.8K MAD 193.2K
$24.0K MX$424.3K
-13.40%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Essaouira
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$28.29 MAD 263
$82.5 MX$1,456
-65.70%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$14.16 MAD 131
$22.29 MX$393
-36.47%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.77 MAD 267
$30.02 MX$530
-4.16%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Essaouira
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$21.89 MAD 203
$51.4 MX$908
-57.45%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$23.16 MAD 215
$18.29 MX$323
26.63%
Cinema Ticket
$6.74 MAD 62.5
$4.98 MX$88.0
35.34%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Essaouira
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$76.4 MAD 709
$200 MX$3,530
-61.80%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$1,961 MAD 18.2K
$5,304 MX$93.6K
-63.03%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Essaouira
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$30.47 MAD 283
$35.71 MX$630
-14.67%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$38.55 MAD 358
$39.56 MX$698
-2.55%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$48.04 MAD 446
$80.6 MX$1,422
-40.36%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$44.33 MAD 411
$88.3 MX$1,559
-49.81%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Essaouira
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$383 MAD 3,551
$969 MX$17.1K
-60.53%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$350 MAD 3,246
$482 MX$8,511
-27.47%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$792 MAD 7,348
$1,595 MX$28.2K
-50.36%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$559 MAD 5,188
$1,184 MX$20.9K
-52.78%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$4,050 MX$71.5K
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$6,522 MX$115.1K
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Essaouira
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$274 MAD 2,543
$756 MX$13.4K
-63.77%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.5
11.42
-51.84%

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

Last update for Essaouira: February 28, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: March 3, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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