Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Essaouira and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Essaouira: $781 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

38

Cost of Living Index in Essaouira
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Essaouira Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Essaouira

🇲🇦 Morocco

$781

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $781 per month in Essaouira vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Essaouira $781
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $1,172 per month in Essaouira vs $2,102 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Essaouira $1,172
Playa del Carmen $2,102

A family of three spends $1,563 per month in Essaouira vs $3,000 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Essaouira $1,563
Playa del Carmen $3,000

Essaouira is about 35% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Essaouira and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Essaouira 42% lower, Playa del Carmen 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.52 MAD 44.11

$10.86 MX$201

-58.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.78 MAD 183

$44.21 MX$817

-57.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.36 MAD 71.8

$11.76 MX$217

-37.41%

Cappuccino

$1.33 MAD 12.92

$3.68 MX$68.0

-63.86%

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

$0.46 MAD 4.49

$1.34 MX$24.79

-65.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.37 MAD 3.64

$0.82 MX$15.24

-54.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.10 MAD 49.73

$3.06 MX$56.6

66.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.39 MAD 42.83

$4.94 MX$91.2

-11.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.91 MAD 8.87

$1.47 MX$27.17

-38.10%

White Bread (500g)

$0.52 MAD 5.08

$2.22 MX$40.95

-76.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.67 MAD 16.33

$1.48 MX$27.32

12.84%

Eggs

$1.62 MAD 15.76

$2.49 MX$45.99

-34.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.12 MAD 79.1

$7.52 MX$139

7.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.92 MAD 57.8

$7.96 MX$147

-25.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.67 MAD 104

$12.57 MX$232

-15.12%

Apples (1kg)

$1.28 MAD 12.50

$2.78 MX$51.3

-53.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.17 MAD 11.45

$1.43 MX$26.37

-18.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.66 MAD 6.45

$2.62 MX$48.37

-74.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.77 MAD 7.48

$2.14 MX$39.49

-64.02%

Potato (1kg)

$0.58 MAD 5.67

$2.02 MX$37.38

-71.29%

Onion (1kg)

$0.70 MAD 6.79

$1.99 MX$36.74

-64.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.35 MAD 3.41

$1.14 MX$21.01

-69.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 MAD 5.72

$1.20 MX$22.18

-50.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.85 MAD 37.58

$4.26 MX$78.7

-9.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.98 MAD 58.3

$10.02 MX$185

-40.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 MAD 16.58

$1.54 MX$28.41

10.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 MAD 20.34

$2.66 MX$49.17

-21.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 MAD 8.32

$0.53 MX$9.73

60.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$508

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.62 MAD 6.09

$4.90 MX$90.6

-87.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 MAD 6.23

$3.43 MX$63.5

-81.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.38 MX$99.4

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 MAD 14.46

$1.45 MX$26.76

2.07%

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

$31.0K MAD 302.6K

$21.2K MX$391.0K

46.68%

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

$32.1K MAD 313.0K

$23.0K MX$425.3K

39.47%

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

$24.14 MAD 235

$85.4 MX$1,577

-71.72%

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

$16.96 MAD 165

$23.46 MX$434

-27.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.95 MAD 292

$28.43 MX$525

5.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.2 MX$1,149

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

Cinema Ticket

$5.10 MAD 49.70

$5.10 MX$94.3

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

$67.8 MAD 661

$201 MX$3,715

-66.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,803 MAD 17.6K

$3,947 MX$72.9K

-54.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$29.33 MAD 286

$44.39 MX$820

-33.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.93 MAD 419

$41.35 MX$764

3.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$59.1 MAD 576

$72.7 MX$1,344

-18.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$40.42 MAD 394

$89.6 MX$1,656

-54.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$386 MAD 3,760

$979 MX$18.1K

-60.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$334 MAD 3,259

$373 MX$6,887

-10.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$913 MAD 8,905

$1,681 MX$31.1K

-45.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$569 MAD 5,547

$1,095 MX$20.2K

-48.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,949 MX$73.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,137 MX$113.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$254 MAD 2,479

$738 MX$13.6K

-65.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.5

11.45

-43.23%

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

Last update for Essaouira: October 18, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Essaouira

$334 42.8%

Playa del Carmen

$373 31% 11.5% $38

Groceries & Markets

Essaouira

$170 21.7%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5% 52.4% $89

Eating Out

Essaouira

$112 14.3%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6% 79.1% $88

Clothing & Footwear

Essaouira

$77 9.9%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 44.4% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Essaouira

$71 9.1%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 93.2% $66

Sport & Entertainment

Essaouira

$10 * 1.3%

Playa del Carmen

$72 6% 610% $62

Getting Around

Essaouira

$7.2 * 0.9%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3% 615% $44

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $386 in Essaouira versus $979 in Playa del Carmen. 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 190% higher in Playa del Carmen, 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 $19.00 in Essaouira versus $44.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $170 vs $258 – making Essaouira the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇦 Essaouira

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

12:42 12:42 PM

06:42 6:42 AM

6 h behind Essaouira

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

77,966

149,923

💱 Currency

Moroccan Dirham MAD د.م.

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MAD = 10.26 USD

100 MAD = 9.12 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to MAD – Moroccan Dirham Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇦 Moroccan Dirham (د.م.)

Moroccan Dirham exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 9.75 MAD (1 MAD = 0.103 USD). 1 EUR = 10.96 MAD (100 MAD = 9.12 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to MAD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Essaouira Playa del Carmen 7,670 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Essaouira
Playa del Carmen

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

Essaouira vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 54%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,172 per month in Essaouira and $1,806 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19.00 in Essaouira and $44.00 in Playa del Carmen. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 52% more in Playa del Carmen, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Essaouira, where all-in costs run around $781, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Essaouira it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Essaouira – 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 Essaouira. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Playa del Carmen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.