Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Ouarzazate

For one person, living is cheaper in Ouarzazate: $706 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $10,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in Ouarzazate
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Ouarzazate Living Index

Jump to prices

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Ouarzazate

🇲🇦 Morocco

$706

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico City and in Ouarzazate

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $706 in Ouarzazate.

Mexico City $1,608
Ouarzazate $706

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $1,099 in Ouarzazate.

Mexico City $2,549
Ouarzazate $1,099

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $1,492 in Ouarzazate.

Mexico City $3,490
Ouarzazate $1,492

Living in Mexico City is roughly 128% more expensive than in Ouarzazate, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 18% above, Ouarzazate is 48% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$199

$3.93 MAD 38.58

170.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$908

$30.65 MAD 301

57.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$194

$6.02 MAD 59.2

71.93%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$69.3

$2.47 MAD 24.29

49.39%

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

$1.67 MX$31.29

$0.56 MAD 5.46

198.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.76

$0.37 MAD 3.60

243.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.9

$6.56 MAD 64.5

-51.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$99.6

$5.58 MAD 54.8

-4.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.38

$0.80 MAD 7.81

115.00%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$57.1

$0.85 MAD 8.38

257.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.44

$1.47 MAD 14.43

31.97%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$54.2

$1.52 MAD 14.95

90.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$206

$7.64 MAD 75.1

43.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$174

$4.45 MAD 43.69

107.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$284

$11.29 MAD 111

34.01%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$57.2

$0.74 MAD 7.32

312.16%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.45

$1.26 MAD 12.34

53.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.02

$0.64 MAD 6.25

217.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.46

$0.72 MAD 7.03

220.83%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$38.21

$0.66 MAD 6.45

209.09%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.79

$0.75 MAD 7.38

140.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.77

$0.23 MAD 2.26

543.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.80

$0.61 MAD 5.97

108.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$99.6

$3.99 MAD 39.23

32.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$302

$7.68 MAD 75.5

109.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$37.23

$2.23 MAD 21.92

-11.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.8

$3.38 MAD 33.27

25.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.73

$0.50 MAD 4.94

-38.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$371

$18.66 MAD 183

5.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.50

$0.53 MAD 5.19

247.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$10.02

$0.62 MAD 6.10

-14.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$99.4

$7.09 MAD 69.7

-25.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.36

$1.41 MAD 13.84

7.09%

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

$21.8K MX$408.4K

$30.1K MAD 296.4K

-27.85%

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

$24.0K MX$450.3K

$30.9K MAD 303.6K

-22.35%

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

$63.0 MX$1,182

$35.09 MAD 345

79.48%

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

$27.39 MX$514

$4.96 MAD 48.75

452.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$670

$25.40 MAD 250

40.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,107

$25.27 MAD 248

133.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$444

$17.98 MAD 177

31.48%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$120

$6.41 MAD 63.0

-0.16%

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

$432 MX$8,103

$98.6 MAD 969

337.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$214.5K

$8,270 MAD 81.3K

38.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,281

$31.20 MAD 307

118.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$997

$43.88 MAD 431

21.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,023

$80.4 MAD 790

34.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,202

$79.7 MAD 783

47.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.9K

$278 MAD 2,730

300.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.3K

$176 MAD 1,732

303.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.6K

$519 MAD 5,105

398.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.4K

$265 MAD 2,606

430.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$68.2K

$1,196 MAD 11.8K

203.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$40.1K

$828 MAD 8,134

158.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.8K

$201 MAD 1,979

370.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

4.5

152.22%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Ouarzazate: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Ouarzazate

$176 24.9% 75.2% $534

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Ouarzazate

$170 24% 46.9% $150

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Ouarzazate

$127 17.9% 36.2% $72

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Ouarzazate

$106 15% 32.1% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Ouarzazate

$65 9.3% 48.1% $61

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Ouarzazate

$38 5.4% 46.9% $34

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Ouarzazate

$24 3.4% 4.6% $1.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,113 in Mexico City and $278 in Ouarzazate. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays about 4.7 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $48 in Mexico City vs $31 in Ouarzazate for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $170 per month, with Ouarzazate cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇲🇦 Ouarzazate

🕒 Local time

01:12 1:12 AM

07:12 7:12 AM

6 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

71,067

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Moroccan Dirham MAD د.م.

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

100 MAD = 10.17 USD

100 MAD = 9.11 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MAD, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Moroccan Dirham exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 9.83 MAD (1 MAD = 0.102 USD). 1 EUR = 10.98 MAD (100 MAD = 9.11 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

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Between locations

Mexico City Ouarzazate 9,120 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

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Mexico City
Ouarzazate

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

Mexico City vs Ouarzazate: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,608 in Mexico City and $706 in Ouarzazate, so Ouarzazate is about 56% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Mexico City is about 4.7 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,113 in Mexico City versus $278 in Ouarzazate. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Ouarzazate runs roughly 5% less than in Mexico City. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $432 in Mexico City versus $99 in Ouarzazate. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $706 in Ouarzazate versus $1,608 in Mexico City, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Ouarzazate but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Ouarzazate the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Ouarzazate gentler on the wallet – expenses run 56% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.