Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Rabat

For one person, living is cheaper in Rabat: $921 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $8,200 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
44

Cost of Living Index in Rabat
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Rabat Living Index

Jump to prices

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Rabat

🇲🇦 Morocco

$921

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico City 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 Mexico City and in Rabat actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $921 in Rabat.

Mexico City $1,608
Rabat $921

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $1,498 in Rabat.

Mexico City $2,549
Rabat $1,498

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $2,074 in Rabat.

Mexico City $3,490
Rabat $2,074

Living in Mexico City is roughly 74% more expensive than in Rabat, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 18% above, Rabat is 32% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$198

$3.99 MAD 39.29

166.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$901

$41.46 MAD 408

16.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$193

$6.96 MAD 68.6

48.71%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$68.8

$1.94 MAD 19.07

90.21%

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

$1.67 MX$31.07

$0.53 MAD 5.26

215.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.59

$0.37 MAD 3.61

243.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.5

$5.19 MAD 51.1

-38.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$98.9

$3.14 MAD 30.93

69.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.15

$0.90 MAD 8.86

91.11%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$56.7

$0.60 MAD 5.95

406.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.19

$1.92 MAD 18.88

1.04%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$53.8

$1.86 MAD 18.27

55.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$205

$11.16 MAD 110

-1.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$172

$6.71 MAD 66.1

37.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$282

$12.08 MAD 119

25.25%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$56.8

$1.55 MAD 15.29

96.77%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.19

$1.43 MAD 14.10

35.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.75

$0.81 MAD 7.97

150.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.15

$0.82 MAD 8.12

181.71%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$37.94

$0.72 MAD 7.07

183.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.55

$0.75 MAD 7.37

140.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.58

$0.37 MAD 3.62

300.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.63

$0.63 MAD 6.23

101.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$98.9

$4.06 MAD 40.01

30.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$300

$7.33 MAD 72.2

119.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$36.97

$2.56 MAD 25.24

-22.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.3

$2.68 MAD 26.41

58.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.69

$0.55 MAD 5.42

-43.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$368

$25.62 MAD 252

-22.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.25

$0.73 MAD 7.18

152.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.94

$0.77 MAD 7.61

-31.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$98.7

$4.13 MAD 40.70

28.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.16

$1.52 MAD 14.99

-0.66%

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

$21.8K MX$405.5K

$30.2K MAD 297.0K

-27.86%

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

$24.0K MX$447.1K

$32.1K MAD 316.0K

-25.26%

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

$63.0 MX$1,174

$35.47 MAD 349

77.56%

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

$27.39 MX$511

$10.21 MAD 101

168.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$665

$33.51 MAD 330

6.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,099

$27.87 MAD 274

111.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$441

$24.11 MAD 237

-1.95%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$119

$5.94 MAD 58.5

7.74%

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

$432 MX$8,045

$180 MAD 1,776

139.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$212.9K

$9,261 MAD 91.2K

23.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,272

$46.83 MAD 461

45.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$990

$40.60 MAD 400

30.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,009

$91.6 MAD 902

17.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,186

$66.0 MAD 650

77.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.8K

$572 MAD 5,629

94.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.2K

$345 MAD 3,401

105.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.2K

$987 MAD 9,719

162.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.2K

$687 MAD 6,769

104.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$67.7K

$2,126 MAD 20.9K

70.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$39.8K

$1,214 MAD 12.0K

75.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.6K

$721 MAD 7,105

31.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

4.55

149.45%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Rabat: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Rabat

$345 37.5% 51.4% $365

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Rabat

$203 22% 36.6% $117

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Rabat

$112 12.1% 43.7% $87

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Rabat

$110 12% 29.3% $46

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Rabat

$79 8.6% 37.2% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Rabat

$40 4.3% 44.6% $32

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Rabat

$32 3.5% 27.3% $6.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,113 in Mexico City and $572 in Rabat. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays 31% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $48 in Mexico City vs $41 in Rabat for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $203 per month, with Rabat cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇲🇦 Rabat

🕒 Local time

20:51 8:51 PM

02:51 2:51 AM

6 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

573,895 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Moroccan Dirham MAD د.م.

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

100 MAD = 10.15 USD

100 MAD = 9.12 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 October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

Moroccan Dirham exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 9.85 MAD (1 MAD = 0.102 USD). 1 EUR = 10.96 MAD (100 MAD = 9.12 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

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Between locations

Mexico City Rabat 9,020 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
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

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

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,608 in Mexico City and $921 in Rabat, so Rabat is about 43% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 31% higher in Mexico City, 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 $572 in Rabat. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Mexico City runs roughly 23% less than in Rabat. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $432 in Mexico City versus $180 in Rabat. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Rabat is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Rabat wins on affordability, Mexico City on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.