Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Morogoro and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Morogoro: $374 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $10,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Morogoro, Tanzania
Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Morogoro
🇹🇿 Tanzania
$374
/mo nomad
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,204
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Morogoro 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 Morogoro and in Playa del Carmen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $374 per month in Morogoro vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Morogoro $374
  • Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $629 per month in Morogoro vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Morogoro $629
  • Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $884 per month in Morogoro vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Morogoro $884
  • Playa del Carmen $2,959

Morogoro is about 69% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Morogoro and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Morogoro 73% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Morogoro
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$1.91 TZS 5,008
$10.92 MX$203
-82.51%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$18.54 TZS 48.5K
$43.37 MX$808
-57.25%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.49 TZS 19.6K
$11.78 MX$219
-36.42%
Cappuccino
$1.98 TZS 5,189
$3.81 MX$71.0
-48.03%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.38 TZS 987
$1.28 MX$23.89
-70.31%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.22 TZS 576
$0.78 MX$14.58
-71.79%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$0.92 TZS 2,414
$3.17 MX$59.0
-70.98%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.92 TZS 5,018
$4.93 MX$91.9
-61.05%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Morogoro
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.71 TZS 1,870
$1.41 MX$26.20
-49.65%
White Bread (500g)
$0.40 TZS 1,037
$2.22 MX$41.30
-81.98%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.97 TZS 2,545
$1.42 MX$26.40
-31.69%
Eggs
$1.79 TZS 4,685
$2.52 MX$47.00
-28.97%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.21 TZS 24.1K
$7.26 MX$135
26.86%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.41 TZS 11.6K
$7.70 MX$143
-42.73%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$3.71 TZS 9,723
$12.69 MX$236
-70.76%
Apples (1kg)
$1.14 TZS 2,992
$2.78 MX$51.9
-58.99%
Banana (1kg)
$0.56 TZS 1,464
$1.37 MX$25.49
-59.12%
Oranges (1kg)
$0.55 TZS 1,452
$2.55 MX$47.52
-78.43%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.37 TZS 969
$2.12 MX$39.55
-82.55%
Potato (1kg)
$0.72 TZS 1,884
$1.94 MX$36.11
-62.89%
Onion (1kg)
$0.58 TZS 1,525
$1.89 MX$35.13
-69.31%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.81 TZS 2,117
$1.15 MX$21.36
-29.57%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.25 TZS 648
$1.18 MX$21.96
-78.81%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$1.49 TZS 3,909
$4.30 MX$80.0
-65.35%
Wine (Bottle)
$4.97 TZS 13.0K
$9.95 MX$185
-50.05%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.72 TZS 1,876
$1.58 MX$29.50
-54.43%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.54 TZS 4,031
$2.67 MX$49.76
-42.32%
🚌 Getting Around
Morogoro
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.29 TZS 747
$0.55 MX$10.31
-47.27%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$8.40 TZS 22.0K
$26.62 MX$496
-68.44%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.60 TZS 4,194
$4.97 MX$92.6
-67.81%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.55 TZS 1,429
$3.33 MX$62.1
-83.48%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$12.98 TZS 34.0K
$5.36 MX$99.8
142.16%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.78 TZS 2,044
$1.44 MX$26.90
-45.83%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$16.5K TZS 43.2M
$20.7K MX$385.0K
-20.12%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$25.7K TZS 67.2M
$23.5K MX$437.2K
9.37%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Morogoro
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$57.6 TZS 150.9K
$84.8 MX$1,580
-32.06%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$8.93 TZS 23.4K
$23.41 MX$436
-61.85%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$34.27 TZS 89.7K
$28.66 MX$534
19.57%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Morogoro
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$11.37 TZS 29.8K
$57.1 MX$1,063
-80.07%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$28.91 MX$539
-
Cinema Ticket
$4.98 TZS 13.0K
$5.14 MX$95.7
-3.11%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Morogoro
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$569 TZS 1.5M
$207 MX$3,848
175.68%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$7,547 TZS 19.8M
$3,927 MX$73.2K
92.16%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Morogoro
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$7.33 TZS 19.2K
$43.35 MX$808
-83.09%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$25.55 TZS 66.9K
$41.44 MX$772
-38.34%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$44.56 TZS 116.7K
$74.2 MX$1,382
-39.95%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$18.99 TZS 49.7K
$89.3 MX$1,663
-78.72%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Morogoro
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$75.2 TZS 197.1K
$980 MX$18.2K
-92.32%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
-
$381 MX$7,095
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$189 TZS 493.7K
$1,708 MX$31.8K
-88.96%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$94.9 TZS 248.4K
$1,075 MX$20.0K
-91.18%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$3,943 MX$73.5K
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$6,158 MX$114.7K
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Morogoro
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$306 TZS 800.9K
$735 MX$13.7K
-58.37%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
18.25
11.45
59.39%

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

Last update for Morogoro: October 25, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Morogoro
$122
Playa del Carmen
$255 108% $133
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Morogoro
$101
Playa del Carmen
$137 35.8% $36
Eating Out
Morogoro
$72
Playa del Carmen
$202 180% $130
Clothing & Footwear
Morogoro
$43
Playa del Carmen
$112 157% $68
Sport & Entertainment
Morogoro
$21
Playa del Carmen
$67 216% $46
Getting Around
Morogoro
$14
Playa del Carmen
$50 264% $37
Accommodation & Living
Morogoro
- *
Playa del Carmen
$381

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $75 in Morogoro versus $980 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 in Playa del Carmen are about 2.4 times higher, 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 in Morogoro versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $122 vs $255 – making Morogoro the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇹🇿 Morogoro
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🕒 Local time
12:40 12:40 PM
04:40 4:40 AM
8 h behind Morogoro
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
471,409
149,923
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to TZS – Tanzanian Shilling Converter

Tanzanian Shilling exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 2,619 TZS (10,000 TZS = 3.82 USD). 1 EUR = 2,923 TZS (10,000 TZS = 3.42 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18.63 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.79 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Morogoro Playa del Carmen 13,880 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Morogoro
  • 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
Morogoro vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Morogoro or Playa del Carmen?
Playa del Carmen costs about 222% more than Morogoro, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Morogoro and in Playa del Carmen?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $561 per month in Morogoro and $1,806 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Morogoro or Playa del Carmen?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Morogoro, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $75 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.
How do dining costs compare in Morogoro and in Playa del Carmen?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Morogoro and $43 in Playa del Carmen. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
How much does it cost to live in Morogoro compared to Playa del Carmen?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $374 in Morogoro and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Morogoro about 69% cheaper.
Can you live on $800/month in Morogoro or in Playa del Carmen?
A $800 monthly budget goes further in Morogoro, where all-in costs run around $374, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Morogoro it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Morogoro or Playa del Carmen?
It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $374 in Morogoro to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Should I move to Morogoro or to Playa del Carmen?
If budget matters most, go with Morogoro. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Playa del Carmen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

Morogoro vs other spots: cost of living compared

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