Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Ait Melloul

For one person, living is cheaper in Ait Melloul: $693 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
32

Cost of Living Index in Ait Melloul
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Ait Melloul Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Ait Melloul

🇲🇦 Morocco

$693

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Ait Melloul

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $693 in Ait Melloul.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Ait Melloul $693

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,042 in Ait Melloul.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Ait Melloul $1,042

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,392 in Ait Melloul.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Ait Melloul $1,392

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 74% more expensive than in Ait Melloul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Ait Melloul 49% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$203

$3.88 MAD 38.21

181.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$807

$25.49 MAD 251

70.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$219

$6.07 MAD 59.8

94.07%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$70.9

$2.17 MAD 21.38

75.58%

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

$1.28 MX$23.87

$0.88 MAD 8.63

45.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.57

$0.37 MAD 3.61

110.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.0

$5.18 MAD 51.0

-38.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.9

$4.38 MAD 43.18

12.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.18

$0.80 MAD 7.83

76.25%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.27

$0.50 MAD 4.91

344.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.38

$1.49 MAD 14.63

-4.70%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$46.96

$1.68 MAD 16.57

50.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$7.62 MAD 75.1

-4.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$5.28 MAD 52.0

45.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$236

$11.44 MAD 113

10.93%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.8

$1.29 MAD 12.70

115.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.47

$1.13 MAD 11.12

21.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.49

$0.90 MAD 8.90

183.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.52

$0.77 MAD 7.63

175.32%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.08

$0.71 MAD 6.99

173.24%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.11

$0.75 MAD 7.42

152.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.34

$0.25 MAD 2.47

360.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.95

$0.54 MAD 5.32

118.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.0

$4.12 MAD 40.59

4.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

$7.52 MAD 74.1

32.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.48

$2.30 MAD 22.64

-31.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.72

$3.36 MAD 33.08

-20.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.30

$0.42 MAD 4.13

30.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$495

$19.47 MAD 192

36.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.5

$0.64 MAD 6.31

676.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.0

$0.63 MAD 6.24

428.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.7

$7.15 MAD 70.5

-25.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.88

$1.47 MAD 14.48

-2.04%

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

$20.7K MX$384.7K

$30.5K MAD 300.8K

-32.33%

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

$23.5K MX$436.8K

$30.9K MAD 304.3K

-24.05%

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

$84.8 MX$1,578

$24.05 MAD 237

252.56%

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

$23.41 MX$436

$8.97 MAD 88.4

160.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$533

$28.86 MAD 284

-0.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,062

$22.95 MAD 226

148.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$538

$23.46 MAD 231

23.23%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.7

$5.14 MAD 50.7

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

$207 MX$3,845

$68.6 MAD 676

201.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.1K

$1,845 MAD 18.2K

112.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$807

$31.19 MAD 307

38.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$771

$43.82 MAD 432

-5.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,381

$57.7 MAD 568

28.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,661

$46.44 MAD 457

92.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.2K

$284 MAD 2,798

244.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,089

$203 MAD 2,000

87.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

$436 MAD 4,295

291.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

$259 MAD 2,550

315.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.4K

$1,153 MAD 11.4K

241.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.6K

$812 MAD 8,000

658.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

4.5

154.44%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Last update for Ait Melloul: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Ait Melloul

$203 29.3% 46.7% $178

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Ait Melloul

$174 25.2% 31.6% $81

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Ait Melloul

$115 16.6% 43.2% $87

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Ait Melloul

$62 8.9% 54.8% $75

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Ait Melloul

$81 11.6% 27.9% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Ait Melloul

$33 4.8% 50.6% $34

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Ait Melloul

$25 3.6% 50.5% $26

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $980 in Playa del Carmen and $284 in Ait Melloul. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $43 in Playa del Carmen vs $25 in Ait Melloul for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $255 vs $174 per month, with Ait Melloul cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇲🇦 Ait Melloul

🕒 Local time

18:55 6:55 PM

23:55 11:55 PM

5 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

171,847

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Moroccan Dirham MAD د.م.

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

100 MAD = 10.15 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 October 27, 2026: 1 USD = 18.62 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

Moroccan Dirham exchange rates as of October 27, 2026: 1 USD = 9.85 MAD (1 MAD = 0.102 USD). 1 EUR = 10.98 MAD (100 MAD = 9.11 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Ait Melloul 7,720 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Ait Melloul

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

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

Ait Melloul is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and leisure. The 74% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,806 in Playa del Carmen and $1,039 in Ait Melloul to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $284 in Ait Melloul. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $207 in Playa del Carmen versus $69 in Ait Melloul. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 46% higher in Playa del Carmen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $693 in Ait Melloul versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ait Melloul but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Ait Melloul 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 Ait Melloul gentler on the wallet – expenses run 42% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.