Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Berkane

For one person, living is cheaper in Berkane: $726 a month against $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,210
/mo nomad
Berkane
🇲🇦 Morocco
$726
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Berkane actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,210 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $726 in Berkane, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $1,210
  • Berkane $726

A couple spends around $2,113 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,107 in Berkane, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,113
  • Berkane $1,107

A family of three spends $3,016 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,488 in Berkane, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $3,016
  • Berkane $1,488

Playa del Carmen costs about 67% more than Berkane, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Berkane are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 10% lower, Berkane 46% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Berkane
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.76 MX$199
$6.39 MAD 62.3
68.39%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$43.03 MX$795
$17.13 MAD 167
151.20%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.79 MX$218
$5.94 MAD 57.9
98.48%
Cappuccino
$3.87 MX$71.4
$1.85 MAD 18.00
109.19%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.37 MX$25.29
$0.56 MAD 5.48
144.64%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.84 MX$15.44
$0.37 MAD 3.58
127.03%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.10 MX$57.3
$3.71 MAD 36.20
-16.44%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.07 MX$93.6
$3.55 MAD 34.59
42.82%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Berkane
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.44 MX$26.55
$0.91 MAD 8.85
58.24%
White Bread (500g)
$2.23 MX$41.23
$0.50 MAD 4.90
346.00%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.47 MX$27.17
$1.86 MAD 18.11
-20.97%
Eggs
$2.53 MX$46.71
$1.91 MAD 18.58
32.46%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.30 MX$135
$8.88 MAD 86.6
-17.79%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.86 MX$145
$6.18 MAD 60.2
27.18%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.79 MX$236
$11.24 MAD 110
13.79%
Apples (1kg)
$2.90 MX$53.6
$1.50 MAD 14.63
93.33%
Banana (1kg)
$1.44 MX$26.53
$1.43 MAD 13.92
0.70%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.55 MX$47.07
$0.80 MAD 7.80
218.75%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.06 MX$38.03
$0.72 MAD 7.04
186.11%
Potato (1kg)
$2.00 MX$36.97
$0.71 MAD 6.95
181.69%
Onion (1kg)
$2.01 MX$37.07
$0.73 MAD 7.13
175.34%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.19 MX$22.02
$0.40 MAD 3.90
197.50%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.26 MX$23.23
$0.58 MAD 5.66
117.24%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.40 MX$81.4
$4.15 MAD 40.42
6.02%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.59 MX$177
$7.70 MAD 75.1
24.55%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.59 MX$29.41
$2.39 MAD 23.29
-33.47%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.81 MX$51.9
$2.58 MAD 25.12
8.91%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Berkane
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.57 MX$10.47
$0.51 MAD 4.98
11.76%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$27.82 MX$514
$20.95 MAD 204
32.79%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.98 MX$92.1
$0.70 MAD 6.84
611.43%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.50 MX$64.6
$0.79 MAD 7.72
343.04%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.40 MX$99.8
$4.66 MAD 45.42
15.88%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.47 MX$27.08
$1.49 MAD 14.53
-1.34%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.0K MX$387.8K
$34.5K MAD 336.7K
-39.23%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.9K MX$441.8K
$31.2K MAD 304.4K
-23.43%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Berkane
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$84.2 MX$1,556
$33.23 MAD 324
153.42%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.99 MX$443
$10.07 MAD 98.2
138.23%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$29.02 MX$536
$36.36 MAD 355
-20.19%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Berkane
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$63.0 MX$1,164
$26.36 MAD 257
138.92%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$29.14 MX$539
$21.38 MAD 208
36.30%
Cinema Ticket
$4.94 MX$91.3
$5.18 MAD 50.5
-4.63%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Berkane
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$204 MX$3,763
$110 MAD 1,069
85.74%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,941 MX$72.8K
$5,704 MAD 55.6K
-30.91%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Berkane
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$43.60 MX$806
$31.71 MAD 309
37.50%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$43.12 MX$797
$41.72 MAD 407
3.36%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$75.8 MX$1,400
$86.1 MAD 839
-11.96%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.6 MX$1,637
$64.6 MAD 630
37.20%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Berkane
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,008 MX$18.6K
$268 MAD 2,610
276.61%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$374 MX$6,911
$173 MAD 1,682
116.77%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,708 MX$31.6K
$463 MAD 4,517
268.75%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,106 MX$20.4K
$271 MAD 2,638
308.83%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,944 MX$72.9K
$1,147 MAD 11.2K
243.79%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,169 MX$114.0K
$778 MAD 7,586
692.92%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Berkane
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$754 MX$13.9K
$273 MAD 2,663
176.09%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.45
4.55
151.65%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Last update for Berkane: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
$374
Berkane
$173 53.9% $201
Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
$258
Berkane
$188 27.3% $71
Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
$202
Berkane
$120 40.4% $82
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
$137
Berkane
$80 41.9% $58
Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
$113
Berkane
$101 10.8% $12
Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
$73
Berkane
$37 49.6% $36
Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
$53
Berkane
$28 47.4% $25

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,008 in Playa del Carmen versus $268 in Berkane. 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 176% 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 $43.00 in Playa del Carmen versus $17.00 in Berkane. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $188 – making Berkane the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🇲🇦 Berkane
🕒 Local time
10:42 10:42 AM
16:42 4:42 PM
6 h ahead of Playa del Carmen
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
149,923
109,237
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MAD, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Moroccan Dirham exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 9.75 MAD (1 MAD = 0.103 USD). 1 EUR = 10.96 MAD (100 MAD = 9.12 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Playa del Carmen Berkane 8,250 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Playa del Carmen
  • Berkane

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 Berkane: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Berkane cheaper than Playa del Carmen?
Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 67%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,816 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,089 in Berkane. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Berkane, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Is eating out cheaper in Playa del Carmen or in Berkane?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $43.00 in Playa del Carmen and $17.00 in Berkane. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
What are total monthly expenses in Playa del Carmen and in Berkane?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,210 in Playa del Carmen and $726 in Berkane. That's a gap of about 67%.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Playa del Carmen or in Berkane?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Berkane, where all-in costs run around $726, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,210. In Berkane it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Playa del Carmen or Berkane more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Berkane – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is safer, Playa del Carmen or Berkane?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Berkane. 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.

Playa del Carmen vs other spots: cost of living compared

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