Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and El Jadida

For one person, living is cheaper in El Jadida: $613 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $7,100 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
29

Cost of Living Index in El Jadida
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El Jadida Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

El Jadida

🇲🇦 Morocco

$613

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in El Jadida

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $613 in El Jadida.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
El Jadida $613

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $921 in El Jadida.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
El Jadida $921

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,230 in El Jadida.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
El Jadida $1,230

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 96% more expensive than in El Jadida, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 12% lower, El Jadida 55% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$203

$2.74 MAD 26.95

298.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$808

$20.55 MAD 202

111.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$219

$5.97 MAD 58.8

97.32%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.0

$1.51 MAD 14.85

152.32%

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

$1.28 MX$23.89

$0.42 MAD 4.11

204.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.58

$0.30 MAD 2.97

160.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.0

$2.62 MAD 25.77

20.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.9

$2.51 MAD 24.70

96.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.20

$0.98 MAD 9.66

43.88%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.30

$0.36 MAD 3.58

516.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.40

$1.96 MAD 19.32

-27.55%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.00

$1.88 MAD 18.54

34.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$6.26 MAD 61.6

15.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$4.02 MAD 39.59

91.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$236

$7.50 MAD 73.8

69.20%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.9

$1.51 MAD 14.84

84.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.49

$1.41 MAD 13.83

-2.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.52

$0.65 MAD 6.36

292.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.55

$0.64 MAD 6.27

231.25%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.11

$0.68 MAD 6.65

185.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.13

$0.50 MAD 4.94

278.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.36

$0.30 MAD 2.92

283.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.96

$0.51 MAD 5.04

131.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.0

$3.76 MAD 37.00

14.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

$3.97 MAD 39.04

150.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.50

$2.48 MAD 24.39

-36.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.76

$2.83 MAD 27.82

-5.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

$0.44 MAD 4.38

25.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

$15.98 MAD 157

66.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.6

$1.04 MAD 10.20

377.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.1

$1.04 MAD 10.24

220.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.8

$4.96 MAD 48.77

8.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.90

$1.48 MAD 14.60

-2.70%

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

$20.7K MX$385.0K

$33.7K MAD 331.9K

-38.72%

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

$23.5K MX$437.2K

$29.7K MAD 292.8K

-21.12%

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

$84.8 MX$1,580

$28.15 MAD 277

201.21%

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

$23.41 MX$436

$9.90 MAD 97.4

136.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$534

$30.58 MAD 301

-6.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,063

$27.51 MAD 271

107.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

$11.73 MAD 115

146.46%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.7

$6.25 MAD 61.5

-17.76%

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

$207 MX$3,848

$111 MAD 1,093

85.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.2K

$3,097 MAD 30.5K

26.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$808

$26.67 MAD 263

62.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$772

$35.40 MAD 348

17.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,382

$64.3 MAD 633

15.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,663

$68.3 MAD 672

30.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.2K

$203 MAD 1,996

382.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,095

$165 MAD 1,628

130.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

$361 MAD 3,556

372.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

$226 MAD 2,221

376.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

$1,544 MAD 15.2K

155.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.7K

$774 MAD 7,621

695.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

$460 MAD 4,523

59.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

5.5

108.18%

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 El Jadida: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

El Jadida

$165 27% 56.6% $215

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

El Jadida

$148 24.2% 41.8% $106

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

El Jadida

$79 12.9% 61% $123

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

El Jadida

$69 11.2% 49.8% $68

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

El Jadida

$88 14.3% 21.6% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

El Jadida

$40 6.5% 40.6% $27

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

El Jadida

$24 3.9% 52.4% $26

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $980 in Playa del Carmen and $203 in El Jadida. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays 60% 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: $43 in Playa del Carmen vs $21 in El Jadida for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $255 vs $148 per month, with El Jadida cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇲🇦 El Jadida

🕒 Local time

21:51 9:51 PM

02:51 2:51 AM

5 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

237,464

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Moroccan Dirham MAD د.م.

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

100 MAD = 10.16 USD

100 MAD = 9.13 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 = 18.63 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.74 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

Moroccan Dirham exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 9.84 MAD (1 MAD = 0.102 USD). 1 EUR = 10.96 MAD (100 MAD = 9.13 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen El Jadida 7,740 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
El Jadida

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 El Jadida: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

El Jadida wins on cost – living expenses run 49% lower than in Playa del Carmen. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making El Jadida the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 60% higher in Playa del Carmen, 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: $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $203 in El Jadida. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 72% higher in Playa del Carmen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in El Jadida – a meal for two runs $21 versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $613 in El Jadida versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, a $800 budget is realistic in El Jadida but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes El Jadida 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 El Jadida gentler on the wallet – expenses run 49% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.