Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Essaouira Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Essaouira

😐 Solo nomad: Playa del Carmen is 58.2% more expensive than Essaouira without rent, and 55.2% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 62.1% more expensive than Essaouira without rent, and 80.6% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Essaouira
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.85 MX$209
$4.44 MAD 41.24
166.89%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.16 MX$744
$24.63 MAD 229
71.17%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.75 MX$190
$5.02 MAD 46.63
114.14%
Cappuccino
$3.47 MX$61.3
$1.79 MAD 16.59
93.85%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.45 MX$25.65
$0.49 MAD 4.51
195.92%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.90 MX$15.93
$0.26 MAD 2.41
246.15%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.05 MX$53.9
$3.76 MAD 34.90
-18.88%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.42 MX$77.9
$3.74 MAD 34.66
18.18%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Essaouira
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.37 MX$24.17
$0.85 MAD 7.87
61.18%
White Bread (500g)
$1.87 MX$33.05
$0.50 MAD 4.64
274.00%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.54 MX$27.25
$1.72 MAD 15.92
-10.47%
Eggs
$2.50 MX$44.18
$1.88 MAD 17.41
32.98%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.61 MX$152
$9.31 MAD 86.4
-7.52%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.63 MX$152
$5.34 MAD 49.59
61.61%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.02 MX$195
$11.24 MAD 104
-1.96%
Apples (1kg)
$2.75 MX$48.53
$1.43 MAD 13.27
92.31%
Banana (1kg)
$1.43 MX$25.21
$1.22 MAD 11.31
17.21%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.87 MX$33.05
$0.78 MAD 7.25
139.74%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.17 MX$38.26
$0.89 MAD 8.25
143.82%
Potato (1kg)
$1.88 MX$33.23
$0.70 MAD 6.49
168.57%
Onion (1kg)
$2.25 MX$39.65
$0.84 MAD 7.84
167.86%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 MX$18.85
$0.36 MAD 3.36
197.22%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.07 MX$18.95
$0.55 MAD 5.06
94.55%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.15 MX$73.3
$4.16 MAD 38.61
-0.24%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.34 MX$182
$6.38 MAD 59.2
62.07%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.68 MX$29.64
$1.92 MAD 17.81
-12.50%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.48 MX$43.84
$2.24 MAD 20.82
10.71%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Essaouira
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.55 MX$9.80
$0.89 MAD 8.28
-38.20%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.53 MX$468
$16.34 MAD 152
62.36%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.22 MX$56.8
$0.68 MAD 6.35
373.53%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.48 MX$43.80
$0.49 MAD 4.52
406.12%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.11 MX$54.9
$8.71 MAD 80.9
-64.29%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.26 MX$22.16
$1.54 MAD 14.27
-18.18%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.7K MX$541.1K
$37.4K MAD 346.7K
-17.94%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.0K MX$424.3K
$20.8K MAD 193.2K
15.48%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Essaouira
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$82.5 MX$1,456
$28.29 MAD 263
191.55%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.29 MX$393
$14.16 MAD 131
57.42%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.02 MX$530
$28.77 MAD 267
4.34%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Essaouira
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.4 MX$908
$21.89 MAD 203
134.99%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.29 MX$323
$23.16 MAD 215
-21.03%
Cinema Ticket
$4.98 MX$88.0
$6.74 MAD 62.5
-26.11%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Essaouira
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$200 MX$3,530
$76.4 MAD 709
161.77%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,304 MX$93.6K
$1,961 MAD 18.2K
170.49%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Essaouira
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.71 MX$630
$30.47 MAD 283
17.20%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.56 MX$698
$38.55 MAD 358
2.62%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$80.6 MX$1,422
$48.04 MAD 446
67.67%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.3 MX$1,559
$44.33 MAD 411
99.23%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Essaouira
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$969 MX$17.1K
$383 MAD 3,551
153.36%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$482 MX$8,511
$350 MAD 3,246
37.87%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,595 MX$28.2K
$792 MAD 7,348
101.45%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,184 MX$20.9K
$559 MAD 5,188
111.75%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,050 MX$71.5K
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,522 MX$115.1K
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Essaouira
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$756 MX$13.4K
$274 MAD 2,543
175.98%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.42
5.5
107.64%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: March 3, 2026

Last update for Essaouira: February 28, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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