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 53% more expensive than Essaouira without rent, and 51.3% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 59.8% more expensive than Essaouira without rent, and 84.9% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Essaouira
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.61 MX$200
$4.30 MAD 39.57
170.00%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.75 MX$738
$25.44 MAD 234
68.04%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.60 MX$183
$4.82 MAD 44.42
119.92%
Cappuccino
$3.59 MX$62.0
$1.76 MAD 16.19
103.98%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.45 MX$25.08
$0.49 MAD 4.50
195.92%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.90 MX$15.50
$0.26 MAD 2.39
246.15%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.03 MX$52.4
$3.93 MAD 36.17
-22.90%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.56 MX$78.8
$3.71 MAD 34.15
22.91%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Essaouira
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.45 MX$25.07
$0.80 MAD 7.33
81.25%
White Bread (500g)
$1.83 MX$31.55
$0.52 MAD 4.79
251.92%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.61 MX$27.77
$1.70 MAD 15.68
-5.29%
Eggs
$2.54 MX$43.82
$1.82 MAD 16.72
39.56%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.54 MX$148
$9.68 MAD 89.2
-11.78%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.47 MX$146
$5.34 MAD 49.18
58.61%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.86 MX$188
$11.45 MAD 105
-5.15%
Apples (1kg)
$2.73 MX$47.13
$1.40 MAD 12.91
95.00%
Banana (1kg)
$1.49 MX$25.77
$1.27 MAD 11.70
17.32%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.94 MX$33.55
$0.72 MAD 6.59
169.44%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.16 MX$37.38
$0.89 MAD 8.16
142.70%
Potato (1kg)
$1.85 MX$31.88
$0.65 MAD 5.98
184.62%
Onion (1kg)
$2.19 MX$37.80
$0.92 MAD 8.49
138.04%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 MX$18.52
$0.40 MAD 3.66
167.50%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.08 MX$18.71
$0.54 MAD 4.96
100.00%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.06 MX$70.1
$4.09 MAD 37.63
-0.73%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.46 MX$181
$6.29 MAD 58.0
66.30%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.65 MX$28.56
$1.90 MAD 17.51
-13.16%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.55 MX$44.01
$2.22 MAD 20.41
14.86%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Essaouira
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.56 MX$9.60
$0.91 MAD 8.40
-38.46%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.20 MX$453
$16.70 MAD 154
56.89%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.14 MX$54.2
$0.64 MAD 5.94
390.63%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.37 MX$40.96
$0.48 MAD 4.46
393.75%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.24 MX$56.0
$8.67 MAD 79.8
-62.63%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.31 MX$22.70
$1.58 MAD 14.58
-17.09%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.5K MX$527.4K
$37.7K MAD 347.4K
-19.04%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.8K MX$411.4K
$20.8K MAD 191.2K
14.73%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Essaouira
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$83.1 MX$1,436
$28.17 MAD 259
195.14%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.15 MX$383
$13.86 MAD 128
59.81%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$29.37 MX$507
$28.60 MAD 263
2.69%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Essaouira
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.2 MX$884
$22.14 MAD 204
131.21%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.69 MX$323
$22.79 MAD 210
-17.99%
Cinema Ticket
$4.89 MX$84.4
$6.72 MAD 61.9
-27.23%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Essaouira
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$199 MX$3,431
$77.7 MAD 716
155.59%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,207 MX$89.9K
$1,931 MAD 17.8K
169.63%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Essaouira
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.93 MX$621
$31.32 MAD 288
14.72%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.39 MX$680
$39.08 MAD 360
0.79%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$80.3 MX$1,387
$47.79 MAD 440
68.03%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$87.6 MX$1,512
$43.38 MAD 400
101.84%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Essaouira
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$963 MX$16.6K
$388 MAD 3,572
148.41%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$482 MX$8,326
$349 MAD 3,217
38.05%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,645 MX$28.4K
$789 MAD 7,263
108.61%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,192 MX$20.6K
$554 MAD 5,102
115.17%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,957 MX$68.3K
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,513 MX$112.5K
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Essaouira
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$726 MX$12.5K
$270 MAD 2,491
168.56%
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: April 12, 2026

Last update for Essaouira: April 12, 2026

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 other spots: cost of living compared

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