Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Essaouira

For one person, living is cheaper in Essaouira: $781 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in Essaouira
Learn more

Essaouira Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Essaouira

🇲🇦 Morocco

$781

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $781 in Essaouira, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Essaouira $781

A couple spends around $2,102 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,172 in Essaouira, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,102
Essaouira $1,172

A family of three spends $3,000 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,563 in Essaouira, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $3,000
Essaouira $1,563

Playa del Carmen costs about 54% more than Essaouira, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Playa del Carmen and Essaouira are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Essaouira 42% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.86 MX$201

$4.52 MAD 44.11

140.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.21 MX$817

$18.78 MAD 183

135.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.76 MX$217

$7.36 MAD 71.8

59.78%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.0

$1.33 MAD 12.92

176.69%

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

$1.34 MX$24.79

$0.46 MAD 4.49

191.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 MX$15.24

$0.37 MAD 3.64

121.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 MX$56.6

$5.10 MAD 49.73

-40.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.94 MX$91.2

$4.39 MAD 42.83

12.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$0.91 MAD 8.87

61.54%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$40.95

$0.52 MAD 5.08

326.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 MX$27.32

$1.67 MAD 16.33

-11.38%

Eggs

$2.49 MX$45.99

$1.62 MAD 15.76

53.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.52 MX$139

$8.12 MAD 79.1

-7.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.96 MX$147

$5.92 MAD 57.8

34.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 MX$232

$10.67 MAD 104

17.81%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.3

$1.28 MAD 12.50

117.19%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MX$26.37

$1.17 MAD 11.45

22.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 MX$48.37

$0.66 MAD 6.45

296.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.49

$0.77 MAD 7.48

177.92%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.38

$0.58 MAD 5.67

248.28%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.74

$0.70 MAD 6.79

184.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.01

$0.35 MAD 3.41

225.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 MX$22.18

$0.59 MAD 5.72

103.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 MX$78.7

$3.85 MAD 37.58

10.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.02 MX$185

$5.98 MAD 58.3

67.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.41

$1.70 MAD 16.58

-9.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 MX$49.17

$2.09 MAD 20.34

27.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 MX$9.73

$0.85 MAD 8.32

-37.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$508

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 MX$90.6

$0.62 MAD 6.09

690.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.43 MX$63.5

$0.64 MAD 6.23

435.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.38 MX$99.4

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 MX$26.76

$1.48 MAD 14.46

-2.03%

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

$21.2K MX$391.0K

$31.0K MAD 302.6K

-31.82%

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

$23.0K MX$425.3K

$32.1K MAD 313.0K

-28.30%

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

$85.4 MX$1,577

$24.14 MAD 235

253.60%

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

$23.46 MX$434

$16.96 MAD 165

38.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.43 MX$525

$29.95 MAD 292

-5.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.2 MX$1,149

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

Cinema Ticket

$5.10 MX$94.3

$5.10 MAD 49.70

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

$201 MX$3,715

$67.8 MAD 661

196.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,947 MX$72.9K

$1,803 MAD 17.6K

118.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.39 MX$820

$29.33 MAD 286

51.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.35 MX$764

$42.93 MAD 419

-3.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.7 MX$1,344

$59.1 MAD 576

23.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.6 MX$1,656

$40.42 MAD 394

121.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$979 MX$18.1K

$386 MAD 3,760

153.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 MX$6,887

$334 MAD 3,259

11.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,681 MX$31.1K

$913 MAD 8,905

84.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,095 MX$20.2K

$569 MAD 5,547

92.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,949 MX$73.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,137 MX$113.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$738 MX$13.6K

$254 MAD 2,479

190.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

6.5

76.15%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 17, 2026

Last update for Essaouira: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$373 31%

Essaouira

$334 42.8% 10.3% $38

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5%

Essaouira

$170 21.7% 34.4% $89

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6%

Essaouira

$112 14.3% 44.2% $88

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Essaouira

$71 9.1% 48.2% $66

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Essaouira

$77 9.9% 30.8% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$72 6%

Essaouira

$10 * 1.3% 85.9% $62

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3%

Essaouira

$7.2 * 0.9% 86% $44

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $979 in Playa del Carmen versus $386 in Essaouira. 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 190% 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 $44.00 in Playa del Carmen versus $19.00 in Essaouira. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $170 – making Essaouira the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇲🇦 Essaouira

🕒 Local time

08:17 8:17 AM

14:17 2:17 PM

6 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

77,966

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Moroccan Dirham MAD د.م.

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100 MAD = 10.26 USD

100 MAD = 9.12 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 22, 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 22, 2026: 1 USD = 9.75 MAD (1 MAD = 0.103 USD). 1 EUR = 10.96 MAD (100 MAD = 9.12 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Essaouira 7,670 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Essaouira

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 Essaouira: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 54%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,172 in Essaouira. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Essaouira, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44.00 in Playa del Carmen and $19.00 in Essaouira. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 52% more in Playa del Carmen, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Essaouira, where all-in costs run around $781, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Essaouira it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Essaouira – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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.

If budget matters most, go with Essaouira. 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.