Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Fes

For one person, living is cheaper in Fes: $675 a month against $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $6,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index
33

Cost of Living Index in Fes
Learn more

Fes Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Fes

🇲🇦 Morocco

$675

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,210 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $675 in Fes, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,210
Fes $675

A couple spends around $2,113 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,042 in Fes, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,113
Fes $1,042

A family of three spends $3,016 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,408 in Fes, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $3,016
Fes $1,408

Playa del Carmen costs about 79% more than Fes, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Fes are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 10% lower, Fes 50% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.76 MX$199

$3.04 MAD 29.68

253.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.03 MX$795

$31.52 MAD 307

36.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$218

$6.09 MAD 59.4

93.60%

Cappuccino

$3.87 MX$71.4

$1.31 MAD 12.82

195.42%

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

$1.37 MX$25.29

$0.54 MAD 5.31

153.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 MX$15.44

$0.38 MAD 3.75

121.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.10 MX$57.3

$3.67 MAD 35.81

-15.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.07 MX$93.6

$4.20 MAD 40.98

20.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.55

$0.79 MAD 7.72

82.28%

White Bread (500g)

$2.23 MX$41.23

$0.54 MAD 5.26

312.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$1.74 MAD 16.99

-15.52%

Eggs

$2.53 MX$46.71

$1.87 MAD 18.27

35.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.30 MX$135

$9.74 MAD 95.0

-25.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.86 MX$145

$4.44 MAD 43.30

77.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.79 MX$236

$9.50 MAD 92.6

34.63%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.6

$1.89 MAD 18.46

53.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 MX$26.53

$1.57 MAD 15.31

-8.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.07

$1.08 MAD 10.53

136.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.06 MX$38.03

$1.05 MAD 10.21

96.19%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 MX$36.97

$0.91 MAD 8.89

119.78%

Onion (1kg)

$2.01 MX$37.07

$1.05 MAD 10.27

91.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 MX$22.02

$0.48 MAD 4.70

147.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 MX$23.23

$0.57 MAD 5.51

121.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 MX$81.4

$4.31 MAD 41.98

2.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.59 MX$177

$4.52 MAD 44.08

112.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.41

$2.67 MAD 26.07

-40.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 MX$51.9

$3.16 MAD 30.85

-11.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 MX$10.47

$0.39 MAD 3.83

46.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.82 MX$514

$10.14 MAD 98.9

174.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.98 MX$92.1

$0.64 MAD 6.24

678.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.50 MX$64.6

$0.75 MAD 7.28

366.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.40 MX$99.8

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.08

$1.44 MAD 14.00

2.08%

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

$21.0K MX$387.8K

$34.9K MAD 339.9K

-39.80%

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

$23.9K MX$441.8K

$34.5K MAD 336.5K

-30.73%

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

$84.2 MX$1,556

$32.49 MAD 317

159.19%

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

$23.99 MX$443

$10.33 MAD 101

132.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.02 MX$536

$35.45 MAD 346

-18.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.0 MX$1,164

$26.35 MAD 257

139.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.14 MX$539

$19.30 MAD 188

50.98%

Cinema Ticket

$4.94 MX$91.3

$5.03 MAD 49.00

-1.79%

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

$204 MX$3,763

$94.6 MAD 922

115.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,941 MX$72.8K

$6,313 MAD 61.6K

-37.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.60 MX$806

$19.29 MAD 188

126.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.12 MX$797

$52.4 MAD 511

-17.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.8 MX$1,400

$81.8 MAD 797

-7.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.6 MX$1,637

$56.7 MAD 552

56.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 MX$18.6K

$313 MAD 3,050

222.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$374 MX$6,911

$183 MAD 1,782

104.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.6K

$539 MAD 5,252

217.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,106 MX$20.4K

$249 MAD 2,431

343.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,944 MX$72.9K

$724 MAD 7,062

444.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,169 MX$114.0K

$342 MAD 3,333

1704.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$754 MX$13.9K

$483 MAD 4,709

56.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

129.00%

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 Fes: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9%

Fes

$183 27.1% 51.1% $191

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4%

Fes

$178 26.4% 31% $80

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7%

Fes

$89 13.2% 56.1% $113

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3%

Fes

$78 11.6% 43% $59

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3%

Fes

$95 14% 16.3% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$73 6%

Fes

$36 5.4% 50% $36

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3%

Fes

$16 2.4% 69.4% $36

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,008 in Playa del Carmen versus $313 in Fes. 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 56% 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 $32.00 in Fes. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $178 – making Fes the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇲🇦 Fes

🕒 Local time

17:10 5:10 PM

23:10 11:10 PM

6 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

1,167,842

💱 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 17, 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 17, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Fes 8,040 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Fes

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 Fes: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen costs about 79% more than Fes, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,816 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,013 in Fes. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Fes, 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 $43.00 in Playa del Carmen and $32.00 in Fes. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,210 in Playa del Carmen and $675 in Fes. That's a gap of about 79%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Fes, where all-in costs run around $675, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,210. In Fes it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Fes costs $675 versus $1,210 in Playa del Carmen. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 Fes. 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.