Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Meknes

For one person, living is cheaper in Meknes: $732 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Meknes
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Meknes Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Meknes

🇲🇦 Morocco

$732

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $732 in Meknes.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Meknes $732

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,096 in Meknes.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Meknes $1,096

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,460 in Meknes.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Meknes $1,460

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 65% more expensive than in Meknes, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Meknes 46% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$2.59 MAD 25.49

321.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$814

$15.47 MAD 152

180.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$6.21 MAD 61.0

89.69%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.5

$1.76 MAD 17.34

116.48%

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

$1.28 MX$24.07

$0.95 MAD 9.30

34.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.70

$0.55 MAD 5.39

41.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

$2.98 MAD 29.29

6.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$3.63 MAD 35.71

35.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.40

$0.80 MAD 7.85

76.25%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.62

$0.37 MAD 3.67

500.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.61

$1.28 MAD 12.54

10.94%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.36

$1.79 MAD 17.61

40.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$136

$11.05 MAD 109

-34.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$144

$5.13 MAD 50.4

50.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$238

$9.13 MAD 89.8

38.99%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

$1.19 MAD 11.69

133.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.68

$1.31 MAD 12.91

4.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.89

$0.65 MAD 6.35

292.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.86

$0.71 MAD 6.97

198.59%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.39

$0.56 MAD 5.54

246.43%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.41

$0.51 MAD 5.02

270.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.53

$0.48 MAD 4.75

139.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.13

$0.54 MAD 5.30

118.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.6

$3.98 MAD 39.11

8.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

$8.07 MAD 79.4

23.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.73

$2.36 MAD 23.20

-33.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.1

$2.61 MAD 25.61

2.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.39

$0.39 MAD 3.87

41.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

$15.11 MAD 148

76.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.3

$0.69 MAD 6.74

620.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.5

$0.32 MAD 3.17

940.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

$4.56 MAD 44.84

17.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.11

$1.38 MAD 13.54

4.35%

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

$20.7K MX$388.0K

$31.0K MAD 304.2K

-33.23%

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

$23.5K MX$440.5K

$30.4K MAD 298.6K

-22.75%

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

$84.8 MX$1,592

$45.53 MAD 448

86.23%

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

$23.41 MX$439

$9.78 MAD 96.2

139.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$538

$37.13 MAD 365

-22.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,071

$27.67 MAD 272

106.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

$31.74 MAD 312

-8.92%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.5

$4.18 MAD 41.08

22.97%

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

$207 MX$3,878

$122 MAD 1,204

68.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.7K

$5,612 MAD 55.2K

-30.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$814

$58.2 MAD 572

-25.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$778

$44.01 MAD 433

-5.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,393

$90.6 MAD 890

-18.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,676

$60.2 MAD 592

48.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$343 MAD 3,369

185.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,150

$207 MAD 2,039

83.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

$600 MAD 5,898

184.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

$323 MAD 3,179

232.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.0K

$950 MAD 9,337

315.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.6K

$592 MAD 5,818

940.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

$468 MAD 4,604

56.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

4.5

154.44%

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 Meknes: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Meknes

$207 28.3% 45.5% $173

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Meknes

$174 23.8% 31.5% $80

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Meknes

$89 12.1% 56.2% $114

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Meknes

$92 12.6% 32.5% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Meknes

$114 15.6% 1.9% $2.1

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Meknes

$36 4.9% 46.5% $31

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Meknes

$19 2.6% 62.4% $31

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $980 in Playa del Carmen and $343 in Meknes. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays 57% 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 $15 in Meknes for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $255 vs $174 per month, with Meknes cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇲🇦 Meknes

🕒 Local time

13:30 1:30 PM

18:30 6:30 PM

5 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

520,428

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Moroccan Dirham MAD د.م.

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

100 MAD = 10.17 USD

100 MAD = 9.11 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 31, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Moroccan Dirham exchange rates as of October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 9.83 MAD (1 MAD = 0.102 USD). 1 EUR = 10.98 MAD (100 MAD = 9.11 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Meknes 7,990 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Meknes

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 Meknes: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Meknes wins on cost – living expenses run 39% lower than in Playa del Carmen. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Meknes the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 57% 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 $343 in Meknes. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Meknes – a meal for two runs $15 versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen versus $732 in Meknes – Meknes is about 39% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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 Meknes gentler on the wallet – expenses run 39% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.