Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Nouadhibou

For one person, living is cheaper in Nouadhibou: $268 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $11,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

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

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Nouadhibou

🇲🇷 Mauritania

$268

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,210 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $268 in Nouadhibou, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,210
Nouadhibou $268

A couple spends around $2,113 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $494 in Nouadhibou, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,113
Nouadhibou $494

A family of three spends $3,016 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $720 in Nouadhibou, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $3,016
Nouadhibou $720

Playa del Carmen costs about 351% more than Nouadhibou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Playa del Carmen and Nouadhibou are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 10% lower, Nouadhibou 80% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.86 MX$201

$2.95 MRU 118

268.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.21 MX$817

$17.06 MRU 683

159.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.76 MX$217

$5.92 MRU 237

98.65%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.0

$2.55 MRU 102

44.31%

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

$1.34 MX$24.79

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 MX$15.24

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 MX$56.6

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.94 MX$91.2

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$1.23 MRU 49.19

19.51%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$40.95

$0.35 MRU 14.17

534.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 MX$27.32

$1.11 MRU 44.42

33.33%

Eggs

$2.49 MX$45.99

$2.11 MRU 84.6

18.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.52 MX$139

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.96 MX$147

$2.73 MRU 109

191.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 MX$232

$6.30 MRU 252

99.52%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.3

$1.79 MRU 71.5

55.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MX$26.37

$1.53 MRU 61.2

-6.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 MX$48.37

$1.10 MRU 43.90

138.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.49

$0.74 MRU 29.45

189.19%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.38

$0.76 MRU 30.63

165.79%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.74

$0.68 MRU 27.32

192.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.01

$0.65 MRU 26.00

75.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 MX$22.18

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 MX$78.7

$2.56 MRU 103

66.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.02 MX$185

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.41

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 MX$49.17

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 MX$9.73

$0.36 MRU 14.25

47.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$508

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 MX$90.6

$0.90 MRU 36.19

444.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.43 MX$63.5

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.38 MX$99.4

$7.27 MRU 291

-26.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 MX$26.76

$1.20 MRU 48.25

20.83%

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

$21.2K MX$391.0K

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

$23.0K MX$425.3K

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

$85.4 MX$1,577

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

$23.46 MX$434

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.43 MX$525

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

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

$201 MX$3,715

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,947 MX$72.9K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.39 MX$820

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.35 MX$764

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.7 MX$1,344

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.6 MX$1,656

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$979 MX$18.1K

$65.6 MRU 2,627

1393.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 MX$6,887

$100 MRU 4,010

272.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,681 MX$31.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,095 MX$20.2K

$248 MRU 9,938

341.46%

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

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

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 Nouadhibou: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$373 31%

Nouadhibou

–

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5%

Nouadhibou

–

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6%

Nouadhibou

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Nouadhibou

–

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Nouadhibou

–

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$72 6%

Nouadhibou

–

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3%

Nouadhibou

–

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,008 in Playa del Carmen versus $65.6 in Nouadhibou. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43.00 in Playa del Carmen versus $17.00 in Nouadhibou. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $94.0 – making Nouadhibou the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇲🇷 Nouadhibou

🕒 Local time

04:57 4:57 AM

09:57 9:57 AM

5 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

85,953

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Mauritanian Ouguiya MRU UM

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100 MRU = 2.5 USD

100 MRU = 2.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MRU, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Mauritanian Ouguiya exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 40.06 MRU (100 MRU = 2.5 USD). 1 EUR = 45.04 MRU (100 MRU = 2.22 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Playa del Carmen Nouadhibou 7,220 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Nouadhibou

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 Nouadhibou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 351%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,816 per month in Playa del Carmen and $402 in Nouadhibou. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 176% 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 mid-range dinner for two costs $43.00 in Playa del Carmen and $17.00 in Nouadhibou. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Nouadhibou, where all-in costs run around $268, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,210. In Nouadhibou it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

If budget matters most, go with Nouadhibou. 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.