Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Safi

For one person, living is cheaper in Safi: $588 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $7,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
28

Cost of Living Index in Safi
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Safi Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Safi

🇲🇦 Morocco

$588

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $588 in Safi, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Safi $588

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $904 in Safi, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Safi $904

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,221 in Safi, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Safi $1,221

Playa del Carmen costs about 105% more than Safi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Safi are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Safi 57% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$3.13 MAD 30.76

248.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$814

$18.10 MAD 178

139.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$6.06 MAD 59.6

94.39%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.5

$1.49 MAD 14.68

155.70%

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

$1.28 MX$24.07

$0.46 MAD 4.51

178.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.70

$0.34 MAD 3.30

129.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

$1.58 MAD 15.49

100.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$1.50 MAD 14.77

228.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.40

$0.82 MAD 8.08

71.95%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.62

$0.49 MAD 4.84

353.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.61

$1.58 MAD 15.54

-10.13%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.36

$1.66 MAD 16.31

51.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$136

$6.63 MAD 65.2

9.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$144

$6.71 MAD 65.9

14.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$238

$8.50 MAD 83.6

49.29%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

$1.16 MAD 11.43

139.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.68

$1.14 MAD 11.24

20.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.89

$0.76 MAD 7.45

235.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.86

$0.71 MAD 6.96

198.59%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.39

$0.60 MAD 5.86

223.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.41

$0.77 MAD 7.61

145.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.53

$0.39 MAD 3.85

194.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.13

$0.61 MAD 5.98

93.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.6

$3.68 MAD 36.14

16.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

$7.57 MAD 74.4

31.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.73

$1.90 MAD 18.67

-16.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.1

$1.80 MAD 17.71

48.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.39

$0.45 MAD 4.41

22.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

$10.21 MAD 100

160.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.3

$0.68 MAD 6.64

630.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.5

$0.49 MAD 4.79

579.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

$5.95 MAD 58.5

-9.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.11

$1.49 MAD 14.63

-3.36%

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

$20.7K MX$388.0K

$30.8K MAD 302.4K

-32.83%

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

$23.5K MX$440.5K

$32.5K MAD 319.4K

-27.78%

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

$84.8 MX$1,592

$35.26 MAD 347

140.47%

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

$23.41 MX$439

$10.00 MAD 98.3

134.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$538

$34.24 MAD 337

-16.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,071

$18.60 MAD 183

206.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

$5.14 MAD 50.6

462.45%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.5

$3.58 MAD 35.24

43.58%

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

$207 MX$3,878

$96.0 MAD 943

115.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.7K

$3,608 MAD 35.5K

8.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$814

$38.78 MAD 381

11.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$778

$32.65 MAD 321

26.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,393

$92.6 MAD 910

-19.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,676

$35.25 MAD 347

153.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$278 MAD 2,734

252.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,150

$138 MAD 1,355

176.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

$464 MAD 4,557

268.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

$234 MAD 2,300

359.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.0K

$884 MAD 8,687

346.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.6K

$551 MAD 5,413

1018.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

$445 MAD 4,374

65.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

4.55

151.65%

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 Safi: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Safi

$138 23.5% 63.8% $243

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Safi

$165 28% 35.3% $90

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Safi

$75 12.8% 62.8% $127

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Safi

$80 13.5% 41.9% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Safi

$90 15.3% 19.7% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Safi

$26 4.4% 61.7% $42

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Safi

$15 2.6% 70% $35

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $278 in Safi. 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 65% 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 in Playa del Carmen versus $18 in Safi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $165 – making Safi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇲🇦 Safi

🕒 Local time

17:19 5:19 PM

22:19 10:19 PM

5 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

323,888

💱 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 →

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Playa del Carmen Safi 7,700 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Safi

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 Safi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 105%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $882 in Safi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Safi, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $278 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $588 in Safi. That makes Safi about 51% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 62% less in Safi. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Safi, where all-in costs run around $588, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Safi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Safi – 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 Safi. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Playa del Carmen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.