Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Tangier

For one person, living is cheaper in Tangier: $988 a month against $1,215 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. The total is higher in Playa del Carmen despite lower rent and utilities.

60

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Tangier
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Tangier Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,215

/mo nomad

Tangier

🇲🇦 Morocco

$988

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,215 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $988 in Tangier, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,215
Tangier $988

A couple spends around $2,144 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,506 in Tangier, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,144
Tangier $1,506

A family of three spends $3,072 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,023 in Tangier, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $3,072
Tangier $2,023

Playa del Carmen costs about 23% more than Tangier, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Tangier are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 9% lower, Tangier 26% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.97 MX$201

$5.13 MAD 49.91

113.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.85 MX$823

$35.39 MAD 345

26.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.92 MX$219

$6.83 MAD 66.5

74.52%

Cappuccino

$3.80 MX$69.9

$2.15 MAD 20.93

76.74%

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

$1.31 MX$24.08

$0.76 MAD 7.45

72.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.86 MX$15.72

$0.38 MAD 3.73

126.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.21 MX$59.0

$5.90 MAD 57.4

-45.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.01 MX$92.0

$5.07 MAD 49.36

-1.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 MX$26.77

$1.02 MAD 9.94

43.14%

White Bread (500g)

$2.33 MX$42.72

$1.15 MAD 11.21

102.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.44 MX$26.48

$1.62 MAD 15.82

-11.11%

Eggs

$2.46 MX$45.20

$1.78 MAD 17.35

38.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.70 MX$141

$9.61 MAD 93.6

-19.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.89 MX$145

$6.95 MAD 67.7

13.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.80 MX$235

$12.79 MAD 124

0.08%

Apples (1kg)

$2.92 MX$53.6

$1.54 MAD 15.03

89.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.11

$1.39 MAD 13.57

2.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.57 MX$47.10

$0.77 MAD 7.48

233.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.24

$0.75 MAD 7.30

185.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.95 MX$35.75

$0.61 MAD 5.91

219.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 MX$35.55

$0.63 MAD 6.17

207.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.13

$0.46 MAD 4.46

150.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 MX$22.42

$0.55 MAD 5.32

121.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.38 MX$80.3

$3.96 MAD 38.58

10.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.85 MX$181

$9.23 MAD 89.8

6.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.23

$3.78 MAD 36.77

-59.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.72 MX$49.86

$3.83 MAD 37.31

-28.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.52 MX$9.64

$0.39 MAD 3.78

33.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.42 MX$503

$15.32 MAD 149

78.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.91 MX$90.2

$0.69 MAD 6.68

611.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.52 MX$64.7

$0.92 MAD 8.93

282.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.69 MX$104

$9.12 MAD 88.8

-37.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 MX$28.27

$1.41 MAD 13.78

9.22%

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

$21.2K MX$389.9K

$33.5K MAD 325.9K

-36.56%

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

$24.5K MX$449.6K

$28.5K MAD 277.5K

-14.10%

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

$83.6 MX$1,535

$73.6 MAD 716

13.66%

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

$24.03 MX$441

$12.83 MAD 125

87.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.33 MX$539

$37.86 MAD 369

-22.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.9 MX$1,191

$29.22 MAD 284

122.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.46 MX$541

$34.97 MAD 340

-15.76%

Cinema Ticket

$5.09 MX$93.4

$7.02 MAD 68.4

-27.49%

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

$208 MX$3,813

$91.7 MAD 893

126.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,045 MX$74.3K

$5,898 MAD 57.4K

-31.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.55 MX$818

$34.94 MAD 340

27.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.06 MX$772

$47.25 MAD 460

-10.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.5 MX$1,387

$95.7 MAD 931

-21.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.4 MX$1,678

$101 MAD 983

-9.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$986 MX$18.1K

$464 MAD 4,514

112.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$385 MX$7,072

$305 MAD 2,972

26.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,713 MX$31.5K

$839 MAD 8,164

104.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,108 MX$20.4K

$493 MAD 4,804

124.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,016 MX$73.7K

$1,707 MAD 16.6K

135.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,247 MX$114.7K

$1,171 MAD 11.4K

433.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$758 MX$13.9K

$490 MAD 4,773

54.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

3.67

211.99%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 4, 2026

Last update for Tangier: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$385 31.4%

Tangier

$305 31.5% 20.7% $80

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$260 21.2%

Tangier

$217 22.4% 16.8% $44

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$204 16.6%

Tangier

$132 13.6% 35.5% $72

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.2%

Tangier

$124 12.8% 9.3% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$114 9.3%

Tangier

$125 13% 10% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$75 6.1%

Tangier

$43 4.5% 42.4% $32

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.2%

Tangier

$22 2.3% 57.5% $30

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $986 in Playa del Carmen versus $464 in Tangier. 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 55% 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 $45.00 in Playa del Carmen versus $35.00 in Tangier. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $217 – making Tangier the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇲🇦 Tangier

🕒 Local time

05:33 5:33 AM

11:33 11:33 AM

6 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

947,952

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Moroccan Dirham MAD د.م.

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.45 USD

100 MXN = 4.86 EUR

100 MAD = 10.27 USD

100 MAD = 9.17 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.36 MXN (100 MXN = 5.45 USD). 1 EUR = 20.57 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

Moroccan Dirham exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 9.74 MAD (1 MAD = 0.103 USD). 1 EUR = 10.91 MAD (100 MAD = 9.17 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Tangier 7,920 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Tangier

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 Tangier: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 23%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,823 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,482 in Tangier. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,215 in Playa del Carmen and $988 in Tangier. That's a gap of about 23%.

Public transport costs about 79% less in Tangier. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Tangier, where all-in costs run around $988, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,215. In Tangier it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Tangier – 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 Tangier. 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.