Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Temara

For one person, living is cheaper in Temara: $746 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,204
/mo nomad
Temara
🇲🇦 Morocco
$746
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $746 in Temara, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $1,204
  • Temara $746

A couple spends around $2,102 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,155 in Temara, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,102
  • Temara $1,155

A family of three spends $3,000 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,563 in Temara, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $3,000
  • Temara $1,563

Playa del Carmen costs about 61% more than Temara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Temara are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Temara 45% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Temara
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.86 MX$201
$4.19 MAD 40.85
159.19%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$44.21 MX$817
$30.65 MAD 299
44.24%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.76 MX$217
$6.02 MAD 58.7
95.35%
Cappuccino
$3.68 MX$68.0
$1.97 MAD 19.20
86.80%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.34 MX$24.79
$0.53 MAD 5.17
152.83%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.82 MX$15.24
$0.34 MAD 3.30
141.18%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.06 MX$56.6
$5.27 MAD 51.4
-41.94%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.94 MX$91.2
$3.10 MAD 30.26
59.35%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Temara
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.47 MX$27.17
$0.82 MAD 7.98
79.27%
White Bread (500g)
$2.22 MX$40.95
$0.74 MAD 7.26
200.00%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.48 MX$27.32
$1.50 MAD 14.64
-1.33%
Eggs
$2.49 MX$45.99
$1.96 MAD 19.07
27.04%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.52 MX$139
$9.40 MAD 91.6
-20.00%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.96 MX$147
$5.27 MAD 51.4
51.04%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.57 MX$232
$11.29 MAD 110
11.34%
Apples (1kg)
$2.78 MX$51.3
$1.63 MAD 15.89
70.55%
Banana (1kg)
$1.43 MX$26.37
$1.42 MAD 13.84
0.70%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.62 MX$48.37
$0.84 MAD 8.16
211.90%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.14 MX$39.49
$0.83 MAD 8.08
157.83%
Potato (1kg)
$2.02 MX$37.38
$0.68 MAD 6.59
197.06%
Onion (1kg)
$1.99 MX$36.74
$0.74 MAD 7.23
168.92%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.14 MX$21.01
$0.25 MAD 2.41
356.00%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.20 MX$22.18
$0.60 MAD 5.89
100.00%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.26 MX$78.7
$4.13 MAD 40.25
3.15%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.02 MX$185
$7.64 MAD 74.5
31.15%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.54 MX$28.41
$2.23 MAD 21.70
-30.94%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.66 MX$49.17
$2.57 MAD 25.11
3.50%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Temara
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.53 MX$9.73
$0.56 MAD 5.43
-5.36%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$27.51 MX$508
$24.58 MAD 240
11.92%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.90 MX$90.6
$0.80 MAD 7.76
512.50%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.43 MX$63.5
$0.75 MAD 7.30
357.33%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.38 MX$99.4
$4.11 MAD 40.03
30.90%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.45 MX$26.76
$1.56 MAD 15.21
-7.05%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.2K MX$391.0K
$30.6K MAD 298.5K
-30.89%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.0K MX$425.3K
$30.8K MAD 300.0K
-25.20%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Temara
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$85.4 MX$1,577
$34.74 MAD 339
145.71%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.46 MX$434
$9.99 MAD 97.4
134.83%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.43 MX$525
$36.70 MAD 358
-22.53%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Temara
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$62.2 MX$1,149
$23.17 MAD 226
168.41%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$28.68 MX$530
$5.23 MAD 51.0
448.37%
Cinema Ticket
$5.10 MX$94.3
$6.25 MAD 60.9
-18.40%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Temara
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$201 MX$3,715
$112 MAD 1,094
79.16%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,947 MX$72.9K
$8,278 MAD 80.7K
-52.32%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Temara
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$44.39 MX$820
$31.91 MAD 311
39.11%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.35 MX$764
$44.34 MAD 432
-6.74%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$72.7 MX$1,344
$81.6 MAD 796
-10.86%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$89.6 MX$1,656
$81.8 MAD 797
9.57%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Temara
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$979 MX$18.1K
$259 MAD 2,529
277.56%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$373 MX$6,887
$194 MAD 1,887
92.61%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,681 MX$31.1K
$406 MAD 3,955
314.32%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,095 MX$20.2K
$302 MAD 2,941
263.09%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,949 MX$73.0K
$1,180 MAD 11.5K
234.60%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,137 MX$113.4K
$935 MAD 9,119
556.11%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Temara
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$738 MX$13.6K
$233 MAD 2,273
216.35%
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 17, 2026

Last update for Temara: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
$373
Temara
$194 48.1% $179
Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
$258
Temara
$185 28.3% $73
Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
$200
Temara
$111 44.4% $89
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
$137
Temara
$81 40.7% $56
Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
$112
Temara
$108 3.4% $3.8
Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
$72
Temara
$36 50.7% $37
Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
$52
Temara
$31 39.3% $20

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $979 in Playa del Carmen versus $259 in Temara. 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 216% 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 $44.00 in Playa del Carmen versus $31.00 in Temara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $185 – making Temara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🇲🇦 Temara
🕒 Local time
15:30 3:30 PM
21:30 9:30 PM
6 h ahead of Playa del Carmen
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
149,923
313,510
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MAD, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

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).

Moroccan Dirham exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 9.75 MAD (1 MAD = 0.103 USD). 1 EUR = 10.96 MAD (100 MAD = 9.12 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Playa del Carmen Temara 7,870 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Playa del Carmen
  • Temara

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 Temara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Temara cheaper than Playa del Carmen?
Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 61%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,120 in Temara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Temara, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
What are total monthly expenses in Playa del Carmen and in Temara?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $746 in Temara. That's a gap of about 61%.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
Public transport costs about 12% less in Temara. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Is $1,000 a realistic budget for living in Playa del Carmen or in Temara?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Temara, where all-in costs run around $746, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Temara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Playa del Carmen or Temara more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Temara – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is safer, Playa del Carmen or Temara?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Temara. 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.

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