Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Western Sahara

For one person, living is cheaper in Western Sahara: $118 a month against $1,215 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $13,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,215
/mo nomad
🇪🇭 Western Sahara
$118
/mo nomad
😐 Solo nomad: Playa del Carmen is 561.3% more expensive than Western Sahara without rent, and 931% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 678.4% more expensive than Western Sahara without rent, and 1296.2% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Western Sahara
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.97 MX$201
$3.90 MAD 38.01
181.28%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$44.85 MX$823
-
-
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.92 MX$219
$3.27 MAD 31.88
264.53%
Cappuccino
$3.80 MX$69.9
$2.02 MAD 19.69
88.12%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.31 MX$24.08
$0.41 MAD 4.00
219.51%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.86 MX$15.72
$0.29 MAD 2.82
196.55%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.21 MX$59.0
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.01 MX$92.0
-
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Western Sahara
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.46 MX$26.77
-
-
White Bread (500g)
$2.33 MX$42.72
-
-
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.44 MX$26.48
-
-
Eggs
$2.46 MX$45.20
-
-
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.70 MX$141
-
-
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.89 MX$145
-
-
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.80 MX$235
-
-
Apples (1kg)
$2.92 MX$53.6
-
-
Banana (1kg)
$1.42 MX$26.11
-
-
Oranges (1kg)
$2.57 MX$47.10
-
-
Tomato (1kg)
$2.14 MX$39.24
-
-
Potato (1kg)
$1.95 MX$35.75
-
-
Onion (1kg)
$1.94 MX$35.55
-
-
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 MX$21.13
-
-
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.22 MX$22.42
-
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.38 MX$80.3
-
-
Wine (Bottle)
$9.85 MX$181
-
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.54 MX$28.23
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.72 MX$49.86
-
-
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Western Sahara
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.52 MX$9.64
$0.68 MAD 6.58
-23.53%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$27.42 MX$503
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.91 MX$90.2
$0.73 MAD 7.10
572.60%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.52 MX$64.7
$0.68 MAD 6.64
417.65%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.69 MX$104
-
-
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.54 MX$28.27
$1.28 MAD 12.47
20.31%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.2K MX$389.9K
-
-
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.5K MX$449.6K
-
-
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Western Sahara
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$83.6 MX$1,535
-
-
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$24.03 MX$441
-
-
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$29.33 MX$539
$19.68 MAD 192
49.03%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Western Sahara
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$64.9 MX$1,191
-
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$29.46 MX$541
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$5.09 MX$93.4
-
-
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Western Sahara
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$208 MX$3,813
-
-
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$4,045 MX$74.3K
-
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Western Sahara
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$44.55 MX$818
$45.66 MAD 445
-2.43%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$42.06 MX$772
-
-
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$75.5 MX$1,387
-
-
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$91.4 MX$1,678
-
-
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Western Sahara
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$986 MX$18.1K
-
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$385 MX$7,072
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,713 MX$31.5K
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,108 MX$20.4K
-
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,016 MX$73.7K
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,247 MX$114.7K
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Western Sahara
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$758 MX$13.9K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.45
0
-

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 Western Sahara: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
$385
Western Sahara
- * 100%
Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
$260
Western Sahara
- * 100%
Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
$204
Western Sahara
$68 * 66.6% $136
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
$137
Western Sahara
$20 * 85.6% $117
Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
$114
Western Sahara
$21 * 82% $94
Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
$75
Western Sahara
- * 100%
Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
$52
Western Sahara
$6.9 * 86.8% $45

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🇪🇭 Western Sahara
🕒 Local time
08:52 8:52 AM
14:52 2:52 PM
6 h ahead of Playa del Carmen
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
149,923
612,000
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MAD, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Playa del Carmen Western Sahara 7,440 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Playa del Carmen
  • Western Sahara

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 other spots: cost of living compared

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