Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rabat and Ajijic

For one person, living is cheaper in Ajijic: $1,267 a month against $1,928 in Rabat, rent and utilities included – about $7,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

88

Cost of Living Index in Rabat
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Rabat Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Ajijic
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Ajijic Living Index

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Rabat

🇲🇹 Malta

$1,928

/mo nomad

Ajijic

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,267

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rabat and in Ajijic

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Rabat and in Ajijic actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,928 per month in Rabat vs $1,267 in Ajijic, rent included.

Rabat $1,928
Ajijic $1,267

A couple spends around $2,701 per month in Rabat vs $2,020 in Ajijic, rent included.

Rabat $2,701
Ajijic $2,020

A family of three spends $3,474 per month in Rabat vs $2,773 in Ajijic, rent included.

Rabat $3,474
Ajijic $2,773

Rabat costs about 52% more than Ajijic, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Rabat sits 43% above the global median, while Ajijic is 6% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.55 €14.72

$9.81 MX$181

68.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.4 €44.82

$43.69 MX$807

15.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.19 €9.96

$7.22 MX$133

54.99%

Cappuccino

$2.25 €2.00

$3.47 MX$64.1

-35.16%

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

$2.48 €2.20

$1.60 MX$29.62

55.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 €1.51

$1.24 MX$22.92

36.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.33 €2.97

$2.24 MX$41.31

48.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.43 €3.05

$3.32 MX$61.4

3.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 €0.99

$1.49 MX$27.52

-25.50%

White Bread (500g)

$1.34 €1.19

$2.24 MX$41.31

-40.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$1.07 MX$19.78

111.21%

Eggs

$3.50 €3.11

$2.19 MX$40.54

59.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.97 €7.09

$7.84 MX$145

1.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.87 €7.00

$8.56 MX$158

-8.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.51 €11.13

$7.21 MX$133

73.51%

Apples (1kg)

$4.12 €3.67

$2.30 MX$42.42

79.13%

Banana (1kg)

$2.18 €1.94

$1.32 MX$24.42

65.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.55 €3.16

$1.48 MX$27.42

139.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.21 €1.97

$1.71 MX$31.66

29.24%

Potato (1kg)

$1.15 €1.02

$1.60 MX$29.60

-28.13%

Onion (1kg)

$1.14 €1.01

$1.38 MX$25.57

-17.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 €0.97

$1.03 MX$19.03

5.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 €0.97

$0.84 MX$15.55

29.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.80 €6.05

$4.47 MX$82.7

52.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.23 €7.32

$8.92 MX$165

-7.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 €1.57

$1.55 MX$28.60

13.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 €2.17

$1.39 MX$25.61

75.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.71 €2.41

$0.64 MX$11.84

323.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.73 €5.09

$1.25 MX$23.18

358.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.21 €1.96

$4.40 MX$81.3

-49.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.77 €23.81

$11.00 MX$203

143.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 €1.34

$1.49 MX$27.50

1.34%

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

$37.7K €33.6K

$20.9K MX$386.5K

80.47%

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

$38.6K €34.3K

$24.2K MX$447.2K

59.54%

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

$101 €90.2

$55.9 MX$1,033

81.40%

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

$12.17 €10.82

$14.30 MX$264

-14.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.85 €38.12

$24.07 MX$445

78.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.1 €55.3

$24.24 MX$448

156.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.18 €19.73

$5.42 MX$100

309.23%

Cinema Ticket

$10.09 €8.98

$4.78 MX$88.3

111.09%

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

$369 €328

$212 MX$3,922

73.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K €10.0K

$2,953 MX$54.6K

282.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.2 €76.7

$44.03 MX$814

95.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.60 €24.55

$16.71 MX$309

65.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.7 €65.6

$68.7 MX$1,270

7.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$76.8 €68.3

$69.6 MX$1,286

10.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,051 €934

$841 MX$15.5K

24.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,049 €933

$630 MX$11.6K

66.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,735 €1,543

$1,506 MX$27.8K

15.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,460 €1,299

$1,267 MX$23.4K

15.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,396 €3,910

$3,332 MX$61.6K

31.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,149 €2,801

$1,734 MX$32.0K

81.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,318 €1,173

$562 MX$10.4K

134.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.9

11.2

-74.11%

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

Last update for Rabat: October 10, 2026

Last update for Ajijic: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rabat

$1K 54.4%

Ajijic

$630 49.7% 39.9% $419

Groceries & Markets

Rabat

$261 13.5%

Ajijic

$222 17.6% 14.7% $38

Eating Out

Rabat

$233 12.1%

Ajijic

$171 13.5% 26.7% $62

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rabat

$156 8.1%

Ajijic

$94 7.4% 39.7% $62

Clothing & Footwear

Rabat

$119 6.2%

Ajijic

$90 7.1% 24.7% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Rabat

$82 4.3%

Ajijic

$34 2.7% 58.9% $49

Getting Around

Rabat

$28 * 1.4%

Ajijic

$26 * 2% 6.4% $1.8

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,051 in Rabat versus $841 in Ajijic. 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 135% higher in Rabat, 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 $50.0 in Rabat versus $44.00 in Ajijic. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $261 vs $222 – making Ajijic the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇹 Rabat

🇲🇽 Ajijic

🕒 Local time

16:04 4:04 PM

08:04 8:04 AM

8 h behind Rabat

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,497

11,439

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Rabat Ajijic 10,960 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Rabat
Ajijic

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

Rabat vs Ajijic: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Rabat is pricier by about 52%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,892 per month in Rabat and $1,900 in Ajijic. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ajijic, 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 $1,928 in Rabat and $1,267 in Ajijic. That's a gap of about 52%.

Kindergarten costs $369 per month in Rabat and $212 in Ajijic. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Ajijic, where all-in costs run around $1,267, than in Rabat at $1,928. In Ajijic it covers expenses comfortably, while in Rabat it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Ajijic – 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 Ajijic. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Rabat makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.