Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rabat and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Rabat: $921 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $8,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in Rabat
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Rabat Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Rabat

🇲🇦 Morocco

$921

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rabat and in Mexico City

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $921 in Rabat versus $1,608 in Mexico City.

Rabat $921
Mexico City $1,608

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,498 in Rabat versus $2,549 in Mexico City.

Rabat $1,498
Mexico City $2,549

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,074 in Rabat versus $3,490 in Mexico City.

Rabat $2,074
Mexico City $3,490

Living in Rabat costs roughly 43% less than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Rabat is 32% below, Mexico City is 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.99 MAD 39.29

$10.62 MX$198

-62.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.46 MAD 408

$48.35 MX$901

-14.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.96 MAD 68.6

$10.35 MX$193

-32.75%

Cappuccino

$1.94 MAD 19.07

$3.69 MX$68.8

-47.43%

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

$0.53 MAD 5.26

$1.67 MX$31.07

-68.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.37 MAD 3.61

$1.27 MX$23.59

-70.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.19 MAD 51.1

$3.19 MX$59.5

62.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.14 MAD 30.93

$5.31 MX$98.9

-40.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.90 MAD 8.86

$1.72 MX$32.15

-47.67%

White Bread (500g)

$0.60 MAD 5.95

$3.04 MX$56.7

-80.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 MAD 18.88

$1.94 MX$36.19

-1.03%

Eggs

$1.86 MAD 18.27

$2.89 MX$53.8

-35.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.16 MAD 110

$10.97 MX$205

1.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.71 MAD 66.1

$9.25 MX$172

-27.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.08 MAD 119

$15.13 MX$282

-20.16%

Apples (1kg)

$1.55 MAD 15.29

$3.05 MX$56.8

-49.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MAD 14.10

$1.94 MX$36.19

-26.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.81 MAD 7.97

$2.03 MX$37.75

-60.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.82 MAD 8.12

$2.31 MX$43.15

-64.50%

Potato (1kg)

$0.72 MAD 7.07

$2.04 MX$37.94

-64.71%

Onion (1kg)

$0.75 MAD 7.37

$1.80 MX$33.55

-58.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.37 MAD 3.62

$1.48 MX$27.58

-75.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 MAD 6.23

$1.27 MX$23.63

-50.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.06 MAD 40.01

$5.30 MX$98.9

-23.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.33 MAD 72.2

$16.10 MX$300

-54.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.56 MAD 25.24

$1.98 MX$36.97

29.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.68 MAD 26.41

$4.25 MX$79.3

-36.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MAD 5.42

$0.31 MX$5.69

77.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.62 MAD 252

$19.73 MX$368

29.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.73 MAD 7.18

$1.84 MX$34.25

-60.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.77 MAD 7.61

$0.53 MX$9.94

45.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.13 MAD 40.70

$5.30 MX$98.7

-22.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MAD 14.99

$1.51 MX$28.16

0.66%

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

$30.2K MAD 297.0K

$21.8K MX$405.5K

38.62%

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

$32.1K MAD 316.0K

$24.0K MX$447.1K

33.79%

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

$35.47 MAD 349

$63.0 MX$1,174

-43.68%

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

$10.21 MAD 101

$27.39 MX$511

-62.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.51 MAD 330

$35.67 MX$665

-6.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.87 MAD 274

$58.9 MX$1,099

-52.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.11 MAD 237

$23.64 MX$441

1.99%

Cinema Ticket

$5.94 MAD 58.5

$6.40 MX$119

-7.19%

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

$180 MAD 1,776

$432 MX$8,045

-58.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,261 MAD 91.2K

$11.4K MX$212.9K

-18.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.83 MAD 461

$68.2 MX$1,272

-31.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.60 MAD 400

$53.1 MX$990

-23.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.6 MAD 902

$108 MX$2,009

-15.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$66.0 MAD 650

$117 MX$2,186

-43.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$572 MAD 5,629

$1,113 MX$20.8K

-48.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$345 MAD 3,401

$710 MX$13.2K

-51.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$987 MAD 9,719

$2,588 MX$48.2K

-61.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$687 MAD 6,769

$1,406 MX$26.2K

-51.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,126 MAD 20.9K

$3,631 MX$67.7K

-41.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,214 MAD 12.0K

$2,135 MX$39.8K

-43.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$721 MAD 7,105

$946 MX$17.6K

-23.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.55

11.35

-59.91%

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

Last update for Rabat: October 27, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rabat

$345 37.5%

Mexico City

$710 44.2% 106% $365

Groceries & Markets

Rabat

$203 22%

Mexico City

$320 19.9% 57.7% $117

Eating Out

Rabat

$112 12.1%

Mexico City

$199 12.4% 77.5% $87

Clothing & Footwear

Rabat

$110 12%

Mexico City

$156 9.7% 41.4% $46

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rabat

$79 8.6%

Mexico City

$126 7.8% 59.2% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Rabat

$40 4.3%

Mexico City

$72 4.5% 80.5% $32

Getting Around

Rabat

$32 3.5%

Mexico City

$25 1.6% 21.4% $6.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $572 in Rabat and $1,113 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays 31% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $41 in Rabat vs $48 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $203 vs $320 per month, with Rabat cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇦 Rabat

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

22:55 10:55 PM

16:55 4:55 PM

6 h behind Rabat

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

573,895 Capital

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

Moroccan Dirham MAD د.م.

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MAD = 10.15 USD

100 MAD = 9.12 EUR

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to MAD – Moroccan Dirham Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇦 Moroccan Dirham (د.م.)

Moroccan Dirham exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 9.85 MAD (1 MAD = 0.102 USD). 1 EUR = 10.96 MAD (100 MAD = 9.12 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

USD to MAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Rabat Mexico City 9,020 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Rabat
Mexico City

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 Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $921 in Rabat and $1,608 in Mexico City, so Rabat is about 43% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 24% lower in Rabat. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $572 in Rabat versus $1,113 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Mexico City runs roughly 23% less than in Rabat. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $180 in Rabat versus $432 in Mexico City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Rabat is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

It comes down to priorities – Rabat wins on affordability, Mexico City on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.