Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sale, Morocco and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Sale: $625 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

30

Cost of Living Index in Sale
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Sale Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

Jump to prices

Sale

🇲🇦 Morocco

$625

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $625 per month in Sale vs $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Sale $625
Playa del Carmen $1,202

A couple spends around $1,030 per month in Sale vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Sale $1,030
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $1,434 per month in Sale vs $2,962 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Sale $1,434
Playa del Carmen $2,962

Sale is about 48% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Sale and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Sale 54% lower, Playa del Carmen 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.58 MAD 35.21

$10.67 MX$199

-66.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$17.72 MAD 174

$43.80 MX$815

-59.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.08 MAD 69.5

$11.79 MX$219

-39.95%

Cappuccino

$1.82 MAD 17.83

$3.79 MX$70.5

-51.98%

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

$0.53 MAD 5.16

$1.30 MX$24.14

-59.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 MAD 2.95

$0.83 MX$15.51

-63.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.60 MAD 25.58

$3.15 MX$58.6

-17.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.10 MAD 30.47

$4.93 MX$91.8

-37.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.88 MAD 8.61

$1.41 MX$26.22

-37.59%

White Bread (500g)

$0.62 MAD 6.05

$2.20 MX$40.86

-71.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.95 MAD 19.13

$1.47 MX$27.40

32.65%

Eggs

$1.89 MAD 18.60

$2.50 MX$46.46

-24.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.30 MAD 111

$7.29 MX$136

55.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.51 MAD 63.9

$7.95 MX$148

-18.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.09 MAD 119

$12.86 MX$239

-5.99%

Apples (1kg)

$1.38 MAD 13.52

$2.90 MX$53.9

-52.41%

Banana (1kg)

$1.21 MAD 11.89

$1.38 MX$25.74

-12.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.94 MAD 9.26

$2.49 MX$46.35

-62.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.88 MAD 8.69

$2.03 MX$37.77

-56.65%

Potato (1kg)

$0.70 MAD 6.91

$2.02 MX$37.68

-65.35%

Onion (1kg)

$0.73 MAD 7.18

$1.90 MX$35.42

-61.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.43 MAD 4.21

$1.14 MX$21.30

-62.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 MAD 6.05

$1.24 MX$23.05

-50.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.81 MAD 37.39

$4.27 MX$79.5

-10.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.50 MAD 44.16

$9.81 MX$183

-54.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.12 MAD 20.81

$1.59 MX$29.51

33.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 MAD 20.99

$2.75 MX$51.1

-22.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.54 MAD 5.30

$0.51 MX$9.58

5.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.81 MAD 224

$27.39 MX$510

-16.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.74 MAD 7.25

$4.76 MX$88.6

-84.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MAD 5.24

$3.25 MX$60.5

-83.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.06 MAD 39.84

$5.39 MX$100

-24.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 MAD 14.33

$1.53 MX$28.44

-4.58%

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

$30.3K MAD 297.3K

$21.2K MX$394.8K

42.69%

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

$29.8K MAD 292.7K

$23.3K MX$432.9K

28.09%

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

$37.19 MAD 365

$83.5 MX$1,554

-55.46%

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

$10.04 MAD 98.6

$23.19 MX$431

-56.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.87 MAD 401

$27.61 MX$514

48.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$16.01 MAD 157

$56.4 MX$1,050

-71.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$40.98 MAD 402

$28.19 MX$525

45.37%

Cinema Ticket

$5.03 MAD 49.44

$5.00 MX$93.1

0.60%

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

$101 MAD 990

$207 MX$3,854

-51.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,838 MAD 57.3K

$5,231 MX$97.3K

11.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$31.59 MAD 310

$43.45 MX$809

-27.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.56 MAD 457

$42.54 MX$792

9.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.8 MAD 705

$72.8 MX$1,354

-1.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$64.4 MAD 632

$88.4 MX$1,645

-27.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$205 MAD 2,009

$995 MX$18.5K

-79.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$100 MAD 982

$382 MX$7,116

-73.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$356 MAD 3,495

$1,674 MX$31.2K

-78.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$256 MAD 2,516

$1,081 MX$20.1K

-76.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,126 MAD 11.1K

$3,909 MX$72.7K

-71.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$812 MAD 7,976

$6,138 MX$114.2K

-86.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$508 MAD 4,987

$832 MX$15.5K

-39.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

-56.33%

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

Last update for Sale: October 31, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Sale

$192 30.7%

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4% 34.2% $66

Accommodation & Living

Sale

$100 16%

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8% 282% $282

Clothing & Footwear

Sale

$96 15.4%

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3% 15.3% $15

Eating Out

Sale

$94 15.1%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7% 113% $106

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sale

$88 14.1%

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2% 52.4% $46

Getting Around

Sale

$28 4.5%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 77.8% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Sale

$26 4.2%

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5% 155% $40

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $205 in Sale versus $995 in Playa del Carmen. 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 64% 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 $18 in Sale versus $44 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $192 vs $257 – making Sale the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇦 Sale

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

07:00 7:00 AM

02:00 2:00 AM

5 h behind Sale

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

890,403

149,923

💱 Currency

Moroccan Dirham MAD د.م.

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MAD = 10.18 USD

100 MAD = 9.1 EUR

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 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 November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 9.82 MAD (1 MAD = 0.102 USD). 1 EUR = 10.98 MAD (100 MAD = 9.1 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.81 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to MAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sale Playa del Carmen 7,880 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Sale
Playa del Carmen

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

Sale vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 92%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $938 per month in Sale and $1,804 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sale, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $205 there versus $995 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $625 in Sale and $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Sale about 48% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 17% less in Sale. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Sale, where all-in costs run around $625, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,202. In Sale it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Sale – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Sale. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Playa del Carmen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.