Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tetouan and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Tetouan: $662 a month against $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

32

Cost of Living Index in Tetouan
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Tetouan Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Tetouan

🇲🇦 Morocco

$662

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tetouan 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 Tetouan and in Playa del Carmen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $662 per month in Tetouan vs $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Tetouan $662
Playa del Carmen $1,210

A couple spends around $999 per month in Tetouan vs $2,113 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Tetouan $999
Playa del Carmen $2,113

A family of three spends $1,336 per month in Tetouan vs $3,016 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Tetouan $1,336
Playa del Carmen $3,016

Tetouan is about 45% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Tetouan and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Tetouan 51% lower, Playa del Carmen 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.04 MAD 29.61

$10.76 MX$199

-71.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$17.99 MAD 175

$43.03 MX$795

-58.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.23 MAD 80.2

$11.79 MX$218

-30.20%

Cappuccino

$1.86 MAD 18.09

$3.87 MX$71.4

-51.94%

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

$0.75 MAD 7.27

$1.37 MX$25.29

-45.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 MAD 3.21

$0.84 MX$15.44

-60.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.62 MAD 25.54

$3.10 MX$57.3

-15.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 MAD 29.82

$5.07 MX$93.6

-39.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.89 MAD 8.70

$1.44 MX$26.55

-38.19%

White Bread (500g)

$0.19 MAD 1.85

$2.23 MX$41.23

-91.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.96 MAD 19.14

$1.47 MX$27.17

33.33%

Eggs

$1.60 MAD 15.58

$2.53 MX$46.71

-36.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.90 MAD 57.5

$7.30 MX$135

-19.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.93 MAD 67.5

$7.86 MX$145

-11.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.23 MAD 119

$12.79 MX$236

-4.38%

Apples (1kg)

$1.63 MAD 15.88

$2.90 MX$53.6

-43.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MAD 13.48

$1.44 MX$26.53

-4.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.88 MAD 8.63

$2.55 MX$47.07

-65.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.86 MAD 8.42

$2.06 MX$38.03

-58.25%

Potato (1kg)

$0.90 MAD 8.80

$2.00 MX$36.97

-55.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.73 MAD 7.16

$2.01 MX$37.07

-63.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.53 MAD 5.16

$1.19 MX$22.02

-55.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 MAD 6.13

$1.26 MX$23.23

-50.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.83 MAD 37.32

$4.40 MX$81.4

-12.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.34 MAD 81.3

$9.59 MX$177

-13.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.15 MAD 20.99

$1.59 MX$29.41

35.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 MAD 24.72

$2.81 MX$51.9

-9.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.54 MAD 5.23

$0.57 MX$10.47

-5.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.56 MAD 122

$27.82 MX$514

-54.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.75 MAD 7.34

$4.98 MX$92.1

-84.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 MAD 8.29

$3.50 MX$64.6

-75.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.30 MAD 32.20

$5.40 MX$99.8

-38.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MAD 14.95

$1.47 MX$27.08

4.08%

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

$33.9K MAD 330.4K

$21.0K MX$387.8K

61.49%

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

$30.8K MAD 300.3K

$23.9K MX$441.8K

28.84%

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

$43.42 MAD 423

$84.2 MX$1,556

-48.44%

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

$10.72 MAD 105

$23.99 MX$443

-55.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$41.31 MAD 403

$29.02 MX$536

42.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$15.00 MAD 146

$63.0 MX$1,164

-76.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.02 MAD 117

$29.14 MX$539

-58.75%

Cinema Ticket

$3.83 MAD 37.34

$4.94 MX$91.3

-22.47%

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

$48.53 MAD 473

$204 MX$3,763

-76.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,823 MAD 56.8K

$3,941 MX$72.8K

47.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$18.06 MAD 176

$43.60 MX$806

-58.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.28 MAD 461

$43.12 MX$797

9.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$55.8 MAD 544

$75.8 MX$1,400

-26.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$65.1 MAD 635

$88.6 MX$1,637

-26.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$202 MAD 1,969

$1,008 MX$18.6K

-79.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$160 MAD 1,565

$374 MX$6,911

-57.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$405 MAD 3,952

$1,708 MX$31.6K

-76.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$254 MAD 2,481

$1,106 MX$20.4K

-77.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,092 MAD 10.6K

$3,944 MX$72.9K

-72.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$744 MAD 7,251

$6,169 MX$114.0K

-87.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$405 MAD 3,945

$754 MX$13.9K

-46.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.5

11.45

-51.97%

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

Last update for Tetouan: October 10, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Tetouan

$185 27.9%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 39.9% $74

Accommodation & Living

Tetouan

$160 24.3%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9% 133% $214

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tetouan

$95 14.4%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 43.8% $42

Eating Out

Tetouan

$95 14.3%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 114% $108

Clothing & Footwear

Tetouan

$84 12.7%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 34.8% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Tetouan

$23 3.4%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 222% $50

Getting Around

Tetouan

$20 3%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 167% $33

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $202 in Tetouan versus $1,008 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 86% 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 $18.00 in Tetouan versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $185 vs $258 – making Tetouan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇦 Tetouan

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

04:25 4:25 AM

22:25 10:25 PM

6 h behind Tetouan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

380,787

149,923

💱 Currency

Moroccan Dirham MAD د.م.

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MAD = 10.26 USD

100 MAD = 9.12 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 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 October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 9.75 MAD (1 MAD = 0.103 USD). 1 EUR = 10.96 MAD (100 MAD = 9.12 EUR).

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 MAD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Tetouan Playa del Carmen 7,970 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Tetouan
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

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

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 83%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $992 per month in Tetouan and $1,816 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 Tetouan, 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 $662 in Tetouan and $1,210 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 83%.

Public transport costs about 121% less in Tetouan. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Tetouan, where all-in costs run around $662, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,210. In Tetouan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Tetouan – 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 Tetouan. 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.