Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Essaouira

For one person, living is cheaper in Essaouira: $782 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $22,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

130

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in Essaouira
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Essaouira Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Essaouira

🇲🇦 Morocco

$782

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Austin, TX and in Essaouira

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $782 in Essaouira.

Austin, TX $2,663
Essaouira $782

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $1,172 in Essaouira.

Austin, TX $4,133
Essaouira $1,172

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $1,562 in Essaouira.

Austin, TX $5,603
Essaouira $1,562

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 240% more expensive than in Essaouira, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 97% above, Essaouira is 42% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$4.62 MAD 45.00

349.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$18.81 MAD 183

349.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$7.12 MAD 69.4

73.03%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$1.35 MAD 13.14

317.04%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$0.47 MAD 4.58

691.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.38 MAD 3.68

557.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$5.31 MAD 51.8

51.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$4.61 MAD 44.93

95.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$0.90 MAD 8.79

24.44%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$0.54 MAD 5.25

594.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$1.67 MAD 16.28

95.21%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$1.68 MAD 16.37

148.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$8.27 MAD 80.6

55.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$5.81 MAD 56.6

143.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$10.62 MAD 104

52.73%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$1.30 MAD 12.63

233.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.14 MAD 11.12

28.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$0.72 MAD 7.02

526.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$0.77 MAD 7.52

463.64%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$0.58 MAD 5.67

344.83%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$0.68 MAD 6.66

245.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$0.38 MAD 3.67

368.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$0.58 MAD 5.68

282.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$3.84 MAD 37.44

157.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$6.32 MAD 61.6

138.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$1.82 MAD 17.76

60.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$2.13 MAD 20.77

62.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$0.82 MAD 7.99

81.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$0.64 MAD 6.22

326.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$0.63 MAD 6.19

163.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.45 MAD 14.16

-34.48%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$34.6K MAD 337.3K

4.20%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$29.5K MAD 287.8K

-8.27%

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

$229 $229

$23.89 MAD 233

858.52%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$17.25 MAD 168

244.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$30.01 MAD 293

132.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$5.30 MAD 51.7

169.43%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$69.0 MAD 672

2083.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$1,875 MAD 18.3K

1044.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$29.38 MAD 286

79.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$44.72 MAD 436

-2.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$59.0 MAD 576

43.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$41.76 MAD 407

146.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$393 MAD 3,835

384.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$330 MAD 3,217

286.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$930 MAD 9,071

293.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$557 MAD 5,433

355.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

$256 MAD 2,498

1898.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

6.5

4.46%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Essaouira: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Essaouira

$330 42.2% 74.1% $944

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Essaouira

$171 21.9% 57.7% $233

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Essaouira

$71 9.1% 80.1% $287

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Essaouira

$114 14.5% 67.9% $240

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Essaouira

$79 10.1% 38.5% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Essaouira

$11 * 1.4% 87.6% $75

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Essaouira

$7.1 * 0.9% 87.9% $52

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,907 in Austin, TX and $393 in Essaouira. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 1898% 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: $85.0 in Austin, TX vs $19.00 in Essaouira for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $171 per month, with Essaouira cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇲🇦 Essaouira

🕒 Local time

17:57 5:57 PM

23:57 11:57 PM

6 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

77,966

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Moroccan Dirham MAD د.م.

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 MAD = 10.26 USD

100 MAD = 9.12 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MAD, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇲🇦 Moroccan Dirham (د.م.)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Moroccan Dirham exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 9.75 MAD (1 MAD = 0.103 USD). 1 EUR = 10.96 MAD (100 MAD = 9.12 EUR).

MAD to USD in detail →

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Austin, TX Essaouira 8,140 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Essaouira

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

Austin, TX vs Essaouira: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Essaouira wins on cost – living expenses run 240% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Essaouira the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 1898% higher in Austin, TX, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,907 in Austin, TX versus $393 in Essaouira. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,506 in Austin, TX versus $69.0 in Essaouira. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Essaouira – a meal for two runs $19.00 versus $85.0 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $782 in Essaouira versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Essaouira but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Essaouira the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Essaouira delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $782 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Essaouira hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Austin, TX and Essaouira are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Essaouira gentler on the wallet – expenses run 240% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.