Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bansko and Essaouira

For one person, living is cheaper in Essaouira: $782 a month against $956 in Bansko, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

47

Cost of Living Index in Bansko
Learn more

Bansko Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in Essaouira
Learn more

Essaouira Living Index

Jump to prices

Bansko

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$956

/mo nomad

Essaouira

🇲🇦 Morocco

$782

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bansko 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 Bansko and in Essaouira actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $956 per month in Bansko vs $782 in Essaouira, rent included.

Bansko $956
Essaouira $782

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Bansko vs $1,172 in Essaouira, rent included.

Bansko $1,467
Essaouira $1,172

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Bansko vs $1,562 in Essaouira, rent included.

Bansko $1,979
Essaouira $1,562

Bansko costs about 22% more than Essaouira, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Bansko and Essaouira are more affordable than the global median – Bansko 29% lower, Essaouira 42% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.66 BGN 15.06

$4.62 MAD 45.00

87.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.94 BGN 78.2

$18.81 MAD 183

138.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.78 BGN 15.28

$7.12 MAD 69.4

23.31%

Cappuccino

$2.33 BGN 4.05

$1.35 MAD 13.14

72.59%

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

$1.57 BGN 2.74

$0.47 MAD 4.58

234.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 BGN 1.43

$0.38 MAD 3.68

115.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.68 BGN 2.92

$5.31 MAD 51.8

-68.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 BGN 3.45

$4.61 MAD 44.93

-57.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 BGN 3.00

$0.90 MAD 8.79

92.22%

White Bread (500g)

$0.80 BGN 1.40

$0.54 MAD 5.25

48.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.44 BGN 2.51

$1.67 MAD 16.28

-13.77%

Eggs

$2.36 BGN 4.10

$1.68 MAD 16.37

40.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.39 BGN 16.34

$8.27 MAD 80.6

13.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.41 BGN 11.15

$5.81 MAD 56.6

10.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.48 BGN 14.76

$10.62 MAD 104

-20.15%

Apples (1kg)

$1.31 BGN 2.28

$1.30 MAD 12.63

0.77%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 BGN 2.82

$1.14 MAD 11.12

42.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.73 BGN 3.01

$0.72 MAD 7.02

140.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.94 BGN 3.38

$0.77 MAD 7.52

151.95%

Potato (1kg)

$0.94 BGN 1.63

$0.58 MAD 5.67

62.07%

Onion (1kg)

$0.76 BGN 1.32

$0.68 MAD 6.66

11.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.55 BGN 0.95

$0.38 MAD 3.67

44.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 BGN 1.02

$0.58 MAD 5.68

1.72%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.25 BGN 5.66

$3.84 MAD 37.44

-15.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.20 BGN 9.05

$6.32 MAD 61.6

-17.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 BGN 1.89

$1.82 MAD 17.76

-40.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 BGN 2.92

$2.13 MAD 20.77

-21.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.84 BGN 1.45

$0.82 MAD 7.99

2.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.06 BGN 47.09

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.34 BGN 2.34

$0.64 MAD 6.22

109.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.65 BGN 1.14

$0.63 MAD 6.19

3.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.06 BGN 17.51

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 BGN 2.57

$1.45 MAD 14.16

2.07%

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

$29.1K BGN 50.7K

$34.6K MAD 337.3K

-15.76%

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

$20.9K BGN 36.4K

$29.5K MAD 287.8K

-29.12%

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

$92.4 BGN 161

$23.89 MAD 233

286.90%

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

$14.52 BGN 25.26

$17.25 MAD 168

-15.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.32 BGN 21.43

$30.01 MAD 293

-58.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.70 BGN 55.2

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.53 BGN 14.84

Cinema Ticket

$5.62 BGN 9.78

$5.30 MAD 51.7

6.04%

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

$230 BGN 401

$69.0 MAD 672

234.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,268 BGN 3,947

$1,875 MAD 18.3K

21.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$30.10 BGN 52.4

$29.38 MAD 286

2.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.62 BGN 34.13

$44.72 MAD 436

-56.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$45.86 BGN 79.8

$59.0 MAD 576

-22.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$47.69 BGN 83.0

$41.76 MAD 407

14.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$518 BGN 902

$393 MAD 3,835

31.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$357 BGN 621

$330 MAD 3,217

8.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$614 BGN 1,069

$930 MAD 9,071

-33.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$569 BGN 990

$557 MAD 5,433

2.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,191 BGN 2,073

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$959 BGN 1,669

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,704 BGN 2,965

$256 MAD 2,498

564.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.99

6.5

-54.00%

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

Last update for Bansko: October 11, 2026

Last update for Essaouira: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bansko

$357 37.3%

Essaouira

$330 42.2% 7.6% $27

Groceries & Markets

Bansko

$192 20.1%

Essaouira

$171 21.9% 10.8% $21

Eating Out

Bansko

$145 15.2%

Essaouira

$114 14.5% 21.9% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bansko

$119 12.5%

Essaouira

$71 9.1% 40.3% $48

Clothing & Footwear

Bansko

$64 6.7%

Essaouira

$79 10.1% 22.1% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Bansko

$43 4.5%

Essaouira

$11 * 1.4% 75.3% $32

Getting Around

Bansko

$35 3.7%

Essaouira

$7.1 * 0.9% 79.8% $28

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $518 in Bansko versus $393 in Essaouira. 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 565% higher in Bansko, 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 $45.00 in Bansko versus $19.00 in Essaouira. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $192 vs $171 – making Essaouira the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Bansko

🇲🇦 Essaouira

🕒 Local time

22:58 10:58 PM

20:58 8:58 PM

2 h behind Bansko

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,000

77,966

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Moroccan Dirham MAD د.م.

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

100 MAD = 10.26 USD

100 MAD = 9.12 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MAD, USD, EUR to BGN – Bulgarian Lev Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇬 Bulgarian Lev (лв.)

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.511 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).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bansko Essaouira 3,160 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Bansko
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

Bansko vs Essaouira: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $956 in Bansko, $782 in Essaouira – roughly 22% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,434 per month in Bansko and $1,173 in Essaouira. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Essaouira, 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 $956 in Bansko and $782 in Essaouira. That's a gap of about 22%.

Kindergarten costs $230 per month in Bansko and $69.0 in Essaouira. 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 Essaouira, where all-in costs run around $782, than in Bansko at $956. In Essaouira it covers expenses comfortably, while in Bansko it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Bansko has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $782 in Essaouira to $956 in Bansko. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 Essaouira. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Bansko makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.