Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Essaouira

For one person, living is cheaper in Essaouira: $772 a month against $1,371 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
Learn more

Bucharest Living Index
37

Cost of Living Index in Essaouira
Learn more

Essaouira Living Index

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Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,371

/mo nomad

Essaouira

🇲🇦 Morocco

$772

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,371 in Bucharest versus $772 in Essaouira.

Bucharest $1,371
Essaouira $772

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,067 in Bucharest versus $1,155 in Essaouira.

Bucharest $2,067
Essaouira $1,155

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,764 in Bucharest versus $1,537 in Essaouira.

Bucharest $2,764
Essaouira $1,537

Living in Bucharest is roughly 77% more expensive than in Essaouira, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.51 RON 69.4

$4.93 MAD 48.10

194.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 RON 293

$17.98 MAD 175

240.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.46 RON 35.68

$7.28 MAD 71.0

2.47%

Cappuccino

$3.64 RON 17.41

$1.40 MAD 13.61

160.00%

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

$2.62 RON 12.50

$0.39 MAD 3.83

571.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 RON 11.29

$0.21 MAD 2.09

1023.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.78 RON 18.08

$5.06 MAD 49.33

-25.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.11 RON 19.64

$4.56 MAD 44.49

-9.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 RON 7.94

$0.90 MAD 8.81

84.44%

White Bread (500g)

$1.40 RON 6.68

$0.49 MAD 4.82

185.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.79 RON 8.58

$1.73 MAD 16.91

3.47%

Eggs

$3.63 RON 17.35

$1.61 MAD 15.72

125.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.92 RON 42.63

$7.82 MAD 76.3

14.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.86 RON 32.81

$5.70 MAD 55.6

20.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.99 RON 57.3

$10.40 MAD 101

15.29%

Apples (1kg)

$1.30 RON 6.20

$1.29 MAD 12.59

0.78%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 RON 7.81

$1.16 MAD 11.31

40.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.49 RON 7.13

$0.65 MAD 6.31

129.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.54 RON 12.15

$0.74 MAD 7.20

243.24%

Potato (1kg)

$0.81 RON 3.88

$0.54 MAD 5.29

50.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.80 RON 3.81

$0.64 MAD 6.19

25.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.86 RON 4.09

$0.34 MAD 3.34

152.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 RON 4.48

$0.54 MAD 5.29

74.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.60 RON 31.57

$3.84 MAD 37.44

71.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.33 RON 30.26

$6.27 MAD 61.2

0.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 RON 5.67

$1.79 MAD 17.47

-33.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 RON 7.57

$1.98 MAD 19.30

-20.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.98 RON 4.66

$0.80 MAD 7.78

22.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.91 RON 100.0

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.60 RON 2.87

$0.62 MAD 6.09

-3.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.62 RON 2.95

$0.58 MAD 5.66

6.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.37 RON 30.43

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.02 RON 9.68

$1.45 MAD 14.13

39.31%

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

$28.2K RON 134.8K

$30.6K MAD 298.7K

-7.91%

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

$26.3K RON 125.6K

$31.2K MAD 304.0K

-15.69%

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

$196 RON 938

$23.98 MAD 234

718.10%

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

$8.60 RON 41.09

$17.44 MAD 170

-50.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.20 RON 43.95

$29.74 MAD 290

-69.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.0 RON 244

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.04 RON 120

Cinema Ticket

$8.26 RON 39.50

$5.20 MAD 50.7

58.85%

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

$681 RON 3,253

$69.6 MAD 679

878.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.7K RON 89.6K

$5,244 MAD 51.1K

257.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.3 RON 446

$28.83 MAD 281

223.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.87 RON 191

$43.22 MAD 422

-7.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.1 RON 383

$58.3 MAD 569

37.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.6 RON 433

$40.40 MAD 394

124.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$731 RON 3,494

$374 MAD 3,650

95.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$470 RON 2,245

$326 MAD 3,179

44.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,110 RON 5,308

$902 MAD 8,799

23.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$722 RON 3,451

$549 MAD 5,352

31.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,749 RON 17.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,233 RON 10.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,365 RON 6,526

$252 MAD 2,453

442.78%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

6.5

3.85%

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

Last update for Bucharest: November 2, 2026

Last update for Essaouira: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$470 34.3%

Essaouira

$326 42.2% 30.6% $144

Eating Out

Bucharest

$229 16.7%

Essaouira

$115 14.9% 49.9% $114

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$225 16.4%

Essaouira

$166 21.6% 25.9% $58

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$214 15.6%

Essaouira

$71 9.2% 66.7% $143

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$137 10%

Essaouira

$77 10% 43.8% $60

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$68 4.9%

Essaouira

$10 * 1.4% 84.6% $57

Getting Around

Bucharest

$29 2.1%

Essaouira

$6.7 * 0.9% 76.5% $22

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 $731 in Bucharest and $374 in Essaouira. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucharest pays about 5.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $61 in Bucharest vs $18 in Essaouira for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $225 vs $166 per month, with Essaouira cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇲🇦 Essaouira

🕒 Local time

19:11 7:11 PM

17:11 5:11 PM

2 h behind Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

77,966

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Moroccan Dirham MAD د.م.

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.209 USD

1 RON = 0.186 EUR

100 MAD = 10.25 USD

100 MAD = 9.13 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MAD, USD, EUR to RON – Romanian Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇴 Romanian Leu (lei)

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 4.78 RON (1 RON = 0.209 USD). 1 EUR = 5.37 RON (1 RON = 0.186 EUR).

Moroccan Dirham exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 9.75 MAD (1 MAD = 0.103 USD). 1 EUR = 10.95 MAD (100 MAD = 9.13 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bucharest Essaouira 3,420 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Bucharest
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

Bucharest vs Essaouira: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,371 in Bucharest and $772 in Essaouira, so Essaouira is about 44% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Bucharest is about 5.4 times higher, 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: $731 in Bucharest versus $374 in Essaouira. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 35% higher in Bucharest. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,371 per month in Bucharest versus $772 in Essaouira – Essaouira is about 44% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $772 in Essaouira versus $1,371 in Bucharest, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Essaouira but tight or insufficient in Bucharest. The gap between the two cities makes Essaouira the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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 – Essaouira wins on affordability, Bucharest on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.