Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Essaouira

For one person, living is cheaper in Essaouira: $782 a month against $1,656 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $10,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
Learn more

Buenos Aires Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in Essaouira
Learn more

Essaouira Living Index

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Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,656

/mo nomad

Essaouira

🇲🇦 Morocco

$782

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,656 in Buenos Aires versus $782 in Essaouira.

Buenos Aires $1,656
Essaouira $782

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,697 in Buenos Aires versus $1,172 in Essaouira.

Buenos Aires $2,697
Essaouira $1,172

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,737 in Buenos Aires versus $1,562 in Essaouira.

Buenos Aires $3,737
Essaouira $1,562

Living in Buenos Aires is roughly 112% more expensive than in Essaouira, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Buenos Aires is 23% above, Essaouira is 42% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.09 ARS 29.0K

$4.62 MAD 45.00

313.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 ARS 99.9K

$18.81 MAD 183

249.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.20 ARS 20.0K

$7.12 MAD 69.4

85.39%

Cappuccino

$3.85 ARS 5,841

$1.35 MAD 13.14

185.19%

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

$1.99 ARS 3,020

$0.47 MAD 4.58

323.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ARS 2,430

$0.38 MAD 3.68

321.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.93 ARS 5,959

$5.31 MAD 51.8

-25.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 ARS 7,003

$4.61 MAD 44.93

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 ARS 2,272

$0.90 MAD 8.79

66.67%

White Bread (500g)

$2.53 ARS 3,837

$0.54 MAD 5.25

368.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 ARS 2,445

$1.67 MAD 16.28

-3.59%

Eggs

$2.84 ARS 4,316

$1.68 MAD 16.37

69.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.30 ARS 15.6K

$8.27 MAD 80.6

24.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

$5.81 MAD 56.6

72.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.30 ARS 20.2K

$10.62 MAD 104

25.24%

Apples (1kg)

$2.88 ARS 4,366

$1.30 MAD 12.63

121.54%

Banana (1kg)

$2.20 ARS 3,334

$1.14 MAD 11.12

92.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.40 ARS 2,120

$0.72 MAD 7.02

94.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.98 ARS 3,004

$0.77 MAD 7.52

157.14%

Potato (1kg)

$1.21 ARS 1,835

$0.58 MAD 5.67

108.62%

Onion (1kg)

$1.26 ARS 1,910

$0.68 MAD 6.66

85.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.71 ARS 2,592

$0.38 MAD 3.67

350.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 ARS 2,603

$0.58 MAD 5.68

196.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.29 ARS 6,505

$3.84 MAD 37.44

11.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.70 ARS 8,645

$6.32 MAD 61.6

-9.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.17 ARS 3,288

$1.82 MAD 17.76

19.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 ARS 4,188

$2.13 MAD 20.77

29.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 ARS 1,141

$0.82 MAD 7.99

-8.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.27 ARS 41.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.57 ARS 2,375

$0.64 MAD 6.22

145.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 ARS 1,558

$0.63 MAD 6.19

63.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.90 ARS 12.0K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 ARS 2,160

$1.45 MAD 14.16

-2.07%

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

$27.9K ARS 42.4M

$34.6K MAD 337.3K

-19.21%

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

$35.0K ARS 53.1M

$29.5K MAD 287.8K

18.48%

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

$195 ARS 296.2K

$23.89 MAD 233

717.08%

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

$25.16 ARS 38.2K

$17.25 MAD 168

45.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.54 ARS 47.9K

$30.01 MAD 293

5.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.9 ARS 77.3K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.73 ARS 25.4K

Cinema Ticket

$10.34 ARS 15.7K

$5.30 MAD 51.7

95.09%

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

$463 ARS 703.2K

$69.0 MAD 672

571.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,793 ARS 13.3M

$1,875 MAD 18.3K

369.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$120 ARS 181.8K

$29.38 MAD 286

307.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$95.5 ARS 144.9K

$44.72 MAD 436

113.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 ARS 173.1K

$59.0 MAD 576

93.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 ARS 211.4K

$41.76 MAD 407

233.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$756 ARS 1.1M

$393 MAD 3,835

92.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$520 ARS 788.8K

$330 MAD 3,217

57.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,590 ARS 2.4M

$930 MAD 9,071

70.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,198 ARS 1.8M

$557 MAD 5,433

115.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,713 ARS 4.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,901 ARS 2.9M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$938 ARS 1.4M

$256 MAD 2,498

265.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

6.5

780.77%

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: 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

Buenos Aires

$520 31.4%

Essaouira

$330 42.2% 36.5% $190

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$283 17.1%

Essaouira

$171 21.9% 39.6% $112

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$282 17%

Essaouira

$114 14.5% 59.7% $168

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$252 15.2%

Essaouira

$71 9.1% 71.7% $181

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$211 12.7%

Essaouira

$79 10.1% 62.7% $132

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$72 4.3%

Essaouira

$11 * 1.4% 85.2% $61

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2%

Essaouira

$7.1 * 0.9% 80.8% $30

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 $756 in Buenos Aires and $393 in Essaouira. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Buenos Aires pays 266% 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: $66.0 in Buenos Aires vs $19.00 in Essaouira for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $283 vs $171 per month, with Essaouira cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇲🇦 Essaouira

🕒 Local time

14:37 2:37 PM

18:37 6:37 PM

4 h ahead of Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

77,966

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

Moroccan Dirham MAD د.م.

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR

100 MAD = 10.26 USD

100 MAD = 9.12 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MAD, USD, EUR to ARS – Argentine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇷 Argentine Peso ($)

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,706 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.86 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 ARS in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Buenos Aires Essaouira 8,940 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Buenos Aires
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

Buenos Aires vs Essaouira: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buenos Aires and Essaouira differ by about 112% in total monthly costs ($1,656 vs $782 including rent). Essaouira is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 266% higher in Buenos Aires, 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: $756 in Buenos Aires versus $393 in Essaouira. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $463 in Buenos Aires 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 $66.0 in Buenos Aires. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $782 in Essaouira versus $1,656 in Buenos Aires, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Essaouira but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. 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.

Safety-wise, Buenos Aires 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 112% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.