Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Essaouira

For one person, living is cheaper in Essaouira: $782 a month against $1,586 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $9,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

77

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in Essaouira
Learn more

Essaouira Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Essaouira

🇲🇦 Morocco

$782

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,586 per month in Cape Town vs $782 in Essaouira, rent included.

Cape Town $1,586
Essaouira $782

A couple spends around $2,425 per month in Cape Town vs $1,172 in Essaouira, rent included.

Cape Town $2,425
Essaouira $1,172

A family of three spends $3,263 per month in Cape Town vs $1,562 in Essaouira, rent included.

Cape Town $3,263
Essaouira $1,562

Cape Town costs about 103% more than Essaouira, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Cape Town sits 17% above the global median, while Essaouira is 42% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.14 R 200

$4.62 MAD 45.00

162.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.34 R 747

$18.81 MAD 183

141.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.88 R 96.9

$7.12 MAD 69.4

-17.42%

Cappuccino

$2.50 R 41.18

$1.35 MAD 13.14

85.19%

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

$1.27 R 20.94

$0.47 MAD 4.58

170.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 R 16.14

$0.38 MAD 3.68

157.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.99 R 49.33

$5.31 MAD 51.8

-43.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 R 61.4

$4.61 MAD 44.93

-19.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 R 21.40

$0.90 MAD 8.79

44.44%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 R 20.68

$0.54 MAD 5.25

131.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 R 36.76

$1.67 MAD 16.28

33.53%

Eggs

$3.11 R 51.2

$1.68 MAD 16.37

85.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.06 R 149

$8.27 MAD 80.6

9.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.92 R 114

$5.81 MAD 56.6

19.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.30 R 153

$10.62 MAD 104

-12.43%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 R 30.25

$1.30 MAD 12.63

41.54%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 R 32.29

$1.14 MAD 11.12

71.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.45

$0.72 MAD 7.02

131.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.17 R 35.70

$0.77 MAD 7.52

181.82%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 R 25.81

$0.58 MAD 5.67

170.69%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 R 24.45

$0.68 MAD 6.66

117.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

$0.38 MAD 3.67

242.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 R 18.60

$0.58 MAD 5.68

94.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.60 R 59.3

$3.84 MAD 37.44

-6.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.15 R 101

$6.32 MAD 61.6

-2.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 R 22.66

$1.82 MAD 17.76

-24.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 R 35.20

$2.13 MAD 20.77

0.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 R 24.65

$0.82 MAD 7.99

82.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.59 R 9.71

$0.64 MAD 6.22

-7.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 R 24.65

$0.63 MAD 6.19

138.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.11 R 84.2

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 R 25.50

$1.45 MAD 14.16

6.90%

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

$36.2K R 596.5K

$34.6K MAD 337.3K

4.66%

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

$31.2K R 514.8K

$29.5K MAD 287.8K

5.87%

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

$114 R 1,883

$23.89 MAD 233

378.53%

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

$28.91 R 476

$17.25 MAD 168

67.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.73 R 654

$30.01 MAD 293

32.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.01 R 808

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 R 181

Cinema Ticket

$9.15 R 151

$5.30 MAD 51.7

72.64%

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

$259 R 4,264

$69.0 MAD 672

275.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,794 R 111.9K

$1,875 MAD 18.3K

262.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.2 R 926

$29.38 MAD 286

91.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.41 R 534

$44.72 MAD 436

-27.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 R 1,987

$59.0 MAD 576

104.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 R 1,781

$41.76 MAD 407

158.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,021 R 16.8K

$393 MAD 3,835

159.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$717 R 11.8K

$330 MAD 3,217

117.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,824 R 30.1K

$930 MAD 9,071

96.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,327 R 21.9K

$557 MAD 5,433

138.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,391 R 39.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,542 R 25.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,639 R 27.0K

$256 MAD 2,498

539.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

6.5

68.77%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Last update for Essaouira: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$717 45.2%

Essaouira

$330 42.2% 54% $387

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$225 14.2%

Essaouira

$171 21.9% 23.9% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$183 11.5%

Essaouira

$71 9.1% 61.1% $112

Eating Out

Cape Town

$176 11.1%

Essaouira

$114 14.5% 35.5% $63

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$143 9%

Essaouira

$79 10.1% 44.9% $64

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.7%

Essaouira

$7.1 * 0.9% 90.5% $68

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Essaouira

$11 * 1.4% 84.3% $57

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,021 in Cape Town 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 539% higher in Cape Town, 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 Cape Town versus $19.00 in Essaouira. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $225 vs $171 – making Essaouira the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇲🇦 Essaouira

🕒 Local time

22:16 10:16 PM

21:16 9:16 PM

1 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

77,966

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Moroccan Dirham MAD د.م.

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

100 MAD = 10.26 USD

100 MAD = 9.12 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MAD, USD, EUR to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 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 ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Cape Town Essaouira 7,850 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
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

Cape Town vs Essaouira: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 103% more than Essaouira, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,379 per month in Cape Town 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 $1,586 in Cape Town and $782 in Essaouira. That's a gap of about 103%.

Kindergarten costs $259 per month in Cape Town 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 Cape Town at $1,586. In Essaouira it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cape Town it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Essaouira costs $782 versus $1,586 in Cape Town. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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, Cape Town makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.