Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Casablanca and El Calafate

For one person, living costs are similar in Casablanca and in El Calafate: $984 and $961 a month, rent and utilities included.

Casablanca
🇲🇦 Morocco
$984
/mo nomad
El Calafate
🇦🇷 Argentina
$961
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Casablanca and in El Calafate

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $984 in Casablanca versus $961 in El Calafate.

  • Casablanca $984
  • El Calafate $961

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,534 in Casablanca versus $1,574 in El Calafate.

  • Casablanca $1,534
  • El Calafate $1,574

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,084 in Casablanca versus $2,187 in El Calafate.

  • Casablanca $2,084
  • El Calafate $2,187

Living in Casablanca is roughly 2% more expensive than in El Calafate, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Casablanca 27% lower, El Calafate 29% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Casablanca
El Calafate
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.63 MAD 45.13
$10.66 ARS 16.2K
-56.57%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$32.69 MAD 319
$33.87 ARS 51.4K
-3.48%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.14 MAD 79.4
$8.85 ARS 13.4K
-8.02%
Cappuccino
$2.04 MAD 19.86
$2.77 ARS 4,198
-26.35%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.09 MAD 10.62
$1.64 ARS 2,484
-33.54%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.61 MAD 5.99
$1.49 ARS 2,268
-59.06%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.10 MAD 39.99
$2.08 ARS 3,157
97.12%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.70 MAD 55.5
$2.93 ARS 4,452
94.54%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Casablanca
El Calafate
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.91 MAD 8.87
$1.24 ARS 1,887
-26.61%
White Bread (500g)
$0.89 MAD 8.67
$1.61 ARS 2,446
-44.72%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.91 MAD 18.61
$1.93 ARS 2,930
-1.04%
Eggs
$1.85 MAD 18.06
$2.20 ARS 3,346
-15.91%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.93 MAD 107
$10.29 ARS 15.6K
6.22%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.28 MAD 71.0
$6.07 ARS 9,209
19.93%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.25 MAD 119
$9.50 ARS 14.4K
28.95%
Apples (1kg)
$1.62 MAD 15.75
$1.95 ARS 2,963
-16.92%
Banana (1kg)
$1.58 MAD 15.44
$2.11 ARS 3,205
-25.12%
Oranges (1kg)
$0.85 MAD 8.26
$1.33 ARS 2,015
-36.09%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.70 MAD 6.80
$2.62 ARS 3,973
-73.28%
Potato (1kg)
$0.61 MAD 5.92
$1.19 ARS 1,808
-48.74%
Onion (1kg)
$0.69 MAD 6.73
$1.20 ARS 1,821
-42.50%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.46 MAD 4.46
$1.30 ARS 1,973
-64.62%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.55 MAD 5.35
$1.48 ARS 2,245
-62.84%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.01 MAD 39.12
$3.16 ARS 4,800
26.90%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.52 MAD 83.0
$4.97 ARS 7,536
71.43%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.29 MAD 22.37
$2.06 ARS 3,133
11.17%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.04 MAD 29.69
$3.16 ARS 4,799
-3.80%
🚌 Getting Around
Casablanca
El Calafate
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.81 MAD 7.85
$0.76 ARS 1,159
6.58%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$25.88 MAD 252
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.82 MAD 7.95
$1.51 ARS 2,293
-45.70%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.30 MAD 2.91
$0.87 ARS 1,322
-65.52%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$4.71 MAD 45.95
$5.89 ARS 8,934
-20.03%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.52 MAD 14.83
$1.05 ARS 1,600
44.76%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.5K MAD 297.5K
$27.4K ARS 41.6M
11.22%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$30.4K MAD 296.7K
$30.2K ARS 45.9M
0.67%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Casablanca
El Calafate
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$52.2 MAD 509
$66.5 ARS 100.9K
-21.54%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$10.17 MAD 99.1
$16.85 ARS 25.6K
-39.64%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$41.61 MAD 406
$22.42 ARS 34.0K
85.59%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Casablanca
El Calafate
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$32.20 MAD 314
$26.64 ARS 40.4K
20.87%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$21.37 MAD 208
$13.53 ARS 20.5K
57.95%
Cinema Ticket
$7.63 MAD 74.4
$6.34 ARS 9,617
20.35%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Casablanca
El Calafate
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$589 MAD 5,744
$224 ARS 340.0K
162.93%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,573 MAD 54.3K
$2,679 ARS 4.1M
108.00%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Casablanca
El Calafate
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$59.1 MAD 576
$72.7 ARS 110.3K
-18.70%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$46.20 MAD 450
$70.7 ARS 107.3K
-34.68%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$94.6 MAD 922
$114 ARS 173.7K
-17.41%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$61.3 MAD 598
$114 ARS 172.2K
-45.96%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Casablanca
El Calafate
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$619 MAD 6,031
$342 ARS 518.6K
81.00%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$350 MAD 3,411
$235 ARS 357.2K
48.64%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,125 MAD 11.0K
$695 ARS 1.1M
61.93%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$647 MAD 6,306
$533 ARS 809.3K
21.26%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,238 MAD 21.8K
$1,858 ARS 2.8M
20.46%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,266 MAD 12.3K
$1,600 ARS 2.4M
-20.89%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Casablanca
El Calafate
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$676 MAD 6,595
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.83
58.5
-91.74%

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

Last update for Casablanca: October 11, 2026

Last update for El Calafate: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Casablanca
$350
El Calafate
$235 32.7% $115
Groceries & Markets
Casablanca
$210
El Calafate
$231 10.3% $22
Eating Out
Casablanca
$125
El Calafate
$174 39.5% $49
Clothing & Footwear
Casablanca
$118
El Calafate
$167 42.2% $50
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Casablanca
$104
El Calafate
$106 1.8% $1.8
Sport & Entertainment
Casablanca
$47
El Calafate
$39 17.2% $8.1
Getting Around
Casablanca
$31
El Calafate
$8.9 * 71.6% $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 $619 in Casablanca and $342 in El Calafate. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $33.00 in Casablanca vs $34.00 in El Calafate for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $210 vs $231 per month, with Casablanca cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇲🇦 Casablanca
🇦🇷 El Calafate
🕒 Local time
15:42 3:42 PM
11:42 11:42 AM
4 h behind Casablanca
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
3,215,935
22,844
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

ARS, USD, EUR to MAD – Moroccan Dirham Converter

Moroccan Dirham exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 9.75 MAD (1 MAD = 0.103 USD). 1 EUR = 10.96 MAD (100 MAD = 9.12 EUR).

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,706 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Casablanca El Calafate 11,280 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Casablanca
  • El Calafate

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
Casablanca vs El Calafate: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is El Calafate cheaper than Casablanca?
El Calafate is cheaper overall, especially in utilities, leisure, and transport. The 2% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
What income do you need for each city?
You'd need roughly $1,477 in Casablanca and $1,442 in El Calafate to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.
What is the rent difference between Casablanca and El Calafate?
Rent for a central apartment: $619 in Casablanca versus $342 in El Calafate. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do food prices compare in Casablanca and in El Calafate?
Shoppers in Casablanca pay roughly 10% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.
What are total monthly expenses in Casablanca and in El Calafate?
All in, you'll spend $984 per month in Casablanca versus $961 in El Calafate – a 2% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Is $2,000 a realistic budget for living in Casablanca or in El Calafate?
At $961 in El Calafate versus $984 in Casablanca, a $2,000 budget is realistic in El Calafate but tight or insufficient in Casablanca. The gap between the two cities makes El Calafate the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is it better to live in Casablanca or in El Calafate?
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.
Which city is safer, Casablanca or El Calafate?
Safety-wise, Casablanca and El Calafate are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find El Calafate gentler on the wallet – expenses run 2% less than in Casablanca. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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