Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Casablanca and Essaouira

For one person, living is cheaper in Essaouira: $781 a month against $977 in Casablanca, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

47

Cost of Living Index in Casablanca
Learn more

Casablanca Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in Essaouira
Learn more

Essaouira Living Index

Jump to prices

Casablanca

🇲🇦 Morocco

$977

/mo nomad

Essaouira

🇲🇦 Morocco

$781

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $977 in Casablanca versus $781 in Essaouira.

Casablanca $977
Essaouira $781

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,525 in Casablanca versus $1,172 in Essaouira.

Casablanca $1,525
Essaouira $1,172

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,074 in Casablanca versus $1,563 in Essaouira.

Casablanca $2,074
Essaouira $1,563

Living in Casablanca is roughly 25% more expensive than in Essaouira, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Casablanca 28% lower, Essaouira 42% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.80 MAD 46.77

$4.52 MAD 44.11

6.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$33.06 MAD 322

$18.78 MAD 183

76.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.04 MAD 78.4

$7.36 MAD 71.8

9.24%

Cappuccino

$1.96 MAD 19.15

$1.33 MAD 12.92

47.37%

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

$1.08 MAD 10.51

$0.46 MAD 4.49

134.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.64 MAD 6.24

$0.37 MAD 3.64

72.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.14 MAD 40.33

$5.10 MAD 49.73

-18.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.74 MAD 56.0

$4.39 MAD 42.83

30.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.97 MAD 9.46

$0.91 MAD 8.87

6.59%

White Bread (500g)

$0.83 MAD 8.13

$0.52 MAD 5.08

59.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.89 MAD 18.43

$1.67 MAD 16.33

13.17%

Eggs

$1.89 MAD 18.47

$1.62 MAD 15.76

16.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 MAD 108

$8.12 MAD 79.1

36.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.20 MAD 70.2

$5.92 MAD 57.8

21.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.76 MAD 115

$10.67 MAD 104

10.22%

Apples (1kg)

$1.63 MAD 15.93

$1.28 MAD 12.50

27.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 MAD 15.22

$1.17 MAD 11.45

33.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.79 MAD 7.74

$0.66 MAD 6.45

19.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.76 MAD 7.42

$0.77 MAD 7.48

-1.30%

Potato (1kg)

$0.62 MAD 6.08

$0.58 MAD 5.67

6.90%

Onion (1kg)

$0.65 MAD 6.37

$0.70 MAD 6.79

-7.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.49 MAD 4.81

$0.35 MAD 3.41

40.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.50 MAD 4.86

$0.59 MAD 5.72

-15.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.11 MAD 40.11

$3.85 MAD 37.58

6.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.18 MAD 79.7

$5.98 MAD 58.3

36.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.29 MAD 22.36

$1.70 MAD 16.58

34.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.05 MAD 29.75

$2.09 MAD 20.34

45.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.84 MAD 8.20

$0.85 MAD 8.32

-1.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.29 MAD 247

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.86 MAD 8.39

$0.62 MAD 6.09

38.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.30 MAD 2.89

$0.64 MAD 6.23

-53.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.56 MAD 44.43

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MAD 14.76

$1.48 MAD 14.46

2.03%

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

$30.8K MAD 300.3K

$31.0K MAD 302.6K

-0.76%

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

$31.2K MAD 304.0K

$32.1K MAD 313.0K

-2.88%

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

$51.0 MAD 497

$24.14 MAD 235

111.35%

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

$9.96 MAD 97.1

$16.96 MAD 165

-41.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$41.12 MAD 401

$29.95 MAD 292

37.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.46 MAD 316

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.00 MAD 205

Cinema Ticket

$7.57 MAD 73.8

$5.10 MAD 49.70

48.43%

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

$572 MAD 5,577

$67.8 MAD 661

743.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,556 MAD 54.2K

$1,803 MAD 17.6K

208.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.2 MAD 577

$29.33 MAD 286

101.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.48 MAD 434

$42.93 MAD 419

3.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.0 MAD 917

$59.1 MAD 576

59.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$60.1 MAD 586

$40.42 MAD 394

48.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$595 MAD 5,804

$386 MAD 3,760

54.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$347 MAD 3,386

$334 MAD 3,259

3.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,105 MAD 10.8K

$913 MAD 8,905

21.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$645 MAD 6,289

$569 MAD 5,547

13.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,214 MAD 21.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,238 MAD 12.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$670 MAD 6,536

$254 MAD 2,479

163.63%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.83

6.5

-25.69%

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

Last update for Casablanca: October 17, 2026

Last update for Essaouira: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Casablanca

$347 35.6%

Essaouira

$334 42.8% 3.8% $13

Groceries & Markets

Casablanca

$207 21.2%

Essaouira

$170 21.7% 18.2% $38

Eating Out

Casablanca

$125 12.8%

Essaouira

$112 14.3% 10.6% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Casablanca

$116 11.9%

Essaouira

$77 9.9% 33.4% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Casablanca

$102 10.5%

Essaouira

$71 9.1% 30.4% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Casablanca

$48 4.9%

Essaouira

$10 * 1.3% 78.6% $37

Getting Around

Casablanca

$31 3.2%

Essaouira

$7.2 * 0.9% 76.7% $24

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 $595 in Casablanca and $386 in Essaouira. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Casablanca pays 164% 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: $33.00 in Casablanca vs $19.00 in Essaouira for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $207 vs $170 per month, with Essaouira cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇦 Casablanca

🇲🇦 Essaouira

🕒 Local time

14:17 2:17 PM

Same time as Casablanca

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,215,935

77,966

💱 Currency

Moroccan Dirham MAD د.م.

📈 Exchange rate

100 MAD = 10.26 USD

100 MAD = 9.12 EUR

100 MAD = 10.26 USD

100 MAD = 9.12 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Casablanca Essaouira 310 km

From you

Casablanca
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

Casablanca vs Essaouira: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Essaouira is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 25% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 164% higher in Casablanca, 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: $595 in Casablanca versus $386 in Essaouira. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 22% higher in Casablanca. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $977 per month in Casablanca versus $781 in Essaouira – a 25% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $781 in Essaouira versus $977 in Casablanca, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Essaouira but tight or insufficient in Casablanca. The gap between the two cities makes Essaouira the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Essaouira is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Casablanca, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Casablanca 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 25% less than in Casablanca. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.