Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Casablanca and San José

For one person, living is cheaper in San José: $913 a month against $977 in Casablanca, rent and utilities included – about $770 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Casablanca outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

47

Cost of Living Index in Casablanca
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Casablanca Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in San José
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San José Living Index

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Casablanca

🇲🇦 Morocco

$977

/mo nomad

San José

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$913

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Casablanca and in San José

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 San José actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $977 in Casablanca versus $913 in San José.

Casablanca $977
San José $913

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,525 in Casablanca versus $1,449 in San José.

Casablanca $1,525
San José $1,449

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,074 in Casablanca versus $1,985 in San José.

Casablanca $2,074
San José $1,985

Living in Casablanca is roughly 7% more expensive than in San José, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Casablanca 28% lower, San José 33% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.80 MAD 46.77

$12.95 UYU 520

-62.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$33.06 MAD 322

$43.87 UYU 1,761

-24.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.04 MAD 78.4

$13.82 UYU 555

-41.82%

Cappuccino

$1.96 MAD 19.15

$4.88 UYU 196

-59.84%

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

$1.08 MAD 10.51

$2.38 UYU 95.6

-54.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.64 MAD 6.24

$2.19 UYU 87.9

-70.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.14 MAD 40.33

$2.92 UYU 117

41.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.74 MAD 56.0

$3.48 UYU 140

64.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.97 MAD 9.46

$0.99 UYU 39.77

-2.02%

White Bread (500g)

$0.83 MAD 8.13

$2.01 UYU 80.7

-58.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.89 MAD 18.43

$1.47 UYU 59.0

28.57%

Eggs

$1.89 MAD 18.47

$2.62 UYU 105

-27.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 MAD 108

$12.01 UYU 482

-7.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.20 MAD 70.2

$7.26 UYU 291

-0.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.76 MAD 115

$12.07 UYU 484

-2.57%

Apples (1kg)

$1.63 MAD 15.93

$1.22 UYU 48.77

33.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 MAD 15.22

$1.54 UYU 61.8

1.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.79 MAD 7.74

$1.21 UYU 48.71

-34.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.76 MAD 7.42

$1.54 UYU 61.7

-50.65%

Potato (1kg)

$0.62 MAD 6.08

$0.98 UYU 39.49

-36.73%

Onion (1kg)

$0.65 MAD 6.37

$1.28 UYU 51.5

-49.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.49 MAD 4.81

$1.49 UYU 59.7

-67.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.50 MAD 4.86

$1.99 UYU 79.9

-74.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.11 MAD 40.11

$9.82 UYU 394

-58.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.18 MAD 79.7

$8.17 UYU 328

0.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.29 MAD 22.36

$3.05 UYU 123

-24.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.05 MAD 29.75

$3.35 UYU 135

-8.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.84 MAD 8.20

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.29 MAD 247

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.86 MAD 8.39

$3.50 UYU 141

-75.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.30 MAD 2.89

$3.45 UYU 139

-91.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.56 MAD 44.43

$9.95 UYU 399

-54.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MAD 14.76

$2.15 UYU 86.3

-29.77%

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

$30.8K MAD 300.3K

$36.4K UYU 1.5M

-15.42%

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

$31.2K MAD 304.0K

$40.1K UYU 1.6M

-22.15%

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

$51.0 MAD 497

$113 UYU 4,547

-54.97%

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

$9.96 MAD 97.1

$23.78 UYU 955

-58.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$41.12 MAD 401

$47.11 UYU 1,891

-12.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.46 MAD 316

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.00 MAD 205

Cinema Ticket

$7.57 MAD 73.8

$12.35 UYU 496

-38.70%

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

$572 MAD 5,577

$494 UYU 19.8K

15.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,556 MAD 54.2K

$6,691 UYU 268.6K

-16.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.2 MAD 577

$88.3 UYU 3,542

-32.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.48 MAD 434

$37.57 UYU 1,508

18.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.0 MAD 917

$164 UYU 6,601

-42.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$60.1 MAD 586

$117 UYU 4,699

-48.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$595 MAD 5,804

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$347 MAD 3,386

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,105 MAD 10.8K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$645 MAD 6,289

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

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.83

-3.40%

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

Last update for Casablanca: October 17, 2026

Last update for San José: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Casablanca

$347 35.6%

San José

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Casablanca

$207 21.2%

San José

$256 28.1% 23.7% $49

Eating Out

Casablanca

$125 12.8%

San José

$243 26.7% 94.6% $118

Clothing & Footwear

Casablanca

$116 11.9%

San José

$183 20.1% 58% $67

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Casablanca

$102 10.5%

San José

$184 20.2% 80.4% $82

Sport & Entertainment

Casablanca

$48 4.9%

San José

$25 * 2.7% 48.1% $23

Getting Around

Casablanca

$31 3.2%

San José

$21 * 2.3% 33% $10

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $33.00 in Casablanca vs $44.00 in San José for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $207 vs $256 per month, with Casablanca cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇦 Casablanca

🇺🇾 San José

🕒 Local time

22:35 10:35 PM

18:35 6:35 PM

4 h behind Casablanca

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,215,935

36,747

💱 Currency

Moroccan Dirham MAD د.م.

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

📈 Exchange rate

100 MAD = 10.26 USD

100 MAD = 9.12 EUR

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

UYU, USD, EUR to MAD – Moroccan Dirham Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇦 Moroccan Dirham (د.م.)

Moroccan Dirham exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 9.75 MAD (1 MAD = 0.103 USD). 1 EUR = 10.96 MAD (100 MAD = 9.12 EUR).

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 40.14 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.12 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

USD to MAD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Casablanca San José 9,120 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Casablanca
San José

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 San José: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San José is cheaper overall, especially in leisure and transport. The 7% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,465 in Casablanca and $1,369 in San José 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.

Shoppers in Casablanca pay roughly 24% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $977 per month in Casablanca versus $913 in San José – a 7% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $913 in San José versus $977 in Casablanca, a $1,000 budget is realistic in San José but tight or insufficient in Casablanca. The gap between the two cities makes San José 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, Casablanca and San José 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 San José gentler on the wallet – expenses run 7% less than in Casablanca. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.