Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chengdu and Essaouira

For one person, living costs are similar in Chengdu and in Essaouira: $749 and $781 a month, rent and utilities included.

36

Cost of Living Index in Chengdu
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Chengdu Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in Essaouira
Learn more

Essaouira Living Index

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Chengdu

🇨🇳 China

$749

/mo nomad

Essaouira

🇲🇦 Morocco

$781

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $749 per month in Chengdu vs $781 in Essaouira, rent included.

Chengdu $749
Essaouira $781

A couple spends around $1,210 per month in Chengdu vs $1,172 in Essaouira, rent included.

Chengdu $1,210
Essaouira $1,172

A family of three spends $1,672 per month in Chengdu vs $1,563 in Essaouira, rent included.

Chengdu $1,672
Essaouira $1,563

Chengdu is about 4% cheaper than Essaouira, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Chengdu and Essaouira are more affordable than the global median – Chengdu 45% lower, Essaouira 42% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.86 ¥19.11

$4.52 MAD 44.11

-36.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.74 ¥152

$18.78 MAD 183

21.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.83 ¥32.28

$7.36 MAD 71.8

-34.38%

Cappuccino

$2.99 ¥19.99

$1.33 MAD 12.92

124.81%

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

$0.48 ¥3.19

$0.46 MAD 4.49

4.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.28 ¥1.88

$0.37 MAD 3.64

-24.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.53 ¥10.21

$5.10 MAD 49.73

-70.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.23 ¥14.88

$4.39 MAD 42.83

-49.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.81 ¥12.10

$0.91 MAD 8.87

98.90%

White Bread (500g)

$1.54 ¥10.28

$0.52 MAD 5.08

196.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.21

$1.67 MAD 16.33

-44.31%

Eggs

$1.55 ¥10.37

$1.62 MAD 15.76

-4.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.37 ¥96.1

$8.12 MAD 79.1

76.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.60 ¥24.05

$5.92 MAD 57.8

-39.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.14 ¥74.5

$10.67 MAD 104

4.40%

Apples (1kg)

$1.82 ¥12.19

$1.28 MAD 12.50

42.19%

Banana (1kg)

$1.34 ¥8.94

$1.17 MAD 11.45

14.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.09 ¥7.30

$0.66 MAD 6.45

65.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.19 ¥7.98

$0.77 MAD 7.48

54.55%

Potato (1kg)

$0.75 ¥4.99

$0.58 MAD 5.67

29.31%

Onion (1kg)

$0.68 ¥4.52

$0.70 MAD 6.79

-2.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.63 ¥4.22

$0.35 MAD 3.41

80.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 ¥3.58

$0.59 MAD 5.72

-8.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.77 ¥25.22

$3.85 MAD 37.58

-2.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.40 ¥29.41

$5.98 MAD 58.3

-26.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 ¥5.52

$1.70 MAD 16.58

-51.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.51 ¥10.08

$2.09 MAD 20.34

-27.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.38 ¥2.56

$0.85 MAD 8.32

-55.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$24.58 ¥164

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.37 ¥9.18

$0.62 MAD 6.09

120.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.31 ¥2.08

$0.64 MAD 6.23

-51.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.59 ¥30.71

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ¥8.78

$1.48 MAD 14.46

-11.49%

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

$19.7K ¥131.5K

$31.0K MAD 302.6K

-36.63%

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

$17.9K ¥119.3K

$32.1K MAD 313.0K

-44.40%

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

$48.01 ¥321

$24.14 MAD 235

98.88%

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

$9.42 ¥63.0

$16.96 MAD 165

-44.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.75 ¥85.2

$29.95 MAD 292

-57.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.36 ¥183

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.25 ¥75.2

Cinema Ticket

$5.87 ¥39.26

$5.10 MAD 49.70

15.10%

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

$373 ¥2,494

$67.8 MAD 661

450.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.7K ¥98.3K

$1,803 MAD 17.6K

714.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$25.03 ¥167

$29.33 MAD 286

-14.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.15 ¥188

$42.93 MAD 419

-34.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$56.0 ¥374

$59.1 MAD 576

-5.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$51.3 ¥343

$40.42 MAD 394

26.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$465 ¥3,109

$386 MAD 3,760

20.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$256 ¥1,712

$334 MAD 3,259

-23.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$833 ¥5,570

$913 MAD 8,905

-8.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$539 ¥3,606

$569 MAD 5,547

-5.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,747 ¥25.1K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,917 ¥12.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,254 ¥8,382

$254 MAD 2,479

392.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.38

6.5

-48.00%

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

Last update for Chengdu: 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

Chengdu

$256 34.2%

Essaouira

$334 42.8% 30.6% $78

Groceries & Markets

Chengdu

$194 25.9%

Essaouira

$170 21.7% 12.5% $24

Eating Out

Chengdu

$88 11.8%

Essaouira

$112 14.3% 26.5% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Chengdu

$72 9.6%

Essaouira

$77 9.9% 7% $5.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chengdu

$70 9.4%

Essaouira

$71 9.1% 1.2% $0.9

Sport & Entertainment

Chengdu

$39 5.2%

Essaouira

$10 * 1.3% 73.9% $29

Getting Around

Chengdu

$29 3.9%

Essaouira

$7.2 * 0.9% 75.1% $22

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $465 in Chengdu versus $386 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 393% higher in Chengdu, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $23.00 in Chengdu versus $19.00 in Essaouira. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $194 vs $170 – making Essaouira the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Chengdu

🇲🇦 Essaouira

🕒 Local time

21:17 9:17 PM

14:17 2:17 PM

7 h behind Chengdu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

20,937,757

77,966

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Moroccan Dirham MAD د.م.

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

100 MAD = 10.26 USD

100 MAD = 9.12 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MAD, USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

Moroccan Dirham exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 9.75 MAD (1 MAD = 0.103 USD). 1 EUR = 10.96 MAD (100 MAD = 9.12 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chengdu Essaouira 10,200 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Chengdu
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

Chengdu vs Essaouira: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $749 in Chengdu, $781 in Essaouira – roughly 4% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,123 per month in Chengdu and $1,172 in Essaouira. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chengdu, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $23.00 in Chengdu and $19.00 in Essaouira. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 14% cheaper in Essaouira – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $749 in Chengdu and $781 in Essaouira, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Essaouira has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $749 in Chengdu to $781 in Essaouira. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 Chengdu. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Essaouira makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.