Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between El Jadida and Essaouira

For one person, living is cheaper in El Jadida: $613 a month against $776 in Essaouira, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

29

Cost of Living Index in El Jadida
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El Jadida Living Index
37

Cost of Living Index in Essaouira
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Essaouira Living Index

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El Jadida

🇲🇦 Morocco

$613

/mo nomad

Essaouira

🇲🇦 Morocco

$776

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $613 in El Jadida versus $776 in Essaouira.

El Jadida $613
Essaouira $776

Estimated couple costs with rent: $921 in El Jadida versus $1,159 in Essaouira.

El Jadida $921
Essaouira $1,159

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,230 in El Jadida versus $1,542 in Essaouira.

El Jadida $1,230
Essaouira $1,542

Living in El Jadida costs roughly 21% less than in Essaouira, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: El Jadida 55% lower, Essaouira 43% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.74 MAD 26.97

$4.52 MAD 44.51

-39.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$20.55 MAD 202

$18.04 MAD 178

13.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.97 MAD 58.8

$7.17 MAD 70.6

-16.74%

Cappuccino

$1.51 MAD 14.86

$1.38 MAD 13.64

9.42%

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

$0.42 MAD 4.12

$0.42 MAD 4.18

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 MAD 2.98

$0.35 MAD 3.43

-14.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.62 MAD 25.79

$5.01 MAD 49.32

-47.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 MAD 24.72

$4.56 MAD 44.95

-44.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.98 MAD 9.67

$0.83 MAD 8.21

18.07%

White Bread (500g)

$0.36 MAD 3.58

$0.50 MAD 4.88

-28.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.96 MAD 19.33

$1.67 MAD 16.42

17.37%

Eggs

$1.88 MAD 18.55

$1.67 MAD 16.42

12.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.26 MAD 61.7

$7.81 MAD 76.9

-19.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.02 MAD 39.62

$5.73 MAD 56.4

-29.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.50 MAD 73.8

$10.46 MAD 103

-28.30%

Apples (1kg)

$1.51 MAD 14.86

$1.29 MAD 12.69

17.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.41 MAD 13.84

$1.13 MAD 11.10

24.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.65 MAD 6.37

$0.70 MAD 6.92

-7.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.64 MAD 6.28

$0.78 MAD 7.72

-17.95%

Potato (1kg)

$0.68 MAD 6.65

$0.59 MAD 5.79

15.25%

Onion (1kg)

$0.50 MAD 4.94

$0.64 MAD 6.31

-21.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.30 MAD 2.92

$0.37 MAD 3.66

-18.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 MAD 5.05

$0.54 MAD 5.29

-5.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.76 MAD 37.03

$3.78 MAD 37.21

-0.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$3.97 MAD 39.06

$6.06 MAD 59.6

-34.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.48 MAD 24.40

$1.72 MAD 16.98

44.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.83 MAD 27.84

$2.07 MAD 20.43

36.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.44 MAD 4.38

$0.78 MAD 7.70

-43.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.98 MAD 157

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.04 MAD 10.20

$0.62 MAD 6.11

67.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.04 MAD 10.25

$0.63 MAD 6.24

65.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.96 MAD 48.80

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 MAD 14.61

$1.41 MAD 13.87

4.96%

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

$33.7K MAD 332.1K

$30.7K MAD 301.9K

10.02%

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

$29.7K MAD 293.0K

$31.1K MAD 306.0K

-4.25%

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

$28.15 MAD 277

$23.39 MAD 230

20.35%

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

$9.90 MAD 97.5

$17.33 MAD 171

-42.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.58 MAD 301

$29.59 MAD 291

3.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.51 MAD 271

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.73 MAD 116

Cinema Ticket

$6.25 MAD 61.6

$5.12 MAD 50.4

22.07%

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

$111 MAD 1,094

$69.3 MAD 683

60.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,097 MAD 30.5K

$1,800 MAD 17.7K

72.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$26.67 MAD 263

$28.82 MAD 284

-7.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.40 MAD 349

$42.91 MAD 423

-17.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$64.3 MAD 633

$59.2 MAD 583

8.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.3 MAD 672

$40.94 MAD 403

66.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$203 MAD 1,998

$380 MAD 3,746

-46.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$165 MAD 1,629

$334 MAD 3,287

-50.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$361 MAD 3,558

$923 MAD 9,085

-60.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$226 MAD 2,223

$562 MAD 5,532

-59.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,544 MAD 15.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$774 MAD 7,626

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$460 MAD 4,526

$259 MAD 2,548

77.63%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.5

6.5

-15.38%

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

Last update for El Jadida: October 27, 2026

Last update for Essaouira: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

El Jadida

$165 27%

Essaouira

$334 43% 102% $168

Groceries & Markets

El Jadida

$148 24.2%

Essaouira

$166 21.4% 11.8% $18

Clothing & Footwear

El Jadida

$88 14.3%

Essaouira

$77 10% 11.7% $10

Eating Out

El Jadida

$79 12.9%

Essaouira

$112 14.4% 41.3% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

El Jadida

$69 11.2%

Essaouira

$70 9.1% 2.4% $1.7

Sport & Entertainment

El Jadida

$40 6.5%

Essaouira

$10 * 1.3% 74.4% $30

Getting Around

El Jadida

$24 3.9%

Essaouira

$6.9 * 0.9% 71.2% $17

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 $203 in El Jadida and $380 in Essaouira. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

El Jadida pays 78% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $21 in El Jadida vs $18 in Essaouira. Groceries flip the comparison at $148 vs $166, with El Jadida cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇦 El Jadida

🇲🇦 Essaouira

🕒 Local time

22:59 10:59 PM

Same time as El Jadida

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

237,464

77,966

💱 Currency

Moroccan Dirham MAD د.م.

📈 Exchange rate

100 MAD = 10.15 USD

100 MAD = 9.12 EUR

100 MAD = 10.15 USD

100 MAD = 9.12 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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El Jadida Essaouira 220 km

From you

El Jadida
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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

El Jadida vs Essaouira: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

El Jadida wins on cost – living expenses run 21% lower than in Essaouira. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making El Jadida the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 78% higher in El Jadida, 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: $203 in El Jadida versus $380 in Essaouira. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $111 in El Jadida versus $69 in Essaouira. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Essaouira – a meal for two runs $18 versus $21 in El Jadida. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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, El Jadida and Essaouira are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.