Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Essaouira and Bansko

For one person, living is cheaper in Essaouira: $782 a month against $956 in Bansko, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

38

Cost of Living Index in Essaouira
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Essaouira Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Bansko
Learn more

Bansko Living Index

Jump to prices

Essaouira

🇲🇦 Morocco

$782

/mo nomad

Bansko

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$956

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Essaouira and in Bansko

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

A single person spends $782 per month in Essaouira vs $956 in Bansko, rent included.

Essaouira $782
Bansko $956

A couple spends around $1,172 per month in Essaouira vs $1,467 in Bansko, rent included.

Essaouira $1,172
Bansko $1,467

A family of three spends $1,562 per month in Essaouira vs $1,979 in Bansko, rent included.

Essaouira $1,562
Bansko $1,979

Essaouira is about 18% cheaper than Bansko, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Essaouira and Bansko are more affordable than the global median – Essaouira 42% lower, Bansko 29% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.62 MAD 45.00

$8.66 BGN 15.06

-46.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.81 MAD 183

$44.94 BGN 78.2

-58.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.12 MAD 69.4

$8.78 BGN 15.28

-18.91%

Cappuccino

$1.35 MAD 13.14

$2.33 BGN 4.05

-42.06%

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

$0.47 MAD 4.58

$1.57 BGN 2.74

-70.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.38 MAD 3.68

$0.82 BGN 1.43

-53.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.31 MAD 51.8

$1.68 BGN 2.92

216.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 MAD 44.93

$1.98 BGN 3.45

132.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.90 MAD 8.79

$1.73 BGN 3.00

-47.98%

White Bread (500g)

$0.54 MAD 5.25

$0.80 BGN 1.40

-32.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.67 MAD 16.28

$1.44 BGN 2.51

15.97%

Eggs

$1.68 MAD 16.37

$2.36 BGN 4.10

-28.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.27 MAD 80.6

$9.39 BGN 16.34

-11.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.81 MAD 56.6

$6.41 BGN 11.15

-9.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.62 MAD 104

$8.48 BGN 14.76

25.24%

Apples (1kg)

$1.30 MAD 12.63

$1.31 BGN 2.28

-0.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.14 MAD 11.12

$1.62 BGN 2.82

-29.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.72 MAD 7.02

$1.73 BGN 3.01

-58.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.77 MAD 7.52

$1.94 BGN 3.38

-60.31%

Potato (1kg)

$0.58 MAD 5.67

$0.94 BGN 1.63

-38.30%

Onion (1kg)

$0.68 MAD 6.66

$0.76 BGN 1.32

-10.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.38 MAD 3.67

$0.55 BGN 0.95

-30.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 MAD 5.68

$0.59 BGN 1.02

-1.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.84 MAD 37.44

$3.25 BGN 5.66

18.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.32 MAD 61.6

$5.20 BGN 9.05

21.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 MAD 17.76

$1.09 BGN 1.89

66.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 MAD 20.77

$1.68 BGN 2.92

26.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.82 MAD 7.99

$0.84 BGN 1.45

-2.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.06 BGN 47.09

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.64 MAD 6.22

$1.34 BGN 2.34

-52.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.63 MAD 6.19

$0.65 BGN 1.14

-3.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.06 BGN 17.51

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 MAD 14.16

$1.48 BGN 2.57

-2.03%

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

$34.6K MAD 337.3K

$29.1K BGN 50.7K

18.71%

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

$29.5K MAD 287.8K

$20.9K BGN 36.4K

41.08%

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

$23.89 MAD 233

$92.4 BGN 161

-74.15%

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

$17.25 MAD 168

$14.52 BGN 25.26

18.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.01 MAD 293

$12.32 BGN 21.43

143.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.70 BGN 55.2

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.53 BGN 14.84

Cinema Ticket

$5.30 MAD 51.7

$5.62 BGN 9.78

-5.69%

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

$69.0 MAD 672

$230 BGN 401

-70.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,875 MAD 18.3K

$2,268 BGN 3,947

-17.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$29.38 MAD 286

$30.10 BGN 52.4

-2.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.72 MAD 436

$19.62 BGN 34.13

127.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$59.0 MAD 576

$45.86 BGN 79.8

28.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$41.76 MAD 407

$47.69 BGN 83.0

-12.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$393 MAD 3,835

$518 BGN 902

-24.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$330 MAD 3,217

$357 BGN 621

-7.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$930 MAD 9,071

$614 BGN 1,069

51.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$557 MAD 5,433

$569 BGN 990

-2.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,191 BGN 2,073

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$959 BGN 1,669

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$256 MAD 2,498

$1,704 BGN 2,965

-84.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.5

2.99

117.39%

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

Last update for Essaouira: October 10, 2026

Last update for Bansko: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Essaouira

$330 42.2%

Bansko

$357 37.3% 8.2% $27

Groceries & Markets

Essaouira

$171 21.9%

Bansko

$192 20.1% 12.1% $21

Eating Out

Essaouira

$114 14.5%

Bansko

$145 15.2% 28% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Essaouira

$79 10.1%

Bansko

$64 6.7% 18.1% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Essaouira

$71 9.1%

Bansko

$119 12.5% 67.6% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Essaouira

$11 * 1.4%

Bansko

$43 4.5% 305% $32

Getting Around

Essaouira

$7.1 * 0.9%

Bansko

$35 3.7% 394% $28

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $393 in Essaouira versus $518 in Bansko. 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 565% higher in Bansko, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19.00 in Essaouira versus $45.00 in Bansko. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $171 vs $192 – making Essaouira the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇦 Essaouira

🇧🇬 Bansko

🕒 Local time

17:38 5:38 PM

19:38 7:38 PM

2 h ahead of Essaouira

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

77,966

8,000

💱 Currency

Moroccan Dirham MAD د.م.

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

100 MAD = 10.26 USD

100 MAD = 9.12 EUR

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to MAD – Moroccan Dirham Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇦 Moroccan Dirham (د.م.)

Moroccan Dirham exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 9.75 MAD (1 MAD = 0.103 USD). 1 EUR = 10.96 MAD (100 MAD = 9.12 EUR).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.511 EUR).

USD to MAD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Essaouira Bansko 3,160 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Essaouira
Bansko

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

Essaouira vs Bansko: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $782 in Essaouira, $956 in Bansko – roughly 22% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,173 per month in Essaouira and $1,434 in Bansko. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $782 in Essaouira and $956 in Bansko. That's a gap of about 22%.

Kindergarten costs $69.0 per month in Essaouira and $230 in Bansko. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Essaouira, where all-in costs run around $782, than in Bansko at $956. In Essaouira it covers expenses comfortably, while in Bansko it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Essaouira has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $782 in Essaouira to $956 in Bansko. 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 Essaouira. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Bansko makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.