Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Essaouira and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Essaouira: $782 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $10,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

38

Cost of Living Index in Essaouira
Learn more

Essaouira Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index

Jump to prices

Essaouira

🇲🇦 Morocco

$782

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Essaouira and in Budapest

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

A single person spends $782 per month in Essaouira vs $1,619 in Budapest, rent included.

Essaouira $782
Budapest $1,619

A couple spends around $1,172 per month in Essaouira vs $2,524 in Budapest, rent included.

Essaouira $1,172
Budapest $2,524

A family of three spends $1,562 per month in Essaouira vs $3,429 in Budapest, rent included.

Essaouira $1,562
Budapest $3,429

Essaouira is about 52% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Essaouira sits 42% below the global median, while Budapest is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.62 MAD 45.00

$13.94 Ft 4,503

-66.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.81 MAD 183

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

-69.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.12 MAD 69.4

$10.19 Ft 3,291

-30.13%

Cappuccino

$1.35 MAD 13.14

$3.26 Ft 1,055

-58.59%

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

$0.47 MAD 4.58

$2.14 Ft 690

-78.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.38 MAD 3.68

$1.78 Ft 577

-78.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.31 MAD 51.8

$3.71 Ft 1,198

43.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 MAD 44.93

$3.77 Ft 1,217

22.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.90 MAD 8.79

$1.15 Ft 371

-21.74%

White Bread (500g)

$0.54 MAD 5.25

$1.79 Ft 578

-69.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.67 MAD 16.28

$2.49 Ft 804

-32.93%

Eggs

$1.68 MAD 16.37

$3.90 Ft 1,261

-56.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.27 MAD 80.6

$11.10 Ft 3,587

-25.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.81 MAD 56.6

$6.62 Ft 2,139

-12.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.62 MAD 104

$14.69 Ft 4,745

-27.71%

Apples (1kg)

$1.30 MAD 12.63

$1.83 Ft 591

-28.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.14 MAD 11.12

$2.05 Ft 661

-44.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.72 MAD 7.02

$2.37 Ft 765

-69.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.77 MAD 7.52

$3.90 Ft 1,260

-80.26%

Potato (1kg)

$0.58 MAD 5.67

$0.99 Ft 320

-41.41%

Onion (1kg)

$0.68 MAD 6.66

$1.00 Ft 322

-32.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.38 MAD 3.67

$1.58 Ft 511

-75.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 MAD 5.68

$0.67 Ft 216

-13.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.84 MAD 37.44

$7.96 Ft 2,572

-51.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.32 MAD 61.6

$6.22 Ft 2,009

1.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 MAD 17.76

$1.27 Ft 411

43.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 MAD 20.77

$2.03 Ft 654

4.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.82 MAD 7.99

$1.52 Ft 490

-46.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.64 MAD 6.22

$3.31 Ft 1,070

-80.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.63 MAD 6.19

$1.37 Ft 442

-54.01%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 MAD 14.16

$1.82 Ft 589

-20.33%

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

$34.6K MAD 337.3K

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

16.10%

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

$29.5K MAD 287.8K

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

-12.71%

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

$23.89 MAD 233

$171 Ft 55.3K

-86.04%

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

$17.25 MAD 168

$23.51 Ft 7,596

-26.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.01 MAD 293

$23.29 Ft 7,526

28.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

Cinema Ticket

$5.30 MAD 51.7

$9.30 Ft 3,004

-43.01%

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

$69.0 MAD 672

$533 Ft 172.3K

-87.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,875 MAD 18.3K

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

-88.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$29.38 MAD 286

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

-70.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.72 MAD 436

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

2.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$59.0 MAD 576

$110 Ft 35.7K

-46.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$41.76 MAD 407

$119 Ft 38.4K

-64.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$393 MAD 3,835

$830 Ft 268.3K

-52.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$330 MAD 3,217

$622 Ft 200.9K

-46.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$930 MAD 9,071

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

-41.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$557 MAD 5,433

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

-52.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$256 MAD 2,498

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

-84.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.5

6.45

0.78%

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

Last update for Essaouira: October 10, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Essaouira

$330 42.2%

Budapest

$622 38.4% 88.5% $292

Groceries & Markets

Essaouira

$171 21.9%

Budapest

$258 15.9% 50.7% $87

Eating Out

Essaouira

$114 14.5%

Budapest

$223 13.8% 96.3% $109

Clothing & Footwear

Essaouira

$79 10.1%

Budapest

$168 10.4% 113% $89

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Essaouira

$71 9.1%

Budapest

$218 13.5% 206% $147

Sport & Entertainment

Essaouira

$11 * 1.4%

Budapest

$86 5.3% 713% $76

Getting Around

Essaouira

$7.1 * 0.9%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 524% $37

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 $830 in Budapest. 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 544% higher in Budapest, 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 $61.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $171 vs $258 – making Essaouira the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇦 Essaouira

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

16:42 4:42 PM

17:42 5:42 PM

1 h ahead of Essaouira

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

77,966

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Moroccan Dirham MAD د.م.

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

100 MAD = 10.26 USD

100 MAD = 9.12 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, 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).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

USD to MAD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Essaouira Budapest 3,020 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Essaouira
Budapest

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 Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 107%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,173 per month in Essaouira and $2,428 in Budapest. 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19.00 in Essaouira and $61.0 in Budapest. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 51% more in Budapest, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Essaouira, where all-in costs run around $782, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Essaouira it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Essaouira – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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, Budapest makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.