Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Essaouira and Buenos Aires

For one person, living is cheaper in Essaouira: $782 a month against $1,656 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $10,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Essaouira
🇲🇦 Morocco
$782
/mo nomad
Buenos Aires
🇦🇷 Argentina
$1,656
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Essaouira and in Buenos Aires

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $782 in Essaouira versus $1,656 in Buenos Aires.

  • Essaouira $782
  • Buenos Aires $1,656

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,172 in Essaouira versus $2,697 in Buenos Aires.

  • Essaouira $1,172
  • Buenos Aires $2,697

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,562 in Essaouira versus $3,737 in Buenos Aires.

  • Essaouira $1,562
  • Buenos Aires $3,737

Living in Essaouira costs roughly 53% less than in Buenos Aires, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Essaouira is 42% below, Buenos Aires is 23% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Essaouira
Buenos Aires
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.62 MAD 45.00
$19.09 ARS 29.0K
-75.80%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$18.81 MAD 183
$65.8 ARS 99.9K
-71.41%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.12 MAD 69.4
$13.20 ARS 20.0K
-46.06%
Cappuccino
$1.35 MAD 13.14
$3.85 ARS 5,841
-64.94%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.47 MAD 4.58
$1.99 ARS 3,020
-76.38%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.38 MAD 3.68
$1.60 ARS 2,430
-76.25%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.31 MAD 51.8
$3.93 ARS 5,959
35.11%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.61 MAD 44.93
$4.61 ARS 7,003
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Essaouira
Buenos Aires
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.90 MAD 8.79
$1.50 ARS 2,272
-40.00%
White Bread (500g)
$0.54 MAD 5.25
$2.53 ARS 3,837
-78.66%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.67 MAD 16.28
$1.61 ARS 2,445
3.73%
Eggs
$1.68 MAD 16.37
$2.84 ARS 4,316
-40.85%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.27 MAD 80.6
$10.30 ARS 15.6K
-19.71%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.81 MAD 56.6
$10.00 ARS 15.2K
-41.90%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.62 MAD 104
$13.30 ARS 20.2K
-20.15%
Apples (1kg)
$1.30 MAD 12.63
$2.88 ARS 4,366
-54.86%
Banana (1kg)
$1.14 MAD 11.12
$2.20 ARS 3,334
-48.18%
Oranges (1kg)
$0.72 MAD 7.02
$1.40 ARS 2,120
-48.57%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.77 MAD 7.52
$1.98 ARS 3,004
-61.11%
Potato (1kg)
$0.58 MAD 5.67
$1.21 ARS 1,835
-52.07%
Onion (1kg)
$0.68 MAD 6.66
$1.26 ARS 1,910
-46.03%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.38 MAD 3.67
$1.71 ARS 2,592
-77.78%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.58 MAD 5.68
$1.72 ARS 2,603
-66.28%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.84 MAD 37.44
$4.29 ARS 6,505
-10.49%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.32 MAD 61.6
$5.70 ARS 8,645
10.88%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.82 MAD 17.76
$2.17 ARS 3,288
-16.13%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.13 MAD 20.77
$2.76 ARS 4,188
-22.83%
🚌 Getting Around
Essaouira
Buenos Aires
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.82 MAD 7.99
$0.75 ARS 1,141
9.33%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$27.27 ARS 41.4K
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.64 MAD 6.22
$1.57 ARS 2,375
-59.24%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.63 MAD 6.19
$1.03 ARS 1,558
-38.83%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
-
$7.90 ARS 12.0K
-
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.45 MAD 14.16
$1.42 ARS 2,160
2.11%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.6K MAD 337.3K
$27.9K ARS 42.4M
23.77%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$29.5K MAD 287.8K
$35.0K ARS 53.1M
-15.60%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Essaouira
Buenos Aires
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$23.89 MAD 233
$195 ARS 296.2K
-87.76%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$17.25 MAD 168
$25.16 ARS 38.2K
-31.44%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.01 MAD 293
$31.54 ARS 47.9K
-4.85%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Essaouira
Buenos Aires
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
-
$50.9 ARS 77.3K
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$16.73 ARS 25.4K
-
Cinema Ticket
$5.30 MAD 51.7
$10.34 ARS 15.7K
-48.74%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Essaouira
Buenos Aires
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$69.0 MAD 672
$463 ARS 703.2K
-85.12%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$1,875 MAD 18.3K
$8,793 ARS 13.3M
-78.68%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Essaouira
Buenos Aires
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$29.38 MAD 286
$120 ARS 181.8K
-75.48%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$44.72 MAD 436
$95.5 ARS 144.9K
-53.16%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$59.0 MAD 576
$114 ARS 173.1K
-48.26%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$41.76 MAD 407
$139 ARS 211.4K
-70.02%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Essaouira
Buenos Aires
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$393 MAD 3,835
$756 ARS 1.1M
-47.99%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$330 MAD 3,217
$520 ARS 788.8K
-36.53%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$930 MAD 9,071
$1,590 ARS 2.4M
-41.49%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$557 MAD 5,433
$1,198 ARS 1.8M
-53.50%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$2,713 ARS 4.1M
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$1,901 ARS 2.9M
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Essaouira
Buenos Aires
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$256 MAD 2,498
$938 ARS 1.4M
-72.67%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.5
57.25
-88.65%

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

Last update for Essaouira: October 10, 2026

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Essaouira
$330
Buenos Aires
$520 57.6% $190
Groceries & Markets
Essaouira
$171
Buenos Aires
$283 65.5% $112
Eating Out
Essaouira
$114
Buenos Aires
$282 148% $168
Clothing & Footwear
Essaouira
$79
Buenos Aires
$211 168% $132
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Essaouira
$71
Buenos Aires
$252 254% $181
Sport & Entertainment
Essaouira
$11 *
Buenos Aires
$72 576% $61
Getting Around
Essaouira
$7.1 *
Buenos Aires
$37 422% $30

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 $393 in Essaouira and $756 in Buenos Aires. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Buenos Aires pays 266% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $19.00 in Essaouira vs $66.0 in Buenos Aires for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $171 vs $283 per month, with Essaouira cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇲🇦 Essaouira
🇦🇷 Buenos Aires
🕒 Local time
15:46 3:46 PM
11:46 11:46 AM
4 h behind Essaouira
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
77,966
2,891,082 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

ARS, USD, EUR to MAD – Moroccan Dirham Converter

Moroccan Dirham exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 9.75 MAD (1 MAD = 0.103 USD). 1 EUR = 10.96 MAD (100 MAD = 9.12 EUR).

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,706 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Essaouira Buenos Aires 8,940 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Essaouira
  • Buenos Aires

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 Buenos Aires: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Essaouira and in Buenos Aires?
Essaouira and Buenos Aires differ by about 112% in total monthly costs ($782 vs $1,656 including rent). Essaouira is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city has better-paying jobs?
On paper, salaries run 266% lower in Buenos Aires. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
How do apartment prices compare in Essaouira and in Buenos Aires?
Rent for a central apartment: $393 in Essaouira versus $756 in Buenos Aires. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Essaouira and Buenos Aires?
Childcare runs $69.0 in Essaouira versus $463 in Buenos Aires. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
Dining out is cheaper in Essaouira – a meal for two runs $19.00 versus $66.0 in Buenos Aires. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Which city is more doable on $1,500 per month?
At $782 in Essaouira versus $1,656 in Buenos Aires, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Essaouira but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Essaouira the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Essaouira and Buenos Aires?
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.
Is Essaouira or Buenos Aires safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Essaouira and Buenos Aires are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Where should expats move: Essaouira or Buenos Aires?
Expats usually find Essaouira gentler on the wallet – expenses run 112% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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