Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Essaouira and Chengdu

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

38

Cost of Living Index in Essaouira
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Essaouira Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in Chengdu
Learn more

Chengdu Living Index

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Essaouira

🇲🇦 Morocco

$781

/mo nomad

Chengdu

🇨🇳 China

$749

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Essaouira and in Chengdu

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

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

Essaouira $781
Chengdu $749

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

Essaouira $1,172
Chengdu $1,210

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

Essaouira $1,563
Chengdu $1,672

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.52 MAD 44.11

$2.86 ¥19.11

58.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.78 MAD 183

$22.74 ¥152

-17.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.36 MAD 71.8

$4.83 ¥32.28

52.38%

Cappuccino

$1.33 MAD 12.92

$2.99 ¥19.99

-55.52%

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

$0.46 MAD 4.49

$0.48 ¥3.19

-4.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.37 MAD 3.64

$0.28 ¥1.88

32.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.10 MAD 49.73

$1.53 ¥10.21

233.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.39 MAD 42.83

$2.23 ¥14.88

96.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.91 MAD 8.87

$1.81 ¥12.10

-49.72%

White Bread (500g)

$0.52 MAD 5.08

$1.54 ¥10.28

-66.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.67 MAD 16.33

$0.93 ¥6.21

79.57%

Eggs

$1.62 MAD 15.76

$1.55 ¥10.37

4.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.12 MAD 79.1

$14.37 ¥96.1

-43.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.92 MAD 57.8

$3.60 ¥24.05

64.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.67 MAD 104

$11.14 ¥74.5

-4.22%

Apples (1kg)

$1.28 MAD 12.50

$1.82 ¥12.19

-29.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.17 MAD 11.45

$1.34 ¥8.94

-12.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.66 MAD 6.45

$1.09 ¥7.30

-39.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.77 MAD 7.48

$1.19 ¥7.98

-35.29%

Potato (1kg)

$0.58 MAD 5.67

$0.75 ¥4.99

-22.67%

Onion (1kg)

$0.70 MAD 6.79

$0.68 ¥4.52

2.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.35 MAD 3.41

$0.63 ¥4.22

-44.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 MAD 5.72

$0.54 ¥3.58

9.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.85 MAD 37.58

$3.77 ¥25.22

2.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.98 MAD 58.3

$4.40 ¥29.41

35.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 MAD 16.58

$0.83 ¥5.52

104.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 MAD 20.34

$1.51 ¥10.08

38.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 MAD 8.32

$0.38 ¥2.56

123.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$24.58 ¥164

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.62 MAD 6.09

$1.37 ¥9.18

-54.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 MAD 6.23

$0.31 ¥2.08

106.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.59 ¥30.71

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 MAD 14.46

$1.31 ¥8.78

12.98%

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

$31.0K MAD 302.6K

$19.7K ¥131.5K

57.79%

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

$32.1K MAD 313.0K

$17.9K ¥119.3K

79.85%

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

$24.14 MAD 235

$48.01 ¥321

-49.72%

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

$16.96 MAD 165

$9.42 ¥63.0

80.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.95 MAD 292

$12.75 ¥85.2

134.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.36 ¥183

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.25 ¥75.2

Cinema Ticket

$5.10 MAD 49.70

$5.87 ¥39.26

-13.12%

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

$67.8 MAD 661

$373 ¥2,494

-81.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,803 MAD 17.6K

$14.7K ¥98.3K

-87.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$29.33 MAD 286

$25.03 ¥167

17.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.93 MAD 419

$28.15 ¥188

52.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$59.1 MAD 576

$56.0 ¥374

5.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$40.42 MAD 394

$51.3 ¥343

-21.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$386 MAD 3,760

$465 ¥3,109

-17.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$334 MAD 3,259

$256 ¥1,712

30.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$913 MAD 8,905

$833 ¥5,570

9.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$569 MAD 5,547

$539 ¥3,606

5.48%

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)

$254 MAD 2,479

$1,254 ¥8,382

-79.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.5

3.38

92.31%

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

Last update for Essaouira: October 18, 2026

Last update for Chengdu: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Essaouira

$334 42.8%

Chengdu

$256 34.2% 23.4% $78

Groceries & Markets

Essaouira

$170 21.7%

Chengdu

$194 25.9% 14.3% $24

Eating Out

Essaouira

$112 14.3%

Chengdu

$88 11.8% 21% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Essaouira

$77 9.9%

Chengdu

$72 9.6% 6.6% $5.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Essaouira

$71 9.1%

Chengdu

$70 9.4% 1.2% $0.9

Sport & Entertainment

Essaouira

$10 * 1.3%

Chengdu

$39 5.2% 283% $29

Getting Around

Essaouira

$7.2 * 0.9%

Chengdu

$29 3.9% 302% $22

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $386 in Essaouira versus $465 in Chengdu. 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 $19.00 in Essaouira versus $23.00 in Chengdu. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $170 vs $194 – making Essaouira the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇦 Essaouira

🇨🇳 Chengdu

🕒 Local time

11:20 11:20 AM

18:20 6:20 PM

7 h ahead of Essaouira

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

77,966

20,937,757

💱 Currency

Moroccan Dirham MAD د.م.

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 MAD = 10.26 USD

100 MAD = 9.12 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, USD, EUR to MAD – Moroccan Dirham Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇦 Moroccan Dirham (د.م.)

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).

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).

USD to MAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Essaouira Chengdu 10,200 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Essaouira
Chengdu

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 Chengdu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,172 per month in Essaouira and $1,123 in Chengdu. 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 $19.00 in Essaouira and $23.00 in Chengdu. 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 $781 in Essaouira and $749 in Chengdu, 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.