Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Essaouira and El Jadida

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.

37

Cost of Living Index in Essaouira
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Essaouira Living Index
29

Cost of Living Index in El Jadida
Learn more

El Jadida Living Index

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Essaouira

🇲🇦 Morocco

$776

/mo nomad

El Jadida

🇲🇦 Morocco

$613

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Essaouira and in El Jadida

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

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

Essaouira $776
El Jadida $613

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

Essaouira $1,159
El Jadida $921

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

Essaouira $1,542
El Jadida $1,230

Living in Essaouira is roughly 27% more expensive than in El Jadida, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.52 MAD 44.51

$2.74 MAD 26.97

64.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.04 MAD 178

$20.55 MAD 202

-12.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.17 MAD 70.6

$5.97 MAD 58.8

20.10%

Cappuccino

$1.38 MAD 13.64

$1.51 MAD 14.86

-8.61%

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

$0.42 MAD 4.18

$0.42 MAD 4.12

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.35 MAD 3.43

$0.30 MAD 2.98

16.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.01 MAD 49.32

$2.62 MAD 25.79

91.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.56 MAD 44.95

$2.51 MAD 24.72

81.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.83 MAD 8.21

$0.98 MAD 9.67

-15.31%

White Bread (500g)

$0.50 MAD 4.88

$0.36 MAD 3.58

38.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.67 MAD 16.42

$1.96 MAD 19.33

-14.80%

Eggs

$1.67 MAD 16.42

$1.88 MAD 18.55

-11.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.81 MAD 76.9

$6.26 MAD 61.7

24.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.73 MAD 56.4

$4.02 MAD 39.62

42.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.46 MAD 103

$7.50 MAD 73.8

39.47%

Apples (1kg)

$1.29 MAD 12.69

$1.51 MAD 14.86

-14.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.13 MAD 11.10

$1.41 MAD 13.84

-19.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.70 MAD 6.92

$0.65 MAD 6.37

7.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.78 MAD 7.72

$0.64 MAD 6.28

21.88%

Potato (1kg)

$0.59 MAD 5.79

$0.68 MAD 6.65

-13.24%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 MAD 6.31

$0.50 MAD 4.94

28.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.37 MAD 3.66

$0.30 MAD 2.92

23.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 MAD 5.29

$0.51 MAD 5.05

5.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.78 MAD 37.21

$3.76 MAD 37.03

0.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.06 MAD 59.6

$3.97 MAD 39.06

52.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 MAD 16.98

$2.48 MAD 24.40

-30.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 MAD 20.43

$2.83 MAD 27.84

-26.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.78 MAD 7.70

$0.44 MAD 4.38

77.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.98 MAD 157

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.62 MAD 6.11

$1.04 MAD 10.20

-40.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.63 MAD 6.24

$1.04 MAD 10.25

-39.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.96 MAD 48.80

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.41 MAD 13.87

$1.48 MAD 14.61

-4.73%

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

$30.7K MAD 301.9K

$33.7K MAD 332.1K

-9.11%

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

$31.1K MAD 306.0K

$29.7K MAD 293.0K

4.44%

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

$23.39 MAD 230

$28.15 MAD 277

-16.91%

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

$17.33 MAD 171

$9.90 MAD 97.5

75.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.59 MAD 291

$30.58 MAD 301

-3.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.51 MAD 271

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.73 MAD 116

Cinema Ticket

$5.12 MAD 50.4

$6.25 MAD 61.6

-18.08%

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

$69.3 MAD 683

$111 MAD 1,094

-37.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,800 MAD 17.7K

$3,097 MAD 30.5K

-41.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$28.82 MAD 284

$26.67 MAD 263

8.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.91 MAD 423

$35.40 MAD 349

21.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$59.2 MAD 583

$64.3 MAD 633

-7.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$40.94 MAD 403

$68.3 MAD 672

-40.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$380 MAD 3,746

$203 MAD 1,998

87.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$334 MAD 3,287

$165 MAD 1,629

101.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$923 MAD 9,085

$361 MAD 3,558

155.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$562 MAD 5,532

$226 MAD 2,223

148.88%

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)

$259 MAD 2,548

$460 MAD 4,526

-43.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.5

5.5

18.18%

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

Last update for Essaouira: October 26, 2026

Last update for El Jadida: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Essaouira

$334 43%

El Jadida

$165 27% 50.4% $168

Groceries & Markets

Essaouira

$166 21.4%

El Jadida

$148 24.2% 10.6% $18

Eating Out

Essaouira

$112 14.4%

El Jadida

$79 12.9% 29.2% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Essaouira

$77 10%

El Jadida

$88 14.3% 13.3% $10

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Essaouira

$70 9.1%

El Jadida

$69 11.2% 2.4% $1.7

Sport & Entertainment

Essaouira

$10 * 1.3%

El Jadida

$40 6.5% 291% $30

Getting Around

Essaouira

$6.9 * 0.9%

El Jadida

$24 3.9% 247% $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 $380 in Essaouira and $203 in El Jadida. 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: $18 in Essaouira vs $21 in El Jadida. Groceries flip the comparison at $166 vs $148, with El Jadida cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇦 Essaouira

🇲🇦 El Jadida

🕒 Local time

23:47 11:47 PM

Same time as Essaouira

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

77,966

237,464

💱 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

On the map

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Between locations

Essaouira El Jadida 220 km

From you

Essaouira
El Jadida

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 El Jadida: 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.

On paper, salaries run 44% lower in Essaouira. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $380 in Essaouira versus $203 in El Jadida. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $69 in Essaouira versus $111 in El Jadida. 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, Essaouira and El Jadida are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.