Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Essaouira and Mogadishu

For one person, living is cheaper in Mogadishu: $616 a month against $781 in Essaouira, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

38

Cost of Living Index in Essaouira
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Essaouira Living Index
30

Cost of Living Index in Mogadishu
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Mogadishu Living Index

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Essaouira

🇲🇦 Morocco

$781

/mo nomad

Mogadishu

🇸🇴 Somalia

$616

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Essaouira and in Mogadishu

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

A single person spends $781 per month in Essaouira vs $616 in Mogadishu, rent included.

Essaouira $781
Mogadishu $616

A couple spends around $1,172 per month in Essaouira vs $949 in Mogadishu, rent included.

Essaouira $1,172
Mogadishu $949

A family of three spends $1,563 per month in Essaouira vs $1,282 in Mogadishu, rent included.

Essaouira $1,563
Mogadishu $1,282

Essaouira costs about 27% more than Mogadishu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Essaouira and Mogadishu are more affordable than the global median – Essaouira 42% lower, Mogadishu 55% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.52 MAD 44.11

$2.96 SOS 1,681

52.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.78 MAD 183

$34.95 SOS 19.9K

-46.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.36 MAD 71.8

$4.53 SOS 2,573

62.47%

Cappuccino

$1.33 MAD 12.92

$2.03 SOS 1,155

-34.48%

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

$0.46 MAD 4.49

$1.20 SOS 680

-61.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.37 MAD 3.64

$0.53 SOS 303

-30.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.10 MAD 49.73

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.39 MAD 42.83

Milk (1 liter)

$0.91 MAD 8.87

$1.27 SOS 720

-28.35%

White Bread (500g)

$0.52 MAD 5.08

$1.58 SOS 897

-67.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.67 MAD 16.33

$0.79 SOS 449

111.39%

Eggs

$1.62 MAD 15.76

$1.95 SOS 1,107

-16.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.12 MAD 79.1

$5.13 SOS 2,913

58.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.92 MAD 57.8

$3.85 SOS 2,189

53.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.67 MAD 104

$4.55 SOS 2,585

134.51%

Apples (1kg)

$1.28 MAD 12.50

$3.82 SOS 2,169

-66.49%

Banana (1kg)

$1.17 MAD 11.45

$0.98 SOS 555

19.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.66 MAD 6.45

$3.04 SOS 1,727

-78.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.77 MAD 7.48

$1.31 SOS 745

-41.22%

Potato (1kg)

$0.58 MAD 5.67

$1.54 SOS 876

-62.34%

Onion (1kg)

$0.70 MAD 6.79

$1.76 SOS 1,000

-60.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.35 MAD 3.41

$1.52 SOS 861

-76.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 MAD 5.72

$0.53 SOS 303

11.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.85 MAD 37.58

Wine (Bottle)

$5.98 MAD 58.3

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 MAD 16.58

$2.04 SOS 1,156

-16.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 MAD 20.34

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 MAD 8.32

$0.52 SOS 298

63.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.62 MAD 6.09

$1.02 SOS 577

-39.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 MAD 6.23

$0.57 SOS 325

12.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.07 SOS 1,744

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 MAD 14.46

$0.85 SOS 485

74.12%

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

$31.0K MAD 302.6K

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

$32.1K MAD 313.0K

$6,413 SOS 3.6M

400.61%

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

$24.14 MAD 235

$161 SOS 91.6K

-85.04%

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

$16.96 MAD 165

$4.89 SOS 2,778

246.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.95 MAD 292

$66.3 SOS 37.7K

-54.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.50 SOS 17.9K

Cinema Ticket

$5.10 MAD 49.70

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

$67.8 MAD 661

$77.4 SOS 44.0K

-12.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,803 MAD 17.6K

$771 SOS 438.1K

133.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$29.33 MAD 286

$14.11 SOS 8,013

107.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.93 MAD 419

$13.82 SOS 7,848

210.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$59.1 MAD 576

$24.83 SOS 14.1K

137.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$40.42 MAD 394

$32.74 SOS 18.6K

23.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$386 MAD 3,760

$198 SOS 112.6K

94.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$334 MAD 3,259

$76.5 SOS 43.5K

336.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$913 MAD 8,905

$470 SOS 267.0K

94.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$569 MAD 5,547

$190 SOS 107.8K

199.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,145 SOS 1.8M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,428 SOS 1.4M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$254 MAD 2,479

$280 SOS 159.2K

-9.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.5

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

Last update for Essaouira: October 18, 2026

Last update for Mogadishu: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Essaouira

$334 42.8%

Mogadishu

$77 12.4% 77.1% $258

Groceries & Markets

Essaouira

$170 21.7%

Mogadishu

$162 * 26.3% 4.3% $7.4

Eating Out

Essaouira

$112 14.3%

Mogadishu

$69 * 11.1% 38.6% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Essaouira

$77 9.9%

Mogadishu

$38 6.3% 50.2% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Essaouira

$71 9.1%

Mogadishu

$233 37.8% 227% $161

Sport & Entertainment

Essaouira

$10 * 1.3%

Mogadishu

$32 * 5.1% 209% $21

Getting Around

Essaouira

$7.2 * 0.9%

Mogadishu

$6 * 1% 17.3% $1.3

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 $198 in Mogadishu. 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 10% higher in Mogadishu, 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 $35.00 in Mogadishu. Groceries tell a different story – $170 in Essaouira vs $162 in Mogadishu – so Mogadishu wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇦 Essaouira

🇸🇴 Mogadishu

🕒 Local time

09:47 9:47 AM

11:47 11:47 AM

2 h ahead of Essaouira

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

77,966

2,610,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Moroccan Dirham MAD د.م.

Somali Shilling SOS Sh

📈 Exchange rate

100 MAD = 10.26 USD

100 MAD = 9.12 EUR

1,000 SOS = 1.76 USD

1,000 SOS = 1.57 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SOS, 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).

Somali Shilling exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 568 SOS (1,000 SOS = 1.76 USD). 1 EUR = 639 SOS (1,000 SOS = 1.57 EUR).

USD to MAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Essaouira Mogadishu 6,630 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Essaouira
Mogadishu

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 Mogadishu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Essaouira is pricier by about 27%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,172 per month in Essaouira and $924 in Mogadishu. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Mogadishu, 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 $35.00 in Mogadishu. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 5% more in Essaouira, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

$800 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $781 in Essaouira and $616 in Mogadishu, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Mogadishu – 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 Mogadishu. 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.