Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Essaouira and Ubud, Bali

For one person, living is cheaper in Essaouira: $781 a month against $1,353 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Essaouira
🇲🇦 Morocco
$781
/mo nomad
Ubud, Bali
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$1,353
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Essaouira and in Ubud, Bali

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

A single person spends $781 per month in Essaouira vs $1,353 in Ubud, Bali, rent included.

  • Essaouira $781
  • Ubud, Bali $1,353

A couple spends around $1,172 per month in Essaouira vs $2,297 in Ubud, Bali, rent included.

  • Essaouira $1,172
  • Ubud, Bali $2,297

A family of three spends $1,563 per month in Essaouira vs $3,241 in Ubud, Bali, rent included.

  • Essaouira $1,563
  • Ubud, Bali $3,241

Essaouira is about 42% cheaper than Ubud, Bali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Essaouira sits 42% below the global median, while Ubud, Bali is 0% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Essaouira
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.52 MAD 44.11
$3.23 Rp 58.1K
39.94%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$18.78 MAD 183
$34.88 Rp 627.8K
-46.16%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.36 MAD 71.8
$5.70 Rp 102.5K
29.12%
Cappuccino
$1.33 MAD 12.92
$2.62 Rp 47.1K
-49.24%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.46 MAD 4.49
$1.72 Rp 31.0K
-73.26%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.37 MAD 3.64
$0.81 Rp 14.6K
-54.32%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.10 MAD 49.73
$2.65 Rp 47.7K
92.45%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.39 MAD 42.83
$4.37 Rp 78.6K
0.46%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Essaouira
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.91 MAD 8.87
$1.57 Rp 28.3K
-42.04%
White Bread (500g)
$0.52 MAD 5.08
$2.19 Rp 39.5K
-76.26%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.67 MAD 16.33
$1.18 Rp 21.2K
41.53%
Eggs
$1.62 MAD 15.76
$2.16 Rp 38.8K
-25.00%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.12 MAD 79.1
$17.65 Rp 317.7K
-53.99%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.92 MAD 57.8
$3.78 Rp 68.0K
56.61%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.67 MAD 104
$11.95 Rp 215.1K
-10.71%
Apples (1kg)
$1.28 MAD 12.50
$3.60 Rp 64.8K
-64.44%
Banana (1kg)
$1.17 MAD 11.45
$1.59 Rp 28.6K
-26.42%
Oranges (1kg)
$0.66 MAD 6.45
$2.31 Rp 41.6K
-71.43%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.77 MAD 7.48
$1.91 Rp 34.3K
-59.69%
Potato (1kg)
$0.58 MAD 5.67
$1.78 Rp 32.1K
-67.42%
Onion (1kg)
$0.70 MAD 6.79
$2.33 Rp 41.9K
-69.96%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.35 MAD 3.41
$1.00 Rp 18.0K
-65.00%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.59 MAD 5.72
$0.53 Rp 9,509
11.32%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.85 MAD 37.58
$2.29 Rp 41.1K
68.12%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.98 MAD 58.3
$22.07 Rp 397.3K
-72.90%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.70 MAD 16.58
$2.35 Rp 42.2K
-27.66%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.09 MAD 20.34
$2.98 Rp 53.6K
-29.87%
🚌 Getting Around
Essaouira
Ubud, Bali
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.85 MAD 8.32
$0.23 Rp 4,112
269.57%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$8.90 Rp 160.2K
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.62 MAD 6.09
$0.47 Rp 8,466
31.91%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.64 MAD 6.23
$0.43 Rp 7,737
48.84%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
-
$5.47 Rp 98.4K
-
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.48 MAD 14.46
$0.83 Rp 14.9K
78.31%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$31.0K MAD 302.6K
$23.9K Rp 429.8M
29.98%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$32.1K MAD 313.0K
$32.8K Rp 590.1M
-2.08%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Essaouira
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$24.14 MAD 235
$80.0 Rp 1.4M
-69.82%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$16.96 MAD 165
$6.56 Rp 118.1K
158.54%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$29.95 MAD 292
$18.60 Rp 334.8K
61.02%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Essaouira
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
-
$54.1 Rp 974.1K
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$18.28 Rp 329.0K
-
Cinema Ticket
$5.10 MAD 49.70
$4.25 Rp 76.5K
20.00%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Essaouira
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$67.8 MAD 661
$493 Rp 8.9M
-86.24%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$1,803 MAD 17.6K
$5,597 Rp 100.7M
-67.78%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Essaouira
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$29.33 MAD 286
$45.58 Rp 820.4K
-35.65%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$42.93 MAD 419
$34.96 Rp 629.4K
22.80%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$59.1 MAD 576
$77.7 Rp 1.4M
-24.00%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$40.42 MAD 394
$78.5 Rp 1.4M
-48.52%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Essaouira
Ubud, Bali
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$386 MAD 3,760
$1,131 Rp 20.4M
-65.91%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$334 MAD 3,259
$673 Rp 12.1M
-50.32%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$913 MAD 8,905
$3,613 Rp 65.0M
-74.72%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$569 MAD 5,547
$1,702 Rp 30.6M
-66.57%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$2,717 Rp 48.9M
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$2,241 Rp 40.3M
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Essaouira
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$254 MAD 2,479
$166 Rp 3.0M
52.85%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.5
13.78
-52.83%

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

Last update for Essaouira: October 18, 2026

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Essaouira
$334
Ubud, Bali
$673 101% $339
Groceries & Markets
Essaouira
$170
Ubud, Bali
$287 69.3% $118
Eating Out
Essaouira
$112
Ubud, Bali
$106 4.8% $5.4
Clothing & Footwear
Essaouira
$77
Ubud, Bali
$107 37.9% $29
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Essaouira
$71
Ubud, Bali
$105 48% $34
Sport & Entertainment
Essaouira
$10 *
Ubud, Bali
$63 514% $52
Getting Around
Essaouira
$7.2 *
Ubud, Bali
$12 71.9% $5.2

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 $1,131 in Ubud, Bali. 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 53% higher in Essaouira, 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 Ubud, Bali. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $170 vs $287 – making Essaouira the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇲🇦 Essaouira
🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali
🕒 Local time
13:26 1:26 PM
20:26 8:26 PM
7 h ahead of Essaouira
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
77,966
74,800
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD, EUR to MAD – Moroccan Dirham Converter

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).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 18,000 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD). 1 EUR = 20,236 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Essaouira Ubud, Bali 13,800 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Essaouira
  • Ubud, Bali

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 Ubud, Bali: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Ubud, Bali cheaper than Essaouira?
Yes – Ubud, Bali is pricier by about 73%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,172 per month in Essaouira and $2,030 in Ubud, Bali. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
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.
Is eating out cheaper in Essaouira or in Ubud, Bali?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $19.00 in Essaouira and $35.00 in Ubud, Bali. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
How do food prices compare in Essaouira and in Ubud, Bali?
Groceries cost about 69% more in Ubud, Bali, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Essaouira or in Ubud, Bali?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Essaouira, where all-in costs run around $781, than in Ubud, Bali at $1,353. In Essaouira it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ubud, Bali it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Essaouira or Ubud, Bali more family-friendly?
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.
Which city is safer, Essaouira or Ubud, Bali?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Essaouira. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Ubud, Bali makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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