Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Essaouira

For one person, living is cheaper in Essaouira: $781 a month against $2,202 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $17,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in Essaouira
Learn more

Essaouira Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Essaouira

🇲🇦 Morocco

$781

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Essaouira

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Lisbon and in Essaouira actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,202 per month in Lisbon vs $781 in Essaouira, rent included.

Lisbon $2,202
Essaouira $781

A couple spends around $3,274 per month in Lisbon vs $1,172 in Essaouira, rent included.

Lisbon $3,274
Essaouira $1,172

A family of three spends $4,346 per month in Lisbon vs $1,563 in Essaouira, rent included.

Lisbon $4,346
Essaouira $1,563

Lisbon costs about 182% more than Essaouira, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Lisbon sits 62% above the global median, while Essaouira is 42% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.04 €15.15

$4.52 MAD 44.11

276.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.3 €55.4

$18.78 MAD 183

231.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.02 €9.80

$7.36 MAD 71.8

49.73%

Cappuccino

$3.12 €2.78

$1.33 MAD 12.92

134.59%

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

$2.27 €2.02

$0.46 MAD 4.49

393.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.55

$0.37 MAD 3.64

370.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 €3.04

$5.10 MAD 49.73

-32.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.74 €3.33

$4.39 MAD 42.83

-14.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 €1.04

$0.91 MAD 8.87

28.57%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.66

$0.52 MAD 5.08

257.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 €1.37

$1.67 MAD 16.33

-7.78%

Eggs

$4.06 €3.61

$1.62 MAD 15.76

150.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.91 €11.49

$8.12 MAD 79.1

58.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.03

$5.92 MAD 57.8

33.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.64 €15.69

$10.67 MAD 104

65.32%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$1.28 MAD 12.50

76.56%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$1.17 MAD 11.45

49.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 €1.68

$0.66 MAD 6.45

186.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.56 €2.27

$0.77 MAD 7.48

232.47%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$0.58 MAD 5.67

218.97%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$0.70 MAD 6.79

181.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$0.35 MAD 3.41

314.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 €0.69

$0.59 MAD 5.72

30.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.71 €5.97

$3.85 MAD 37.58

74.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.67 €5.04

$5.98 MAD 58.3

-5.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.70 MAD 16.58

-19.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 €1.88

$2.09 MAD 20.34

0.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 €2.07

$0.85 MAD 8.32

172.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.43 €39.52

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.95 €3.51

$0.62 MAD 6.09

537.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.05 €0.93

$0.64 MAD 6.23

64.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.15 €15.26

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.19 €1.95

$1.48 MAD 14.46

47.97%

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

$33.8K €30.0K

$31.0K MAD 302.6K

8.86%

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

$38.3K €34.0K

$32.1K MAD 313.0K

19.19%

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

$164 €146

$24.14 MAD 235

578.58%

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

$18.48 €16.43

$16.96 MAD 165

8.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.96 €29.32

$29.95 MAD 292

10.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.87 €40.80

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.68 €16.61

Cinema Ticket

$9.75 €8.67

$5.10 MAD 49.70

91.18%

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

$684 €608

$67.8 MAD 661

908.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.7K

$1,803 MAD 17.6K

877.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 €92.3

$29.33 MAD 286

253.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.20 €41.09

$42.93 MAD 419

7.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.7 €88.7

$59.1 MAD 576

68.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 €111

$40.42 MAD 394

208.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,589 €1,414

$386 MAD 3,760

312.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 €1,040

$334 MAD 3,259

249.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,851 €2,536

$913 MAD 8,905

212.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,993 €1,773

$569 MAD 5,547

250.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,793 €6,932

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,418 €3,930

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,600 €1,423

$254 MAD 2,479

529.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

6.5

-40.77%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Last update for Essaouira: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1%

Essaouira

$334 42.8% 71.4% $835

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$273 12.4%

Essaouira

$170 21.7% 37.9% $103

Eating Out

Lisbon

$247 11.2%

Essaouira

$112 14.3% 54.8% $136

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$215 9.8%

Essaouira

$71 9.1% 67% $144

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.7%

Essaouira

$77 9.9% 54.1% $91

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$65 3%

Essaouira

$10 * 1.3% 84.4% $55

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Essaouira

$7.2 * 0.9% 88.5% $56

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,589 in Lisbon versus $386 in Essaouira. 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 529% higher in Lisbon, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $62.0 in Lisbon versus $19.00 in Essaouira. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $273 vs $170 – making Essaouira the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇲🇦 Essaouira

🕒 Local time

14:59 2:59 PM

Same time as Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

77,966

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Moroccan Dirham MAD د.م.

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 MAD = 10.26 USD

100 MAD = 9.12 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MAD, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

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).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Essaouira 800 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Essaouira

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

Lisbon vs Essaouira: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Lisbon is pricier by about 182%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,302 per month in Lisbon and $1,172 in Essaouira. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $62.0 in Lisbon and $19.00 in Essaouira. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 61% more in Lisbon, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Essaouira, where all-in costs run around $781, than in Lisbon at $2,202. In Essaouira it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lisbon it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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.

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 Essaouira. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Lisbon makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.