Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mogadishu and Essaouira

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.

30

Cost of Living Index in Mogadishu
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Mogadishu Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in Essaouira
Learn more

Essaouira Living Index

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Mogadishu

🇸🇴 Somalia

$616

/mo nomad

Essaouira

🇲🇦 Morocco

$781

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mogadishu 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 Mogadishu and in Essaouira actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

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

Mogadishu $616
Essaouira $781

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

Mogadishu $949
Essaouira $1,172

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

Mogadishu $1,282
Essaouira $1,563

Mogadishu is about 21% cheaper than Essaouira, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.96 SOS 1,681

$4.52 MAD 44.11

-34.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.95 SOS 19.9K

$18.78 MAD 183

86.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.53 SOS 2,573

$7.36 MAD 71.8

-38.45%

Cappuccino

$2.03 SOS 1,155

$1.33 MAD 12.92

52.63%

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

$1.20 SOS 680

$0.46 MAD 4.49

160.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 SOS 303

$0.37 MAD 3.64

43.24%

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)

$1.27 SOS 720

$0.91 MAD 8.87

39.56%

White Bread (500g)

$1.58 SOS 897

$0.52 MAD 5.08

203.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.79 SOS 449

$1.67 MAD 16.33

-52.69%

Eggs

$1.95 SOS 1,107

$1.62 MAD 15.76

20.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.13 SOS 2,913

$8.12 MAD 79.1

-36.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.85 SOS 2,189

$5.92 MAD 57.8

-34.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.55 SOS 2,585

$10.67 MAD 104

-57.36%

Apples (1kg)

$3.82 SOS 2,169

$1.28 MAD 12.50

198.44%

Banana (1kg)

$0.98 SOS 555

$1.17 MAD 11.45

-16.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.04 SOS 1,727

$0.66 MAD 6.45

360.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.31 SOS 745

$0.77 MAD 7.48

70.13%

Potato (1kg)

$1.54 SOS 876

$0.58 MAD 5.67

165.52%

Onion (1kg)

$1.76 SOS 1,000

$0.70 MAD 6.79

151.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 SOS 861

$0.35 MAD 3.41

334.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 SOS 303

$0.59 MAD 5.72

-10.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.85 MAD 37.58

Wine (Bottle)

$5.98 MAD 58.3

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 SOS 1,156

$1.70 MAD 16.58

20.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 MAD 20.34

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.52 SOS 298

$0.85 MAD 8.32

-38.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.02 SOS 577

$0.62 MAD 6.09

64.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 SOS 325

$0.64 MAD 6.23

-10.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.07 SOS 1,744

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.85 SOS 485

$1.48 MAD 14.46

-42.57%

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)

$6,413 SOS 3.6M

$32.1K MAD 313.0K

-80.02%

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

$161 SOS 91.6K

$24.14 MAD 235

568.23%

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

$4.89 SOS 2,778

$16.96 MAD 165

-71.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$66.3 SOS 37.7K

$29.95 MAD 292

121.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.50 SOS 17.9K

Cinema Ticket

$5.10 MAD 49.70

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

$77.4 SOS 44.0K

$67.8 MAD 661

14.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$771 SOS 438.1K

$1,803 MAD 17.6K

-57.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$14.11 SOS 8,013

$29.33 MAD 286

-51.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$13.82 SOS 7,848

$42.93 MAD 419

-67.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$24.83 SOS 14.1K

$59.1 MAD 576

-57.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$32.74 SOS 18.6K

$40.42 MAD 394

-19.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$198 SOS 112.6K

$386 MAD 3,760

-48.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$76.5 SOS 43.5K

$334 MAD 3,259

-77.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$470 SOS 267.0K

$913 MAD 8,905

-48.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$190 SOS 107.8K

$569 MAD 5,547

-66.65%

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)

$280 SOS 159.2K

$254 MAD 2,479

10.24%

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 Mogadishu: October 18, 2026

Last update for Essaouira: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mogadishu

$233 37.8%

Essaouira

$71 9.1% 69.4% $161

Groceries & Markets

Mogadishu

$162 * 26.3%

Essaouira

$170 21.7% 4.5% $7.4

Accommodation & Living

Mogadishu

$77 12.4%

Essaouira

$334 42.8% 337% $258

Eating Out

Mogadishu

$69 * 11.1%

Essaouira

$112 14.3% 63% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Mogadishu

$38 6.3%

Essaouira

$77 9.9% 101% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Mogadishu

$32 * 5.1%

Essaouira

$10 * 1.3% 67.6% $21

Getting Around

Mogadishu

$6 * 1%

Essaouira

$7.2 * 0.9% 20.9% $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 $198 in Mogadishu 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 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 $35.00 in Mogadishu versus $19.00 in Essaouira. Groceries tell a different story – $162 in Mogadishu vs $170 in Essaouira – so Mogadishu wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇸🇴 Mogadishu

🇲🇦 Essaouira

🕒 Local time

12:33 12:33 PM

10:33 10:33 AM

2 h behind Mogadishu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,610,000 Capital

77,966

💱 Currency

Somali Shilling SOS Sh

Moroccan Dirham MAD د.م.

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 SOS = 1.76 USD

1,000 SOS = 1.57 EUR

100 MAD = 10.26 USD

100 MAD = 9.12 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MAD, USD, EUR to SOS – Somali Shilling Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇴 Somali Shilling (Sh)

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).

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 SOS in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mogadishu Essaouira 6,630 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Mogadishu
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

Mogadishu vs Essaouira: 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 $924 per month in Mogadishu 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 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 $35.00 in Mogadishu 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 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 $616 in Mogadishu and $781 in Essaouira, 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.