Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Essaouira

For one person, living is cheaper in Essaouira: $781 a month against $1,208 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in Essaouira
Learn more

Essaouira Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Essaouira

🇲🇦 Morocco

$781

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,208 per month in Phuket vs $781 in Essaouira, rent included.

Phuket $1,208
Essaouira $781

A couple spends around $2,027 per month in Phuket vs $1,172 in Essaouira, rent included.

Phuket $2,027
Essaouira $1,172

A family of three spends $2,845 per month in Phuket vs $1,563 in Essaouira, rent included.

Phuket $2,845
Essaouira $1,563

Phuket costs about 55% more than Essaouira, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Phuket and Essaouira are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 11% lower, Essaouira 42% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 ฿147

$4.52 MAD 44.11

-2.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,078

$18.78 MAD 183

71.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ฿293

$7.36 MAD 71.8

19.02%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿94.5

$1.33 MAD 12.92

112.78%

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

$0.90 ฿30.14

$0.46 MAD 4.49

95.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ฿15.56

$0.37 MAD 3.64

27.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 ฿85.2

$5.10 MAD 49.73

-50.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$4.39 MAD 42.83

-12.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 ฿57.7

$0.91 MAD 8.87

90.11%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿49.11

$0.52 MAD 5.08

182.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.6

$1.67 MAD 16.33

-9.58%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$1.62 MAD 15.76

33.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.70 ฿658

$8.12 MAD 79.1

142.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 ฿112

$5.92 MAD 57.8

-43.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ฿373

$10.67 MAD 104

4.59%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ฿95.1

$1.28 MAD 12.50

122.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ฿56.9

$1.17 MAD 11.45

45.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.3

$0.66 MAD 6.45

231.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿68.4

$0.77 MAD 7.48

166.23%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 ฿48.57

$0.58 MAD 5.67

150.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.16

$0.70 MAD 6.79

97.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.69

$0.35 MAD 3.41

205.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.91

$0.59 MAD 5.72

-13.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$3.85 MAD 37.58

10.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 ฿621

$5.98 MAD 58.3

210.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿59.7

$1.70 MAD 16.58

4.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.2

$2.09 MAD 20.34

36.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿75.6

$0.85 MAD 8.32

165.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 ฿101

$0.62 MAD 6.09

385.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.34

$0.64 MAD 6.23

65.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 ฿129

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.45

$1.48 MAD 14.46

-2.03%

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

$26.3K ฿879.9K

$31.0K MAD 302.6K

-15.16%

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

$26.9K ฿900.4K

$32.1K MAD 313.0K

-16.07%

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

$96.4 ฿3,221

$24.14 MAD 235

299.25%

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

$11.04 ฿369

$16.96 MAD 165

-34.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.14 ฿573

$29.95 MAD 292

-42.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ฿1,744

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ฿261

$5.10 MAD 49.70

53.14%

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

$556 ฿18.6K

$67.8 MAD 661

719.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿387.0K

$1,803 MAD 17.6K

542.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 ฿2,146

$29.33 MAD 286

118.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.69 ฿959

$42.93 MAD 419

-33.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 ฿3,187

$59.1 MAD 576

61.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 ฿2,940

$40.42 MAD 394

117.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$737 ฿24.6K

$386 MAD 3,760

91.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 ฿15.5K

$334 MAD 3,259

38.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,095 ฿70.0K

$913 MAD 8,905

129.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 ฿40.1K

$569 MAD 5,547

111.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿116.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿84.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.7K

$254 MAD 2,479

96.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.5

-14.31%

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

Last update for Phuket: 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

Phuket

$462 38.3%

Essaouira

$334 42.8% 27.7% $128

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$269 22.2%

Essaouira

$170 21.7% 36.9% $99

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.3%

Essaouira

$71 9.1% 43% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Essaouira

$77 9.9% 37.8% $47

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10%

Essaouira

$112 14.3% 7.8% $9.4

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.6%

Essaouira

$10 * 1.3% 85% $58

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Essaouira

$7.2 * 0.9% 81.7% $32

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $737 in Phuket 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 97% higher in Phuket, 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 $32.00 in Phuket versus $19.00 in Essaouira. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $269 vs $170 – making Essaouira the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇲🇦 Essaouira

🕒 Local time

20:58 8:58 PM

14:58 2:58 PM

6 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

77,966

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Moroccan Dirham MAD د.م.

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 MAD = 10.26 USD

100 MAD = 9.12 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MAD, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 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 THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Essaouira 11,230 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
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

Phuket vs Essaouira: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Phuket is pricier by about 55%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,813 per month in Phuket 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 $32.00 in Phuket 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 58% more in Phuket, 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 Phuket at $1,208. In Essaouira it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket 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, Phuket makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.