Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rabat and Essaouira

For one person, living is cheaper in Essaouira: $781 a month against $852 in Rabat, rent and utilities included – about $850 less a year. The total is higher in Rabat despite lower rent and utilities.

41

Cost of Living Index in Rabat
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Rabat Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in Essaouira
Learn more

Essaouira Living Index

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Rabat

🇲🇦 Morocco

$852

/mo nomad

Essaouira

🇲🇦 Morocco

$781

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $852 per month in Rabat vs $781 in Essaouira, rent included.

Rabat $852
Essaouira $781

A couple spends around $1,463 per month in Rabat vs $1,172 in Essaouira, rent included.

Rabat $1,463
Essaouira $1,172

A family of three spends $2,074 per month in Rabat vs $1,563 in Essaouira, rent included.

Rabat $2,074
Essaouira $1,563

Rabat costs about 9% more than Essaouira, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Rabat and Essaouira are more affordable than the global median – Rabat 37% lower, Essaouira 42% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.99 MAD 38.91

$4.52 MAD 44.11

-11.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.34 MAD 403

$18.78 MAD 183

120.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.04 MAD 68.6

$7.36 MAD 71.8

-4.35%

Cappuccino

$1.96 MAD 19.10

$1.33 MAD 12.92

47.37%

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

$0.57 MAD 5.52

$0.46 MAD 4.49

23.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.34 MAD 3.31

$0.37 MAD 3.64

-8.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.10 MAD 49.68

$5.10 MAD 49.73

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.15 MAD 30.73

$4.39 MAD 42.83

-28.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.82 MAD 7.99

$0.91 MAD 8.87

-9.89%

White Bread (500g)

$0.60 MAD 5.90

$0.52 MAD 5.08

15.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.96 MAD 19.08

$1.67 MAD 16.33

17.37%

Eggs

$1.96 MAD 19.09

$1.62 MAD 15.76

20.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.11 MAD 108

$8.12 MAD 79.1

36.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.87 MAD 67.0

$5.92 MAD 57.8

16.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.86 MAD 116

$10.67 MAD 104

11.15%

Apples (1kg)

$1.61 MAD 15.73

$1.28 MAD 12.50

25.78%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 MAD 14.10

$1.17 MAD 11.45

23.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.88 MAD 8.61

$0.66 MAD 6.45

33.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.89 MAD 8.71

$0.77 MAD 7.48

15.58%

Potato (1kg)

$0.67 MAD 6.49

$0.58 MAD 5.67

15.52%

Onion (1kg)

$0.73 MAD 7.12

$0.70 MAD 6.79

4.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.36 MAD 3.53

$0.35 MAD 3.41

2.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.65 MAD 6.31

$0.59 MAD 5.72

10.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.18 MAD 40.72

$3.85 MAD 37.58

8.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.23 MAD 70.5

$5.98 MAD 58.3

20.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.56 MAD 24.94

$1.70 MAD 16.58

50.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MAD 26.03

$2.09 MAD 20.34

27.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 MAD 5.52

$0.85 MAD 8.32

-32.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.95 MAD 253

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.69 MAD 6.72

$0.62 MAD 6.09

11.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.75 MAD 7.36

$0.64 MAD 6.23

17.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.17 MAD 40.68

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.56 MAD 15.20

$1.48 MAD 14.46

5.41%

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

$30.4K MAD 296.5K

$31.0K MAD 302.6K

-2.00%

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

$31.7K MAD 309.1K

$32.1K MAD 313.0K

-1.26%

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

$36.23 MAD 353

$24.14 MAD 235

50.08%

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

$10.07 MAD 98.2

$16.96 MAD 165

-40.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.42 MAD 326

$29.95 MAD 292

11.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.80 MAD 281

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.63 MAD 230

Cinema Ticket

$6.00 MAD 58.5

$5.10 MAD 49.70

17.65%

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

$183 MAD 1,780

$67.8 MAD 661

169.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,576 MAD 93.4K

$1,803 MAD 17.6K

431.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.61 MAD 474

$29.33 MAD 286

65.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.09 MAD 391

$42.93 MAD 419

-6.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 MAD 892

$59.1 MAD 576

54.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$66.5 MAD 648

$40.42 MAD 394

64.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$522 MAD 5,085

$386 MAD 3,760

35.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$273 MAD 2,657

$334 MAD 3,259

-18.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$978 MAD 9,533

$913 MAD 8,905

7.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$682 MAD 6,651

$569 MAD 5,547

19.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,977 MAD 19.3K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,135 MAD 11.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$719 MAD 7,008

$254 MAD 2,479

182.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.55

6.5

-30.00%

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

Last update for Rabat: 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

Rabat

$273 32%

Essaouira

$334 42.8% 22.7% $62

Groceries & Markets

Rabat

$203 23.9%

Essaouira

$170 21.7% 16.5% $34

Eating Out

Rabat

$112 13.1%

Essaouira

$112 14.3% 0.1% $0.2

Clothing & Footwear

Rabat

$111 13%

Essaouira

$77 9.9% 30.4% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rabat

$80 9.4%

Essaouira

$71 9.1% 10.9% $8.7

Sport & Entertainment

Rabat

$41 4.8%

Essaouira

$10 * 1.3% 75% $31

Getting Around

Rabat

$33 3.8%

Essaouira

$7.2 * 0.9% 77.9% $25

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $522 in Rabat 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 183% higher in Rabat, 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 $41.00 in Rabat versus $19.00 in Essaouira. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $203 vs $170 – making Essaouira the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇦 Rabat

🇲🇦 Essaouira

🕒 Local time

14:58 2:58 PM

Same time as Rabat

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

573,895 Capital

77,966

💱 Currency

Moroccan Dirham MAD د.م.

📈 Exchange rate

100 MAD = 10.26 USD

100 MAD = 9.12 EUR

100 MAD = 10.26 USD

100 MAD = 9.12 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Rabat Essaouira 390 km

From you

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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

Rabat vs Essaouira: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Rabat is pricier by about 9%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,278 per month in Rabat 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 $41.00 in Rabat 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 20% more in Rabat, 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 Rabat at $852. In Essaouira it covers expenses comfortably, while in Rabat 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, Rabat makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.