Essaouira at a glance
- Essaouira ranks 4th of 8 priced cities in Morocco on cost: $553 a month in essentials, 36% above Meknes, the cheapest.
- The average net salary of $267 covers that 0.5×.
- 99.4 men per 100 women aged 20–39, measured at province level.
- PM2.5 averages 8.3 µg/m³ a year, 2× the WHO guideline of 5.
Green is the better side of each figure. Every line is computed from the tables below.
Monthly cost breakdown
Rent outside centre plus utilities, groceries, dining and local transport make up the essentials figure. Not a full lifestyle budget. The middle column is the median across the 8 Morocco cities we track, so every row says whether Essaouira is the cheap side of its own market or the dear one. Green is the better side of each row.
| Essentials, monthlyrent outside centre + bills + food + transit | $553 | $576 | $23 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rent, 1-bed outside centremonthly, USD | $285 | $280 | $4 |
| Rent, 1-bed city centremonthly, USD | $338 | $470 | 1.39× as much |
| Groceriesmonthly, one person | $83 | $88 | $4 |
| Dining outmonthly, one person | $105 | $112 | $6 |
| Utilitiesmonthly: power, water, heating, internet | $46 | $70 | 1.51× as much |
| Local transportmonthly pass or fare equivalent | $34 | $27 | 1.26× as much |
| Average net salarymonthly, after tax; average, not median | $267 | $514 | 1.93× as much |
| Rent, 3-bed outside centremonthly, USD | $463 | $466 | $2 |
| Rent, 3-bed city centremonthly, USD | $729 | $738 | $8 |
Single person, USD. Data updated August 6, 2026.
Everyday prices
What single items cost in Essaouira, in USD. The monthly figures above are built from these. Cheaper side of each row in green.
Eating out
| Meal, inexpensive restaurant | $5.07 | $4.67 | $0.40 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meal for 2, mid-range, three courses | $19.21 | $32.02 | 1.67× as much |
| McMeal at McDonald's | $7.21 | $7.34 | $0.13 |
| Cappuccino, regular | $1.42 | $1.86 | 1.31× as much |
| Domestic beer, 0.5 L draught | $5.34 | $5.34 | same |
| Imported beer, 0.33 L bottle | $4.55 | $4.41 | $0.14 |
| Coke/Pepsi, 0.33 L | $0.65 | $0.86 | 1.33× as much |
| Water, 0.33 L bottle | $0.36 | $0.45 | $0.09 |
Groceries
| Milk, 1 L | $0.92 | $0.91 | $0.02 |
|---|---|---|---|
| White bread, 500 g | $0.53 | $0.62 | $0.09 |
| White rice, 1 kg | $1.64 | $1.71 | $0.07 |
| Eggs, 12 | $1.83 | $1.92 | $0.08 |
| Local cheese, 1 kg | $10.03 | $10.29 | $0.26 |
| Chicken fillets, 1 kg | $6.08 | $6.44 | $0.36 |
| Apples, 1 kg | $1.39 | $1.54 | $0.15 |
| Bananas, 1 kg | $1.17 | $1.36 | $0.19 |
| Tomatoes, 1 kg | $0.83 | $0.81 | $0.02 |
| Potatoes, 1 kg | $0.66 | $0.69 | $0.03 |
| Onions, 1 kg | $0.73 | $0.78 | $0.05 |
| Water, 1.5 L bottle | $0.59 | $0.59 | $0.01 |
Transport & bills
| One-way ticket, local transport | $0.85 | $0.47 | 1.79× as much |
|---|---|---|---|
| Taxi start | $0.64 | $0.75 | $0.11 |
| Taxi, 1 km | $0.64 | $0.64 | same |
| Gasoline, 1 L | $1.48 | $1.49 | $0.01 |
| Basic utilities, 85 m² flat | $24.80 | $34.63 | 1.40× as much |
| Internet, 60 Mbps+ | $21.35 | $36.11 | 1.69× as much |
| Mobile plan, monthly | $17.88 | $11.23 | 1.59× as much |
Leisure
| Gym, monthly | $21.35 | $28.99 | 1.36× as much |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cinema, one seat | $5.34 | $5.87 | $0.53 |
Dating-age sex ratio
Essaouira has 99.4 men per 100 women aged 20–39 (province level). That is the 2nd-highest of 8 Morocco cities we track. Morocco's national figure is 104.3, so Essaouira runs 5 below the country as a whole.
A supply figure, 20–39. The dating-pool model is in Pro.
How Essaouira ranks against every city we track
Essaouira sits ahead of 83% of the 542 cities we track on cost of living. On city-centre rent it is ahead of 83% of 553. Its weakest measure is salary against local costs, ahead of only 5% of 534.
Longer is better on every row: bar length is where Essaouira sits among all the cities carrying that measure, which is why the count differs by row.
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Photo: Holger Uwe Schmitt, CC BY-SA 4.0.
