Should you visit Essaouira or Ait Ben Haddou?
Which city is more affordable and which is best for your travel style? If you're trying to figure out where to go next, comparing the travel costs between Essaouira and Ait Ben Haddou can help you decide which place is right for you.
Essaouira
Essaouira is a beautiful beach town on the Atlantic coast of Morocco. The city has a pleasant medina that has been named a UNESCO World Heritage site and is interesting to explore. It's an 18th century fortified town with a lot of character and charm. The city is rich and culture and you'll find a handful of art galleries throughout the town. The city is also a gathering place for artists and musicians, particularly during the Gnaoua Festival of World Music, which takes place the last week of June. This event attracts about 450,000 visitors yearly.
Ait Ben Haddou
Think of a time when you've seen Jerusalem in a movie. Chances are what you're really looking at is the traditional, mud brick city of Ait Ben Haddou, Morocco. This city on the edge of the High Atlas Mountains has been an UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1987, and has also been seen in movies like Lawrence of Arabia, Orson Welles' Sodom and Gomorrah, Jesus of Nazareth, the French version of Cleopatra, Bertolucci's Sheltering Sky, Scorsese's Kundun, Gillies MacKannon's Hideous Kinky, Ridley Scott's Gladiator, Oliver Stone's Alexander the Great, and in some scenes from Game of Thrones.
Which city is cheaper, Ait Ben Haddou or Essaouira?
These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations.
The average daily cost (per person) in Essaouira is $40, while the average daily cost in Ait Ben Haddou is $61. These costs include accommodation (assuming double occupancy, so the traveler is sharing the room), food, transportation, and entertainment. While every person is different, these costs are an average of past travelers in each city. Below is a breakdown of travel costs for Essaouira and Ait Ben Haddou in more detail.
Accommodation
Double occupancy rooms typically run around $44 in Essaouira For nicer amenities and a premiere location, you can expect to pay a bit more.
Ait Ben Haddou's average price for two people sharing a typical double-occupancy hotel room is $44. A typical place to stay for one person, per day is $22.
Food
Essaouira food costs typically run travelers around $12 per day. Eating every meal in a nicer restaurant will drive the cost up, and grabbing fast food or casual meals will help you save money.
Ait Ben Haddou food costs typically run travelers around $20 per day. Eating every meal in a nicer restaurant will drive the cost up, and grabbing fast food or casual meals will help you save money.
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Food
Meals for one day
Essaouira $12
Ait Ben Haddou $20
Typical Food prices in Essaouira
Here are some examples of typical meal expenses from previous travelers to Essaouira:
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Baklava
$1.52
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Breakfast Crepes
$0.54
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Fish for Lunch
$16
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Essaouira
For Essaouira, here are some samples of tours and activities related to meals and dining experiences:
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Cous Cous party and Show Cooking:
$37
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Essaouira Cooking Class:
$50
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Moroccan Cooking Class in Marrakech:
$78
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Berber Cooking Class at a Farm in the Countryside & shopping at a rural Souk.:
$109
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Ait Ben Haddou
Also, here are some specific examples of food and dining related activities in Ait Ben Haddou.
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Moroccan Cooking Class in Marrakech:
$78
Local Transportation
Public transportation tends to be much less expensive in Essaouira than paying for a taxi or private car service, as is expected. Typically, people spend $1.73 on transportation in Essaouira on average per day.
While taxis and private drivers typically cost much more than public transportation, people usually spend around $25 per day to get around in Ait Ben Haddou.
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Essaouira
Also for Essaouira, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:
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Airport Transfer Essaouira - Marrakech:
$398
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Airport Transfer From Essaouira Airport To Medina:
$25
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Airport transfer from Essaouira to Agadir:
$129
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Airport transfer from Essaouira to Marrakesh:
$92
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Airport transfer, Departure : Essaouira, Arrival : Agadir:
$129
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Essaouira Airport To city Transfer:
$17
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Essaouira private transfer from Essaouira city to Agadir airport (AGA):
$158
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Essaouira to Agadir airport transfer:
$202
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Essaouira to Casablanca: Private Transfer (English Speaking Driver):
$459
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Essaouira to Marrakesh airport transfer:
$202
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One-Way Transfer from Essaouira Fez:
$337
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Private Airport Round-Trip Transfer: Essaouira Airport to Essaouira City:
$30
Is it cheaper to fly into Essaouira or Ait Ben Haddou?
Prices for flights to both Ait Ben Haddou and Essaouira change regularly based on dates and travel demand. We suggest you find the best prices for your next trip on Kayak, because you can compare the cost of flights across multiple airlines for your prefered dates.
Entertainment
Sightseeing expenses in Essaouira, including the cost of admission tickets for day tours, museums, and attractions, usually cost an average of $10 per day, per person.
Activities, things to do, and other forms of entertainment usually cost around $25 per person, per day in Ait Ben Haddou. This cost includes the price of admission tickets to attractions and museums as well as daily tours.
Tours and Activities in Essaouira
Also, here are some specific examples of entertainment, tickets, and activities for Essaouira.
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Full-Day Tour to Essaouira from Marrakech with Hotel Pick Up:
$27
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PhotoShoot Tour in Essaouira:
$30
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Kite Surfing and Surfing Experience in Essaouira:
$31
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Marrakech day tour to Essaouira:
$37
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Experience Food and Art Walking Tour of the Medina and Ramparts:
$51
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Essaouira Guided Tour: 3 on 1 - Nightlife tour, Live like a local & Street food:
$51
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Big dunes and atlantic coast tour 2 HOURS:
$57
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Essaouira Tour - Half day visit to berber market:
$64
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ATV Quad biking in Essaouira Beach, Big Dunes & Atlantic Coast tour:
$64
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Experience Morocco: Essaouira Gnawa Music and Dance Performances:
$80
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Morocco day tours from Marrakech to Essaouira, Full day trip:
$96
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Full-Day Quad bike Adventure from Essaouira to Sidi Kaouki:
$114
Tours and Activities in Ait Ben Haddou
Here are a few actual costs in Ait Ben Haddou for available activities, ticket prices, and tours:
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3 Days - Desert Experience Merzouga from Marrakech:
$473
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3 Days Guided tour from Marrakech to Fes via desert:
$625
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3 days Private Tour Sahara and Atlas Chegaga Desert Experience Camel Ride and Desert Camp:
$610
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3-Days Tour from Marrakech to Zagora including a trekking in imlil:
$431
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Day tour to Ouarzazate and Kasbah Ait Ben Haddou from Marrakech:
$51
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Desert Experience Tour:
$137
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Ksar of Ait-Ben-Haddou Half-Day Tour:
$14
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Marrakech Desert Tour To Casablanca:
$702
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Morocco Desert Tour from Marrakech 3 Days:
$373
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Morocco desert tour from Marrakech to Fes 4 days:
$249
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Overnight Desert Tour from Marrakech to Zagora:
$311
Alcohol
Alcoholic beverages can often be a significant portion of a traveler's budget, and the costs can vary greatly from person to person. In Essaouira, the average amount that a visitor spends on alcoholic beverages per day is $7.97.
While the amount that someone spends on alcohol while visiting Ait Ben Haddou may vary from person to person, on average a person spends $5.33 per day on alcoholic beverages.
When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Essaouira and Ait Ben Haddou, we can see that Ait Ben Haddou is more expensive. And not only is Essaouira much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. So, traveling to Essaouira would let you spend less money overall. Or, you could decide to spend more money in Essaouira and be able to afford a more luxurious travel style by staying in nicer hotels, eating at more expensive restaurants, taking tours, and experiencing more activities. The same level of travel in Ait Ben Haddou would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in Ait Ben Haddou than you might in Essaouira.
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