Which place is cheaper, Cape Town or Essaouira?
These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations. These travel costs come from the actual spending of real travelers.
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Should you visit Essaouira or Cape Town?
Which is cheaper to visit? Which is more expensive for vacation?
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 Cape Town can help you decide which place is right for you.
Where Should I go: Essaouira or Cape Town?
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.
Cape Town
Picture your travel bucket list. Is Cape Town on it? Yes, most people dream of visiting the "Mother City" of South Africa. As one of the most iconic places in the world, Cape Town is a world-class cosmopolitan city full of bustling nightlife, historical backdrops and a large gay community.
Cape Town is the most southern city in Africa with seasons turned upside down. In the southern hemisphere they experience the summer from December to February. During these months days can be hot and dry so be sure to gather in the shade and wear plenty of sunscreen. The winter from June to August is full of rainy days and cold nights.
For some great organized tour ideas, see The Best 10-Day Tours in Morocco, The Best One Week (7-Day) Tours in Morocco, The Best Camping Tours in South Africa, and The Best Romantic Tours for Couples in South Africa.
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Essaouira Prices
Morocco PricesCape Town Prices
South Africa Prices -
Average Daily Cost Per person, per dayEssaouira $60Cape Town $191
The average daily cost (per person) in Essaouira is $60, while the average daily cost in Cape Town is $191. 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 destination. What follows is a categorical breakdown of travel costs for Essaouira and Cape Town in more detail.
Accommodation
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Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one personEssaouira $28Cape Town $89
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Accommodation Typical double-occupancy roomEssaouira $56Cape Town $178
Compare Hotels in Essaouira and Cape Town
Looking for a hotel in Essaouira or Cape Town? Prices vary by location, date, season, and the level of luxury. See below for options and compare which is best for your budget and travel style.
Kayak helps you find the best prices for hotels, flights, and rental cars for destinations around the world. Compare prices for multiple destinations when planning your next trip.
Our Analysis
We've analyzed the average and typical hotel prices based on guest reviews, star ratings, and hotel amenities here: Essaouira Hotel Prices and Cape Town Hotel Prices.
Local Transportation
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Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.Essaouira $2.14Cape Town $19
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Essaouira
Also for Essaouira, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:
- private transfer essaouira to casablanca or casablanca-essaouira: $284
- Transferts Marrakech à Essaouira ou Essaouira à Marrakech: $97
- Transfert Marrakech to Essaouira Or Essaouira to Marrakech: $111
- Transfer from Essaouira to Marrakech city or Marrakech airport: $124
- Transfer from Essaouira to Marrakech city or Marrakech airport: $139
- Private transfer Marrakech to Essaouira or Essaouira toMarrakech: $116
- Private transfer Marrakech airpot - Essaouira: $116
- Private transfer Essaouira Taroudant.: $197
- Private transfer Essaouira Ouarzazate.: $232
- Private Transfer from Marrakech to Essaouira 1 to 4 people: $109
- Private Transfer from Essaouira to Marrakesh Menara (RAK) Airport: $136
- Private Transfer from Essaouira to Marrakech: $112
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Cape Town
Also for Cape Town, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:
- Aquila Safari and Cheese & Wine Tasting with Private Transfers: $300
- Helderberg Valley Winelands Day Tour with Private Transfer: $286
- Cape Peninsula and Boulders Full Day Tour with Private Transfer: $286
- West Coast Wonders Full Day Tour with Private Transfer: $283
- Full Day Big Five Safari Tour from Cape Town with Transfers: $280
- Durbanville Valley Winelands Full Day Tour with Private Transfer: $274
- Cape Town Private Nighty Club Tour with Return Transfers: $274
- Hemel en Aarde Whale Coast + Wine Day Tour with Private Transfer: $262
- Robben Island & Table Mountain Tour – Tickets & Transfers: $220
- Group Robben Island 10 guests incl return transfers. late bookings conf 24hrs: $213
- Private Transfer to Safari Big 5 at Aquila from Cape Town Excluding Entry Fees: $198
- Cape Peninsula Tour Table Mountain,Penguins &Transfers Included: $196
Is it cheaper to fly into Essaouira or Cape Town?
Prices for flights to both Cape Town 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.
Food
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Food Meals for one dayEssaouira $25Cape Town $82
Typical Food Prices in Essaouira
Here are some examples of typical meal expenses from previous travelers to Essaouira:
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Baklava$1.50
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Breakfast Crepes$0.53
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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:
- Agadir Cooking Class Experience with Local Market Visit: $30
- Essaouira Sunset Tour: Sidi M’barek Waterfall,Coastal Walk&Dinner: $47
- Essaouira Moroccan Cooking Class Experience: $52
- Essaouira Street Food Tour: $68
- l'Atelier - Moroccan Cooking Workshop in Essaouira: $70
- Essaouira Cooking Class: $75
- 3 Hours Horse Riding with Dinner and Overnight Berber Camp: $214
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Cape Town
For Cape Town, here are some samples of tours and activities related to meals and dining experiences:
- From African Dinner and Drumming Experience: $60
- Authentic African Cuisine Cooking Experience: $61
- Cape Town Dinner Experience with local family: $66
- Cape Town Cooking Class & Wine Pairing with Award-Winning Chef: $69
- Private Indonesian & Cape Malay Cultural Cooking Class: $73
- South African Cooking Class in Cape Town with a Local Family: $82
- African Dinner Experience from Cape Town: $83
- Cruise and Dine Dinner / Sunset Champagne Cruise and 3-Course Dinner: $85
- Sunset At Signal and Dinner Privat: $87
- Cape Town African Taste-Safari & Live Entertainment Dinner Experience: $91
- Cape Town Historic Centre Food Tour with 15 Local Dishes and Wine: $97
- Cape Plates Food Tour with 15+ Tastings: $99
Entertainment
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Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.Essaouira $13Cape Town $26
Tours and Activities in Essaouira
Also, here are some specific examples of entertainment, tickets, and activities for Essaouira.
- 1 Day Horseback Riding Tour with Overnight Stay in Berber Tent: $290
- 1 Hour Quad Bike Adventure in Essaouira desert: $34
- 1-Day Quad Adventure in Essaouira near Marrakech: $205
- 1-Hour Scenic Quad Bike Tour: Discover Essaouira’s Coastline: $35
- 1-hour buggy tour in Essaouira desert (2 places/buggy): $77
- 2 – Hours Quad Bike Adventure in Essaouira Desert with Moroccan Tea: $57
- 2 Hours Dromedary Ride Tour in Essaouira Morocco: $52
- 2-Hours Buggy Adventure in Essaouira desert (2 places per buggy): $96
- 2-hour quad adventure between beach and dunes: $58
- 3-Days Desert Tour From Fes to Marrakech: $197
- 3H Buggy Adventure – Dunes, Ocean & Sunset Ride: $231
- Beginners surf experience in Essaouira: $34
Tours and Activities in Cape Town
For Cape Town, here are a few prices for actual activities, tours, and tickets provided by various companies:
- #1 Boulders Penguins & Cape Point Full Day Tour with Pickup: $29
- ( Cape town ) Private Winelands Tasting Full Day Tour: $254
- 1 Hour Coastal Catamaran Cruise from Cape Town: $25
- 1 Hour Small Group Quad Bike Adventure in Cape Town: $42
- 1- Hour Catamaran Cruise Cape Town: $20
- 1-Hour Table Mountain Abseiling Experience: $68
- 10 Day South Africa Tour Johannesburg to Cape Town: $2,657
- 10 Day Ultra Budget South Africa Tour: $1,809
- 12 Day South Africa Tour Johannesburg to Cape Town: $2,854
- 2 hours sandboarding experience in Capetown: $25
- 2-Day Cape Town Big 6 Pre-Booked Attraction Tickets: $201
- 3 Hours private Cape Town Historical Walking Tour: $90
Alcohol
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Alcohol Drinks for one dayEssaouira $9.82Cape Town $23
Sample the Local Flavors in Cape Town
Also in Cape Town, these are the prices for nightlife and alcohol related activities from various tour providers:
- Craft Gin Tasting Experience and Distillery Tour: $15
- Urban Wine Tasting: $30
- Cape Town Hop- On Hop -Off Tour and Groot Constantia Wine Tasting: $34
- Indigenous Food and Wine Tasting: $37
- Cape Point, Penguins & Wine Tasting In Constantia Full Day Tour: $46
- Cape Town Wine Tour: 3 Wineries — Babylonstoren, Fairview & Spier: $47
- Wine Tour at Stellenbosch, Franschhoek, and Paarl: $48
- Wine Tour: Paarl, Franschhoek & Stellenbosch incl 3 wineries: $55
- Uncork the Cape : Stellenboch Half Day Wine Tour: $55
- From CapeTown: Stellenbosch Half Day Wine Tour: $57
- Stellenbosch Wine Tour half day from Cape Town: $70
- Full Day shared Stellenbosch and Franschhoek Tram Wine Tasting: $72
When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Essaouira and Cape Town, we can see that Cape Town 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 Cape Town would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in Cape Town than you might in Essaouira.
If you're trying to decide if either of these two destinations are within your price range, also see Is Essaouira Expensive? and Is Cape Town Expensive?.
Which is Bigger, Essaouira or Cape Town?
Cape Town has a larger population, and is about 50 times larger than the population of Essaouira. When comparing the sizes of Essaouira and Cape Town, keep in mind that a larger population does not always imply the destination has more attractions or better activities. So, always research the type of place that you want to visit along with the activities and attractions that interest you.
Budget Your Trip is all about finding out how much everything costs so that you can travel cheaper and longer. Created by avid travelers Laurie and Bryan, our goal is to help you plan your next trip on the right budget. With average daily travel costs that are calculated from the budgets of real travelers, plus an analysis of hotel and tour prices, you can find out how much money you need to plan your next adventure. We also have plenty of travel advice, accommodation reviews, and activity suggestions.