Should you visit Essaouira or Casablanca?
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 Casablanca 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.
Casablanca
Casablanca is so much more than a classic Bogart movie with killer one-liners. It is also the largest, most cosmopolitan city in the country of Morocco. Sitting at the economic and industrial heart of this region, Casablanca has a population of approximately four million. Brush up on your high school French before visiting this lively city as it's the main language spoken by the locals. While this is the most liberal and progressive city in Morocco, remember to be cautious in this region of the world with your western views.
Which city is cheaper, Casablanca 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 Casablanca is $63. 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 Casablanca in more detail.
Accommodation
Double occupancy rooms typically run around $46 in Essaouira For nicer amenities and a premiere location, you can expect to pay a bit more.
A hotel room in Casablanca is about $74 This assumes double occupancy and modest accommodations.
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.
Food in Casablanca costs travelers about $17 per day on average. Restaurants can vary significantly in price, so choose wisely if you're trying to save money. Fast food and street stalls are typically your cheapest options, which sit down restaurants can be significantly more expensive.
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Food
Meals for one day
Essaouira $12
Casablanca $17
Typical Food prices in Essaouira
Here are some examples of typical meal expenses from previous travelers to Essaouira:
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Baklava
$1.53
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Breakfast Crepes
$0.55
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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
-
Berber Cooking Class at a Farm in the Countryside & shopping at a rural Souk.:
$109
Typical Food prices in Casablanca
Some typical examples of dining costs in Casablanca are as follows:
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Casablanca
Also, here are some specific examples of food and dining related activities in Casablanca.
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Private Virtual Moroccan Cooking Class Experience with a Local:
$27
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Moroccan Cooking Class in Marrakech:
$78
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Casablanca Food Tour:
$87
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Casablanca Food Tour - Moroccan Street Food Tour:
$94
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Casablanca Food Tour - Marché Central & Seafood Lunch:
$140
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Authentic Moroccan Home-Cooking: Private Cooking Class with a Casablanca Local:
$146
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Casablanca Food Tour:
$156
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6-Hour Private Market Tour and Cooking Class in Casablanca:
$156
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Authentic Moroccan Cooking Class in Casablanca with Hotel Transfers:
$156
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Casablanca unique private walking food tour.:
$166
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Private Market Tour and Cooking Class with a Casablanca Local with Transfers:
$171
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Experience Moroccan Cuisine - Private Market Tour & Cooking Class with Transfers:
$173
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 $1.75 on transportation in Essaouira on average per day.
The average price of local transportation around Casablanca is $9.44 per person, per day. As this average includes both taxis and public transport, keep in mind that the prices of private drivers and taxis are significantly more expensive than public transportation.
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Essaouira
Also for Essaouira, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:
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Private Arrival Transfer Essaouira Airport to Essaouira City:
$15
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Private Departure Transfer from Essaouira City to Essaouira Airport:
$15
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Essaouira Airport To city Transfer:
$17
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Private Transfer Essaouira-Essaouira Airport:
$24
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Airport Transfer From Essaouira Airport To Medina:
$25
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Private Airport Round-Trip Transfer: Essaouira Airport to Essaouira City:
$30
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Private Transfer from Essaouira to Marrakech:
$66
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Private Transfer from Essaouira to Agafay Desert Marrakech:
$66
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Transfer from Essaouira to Marrakech:
$81
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Transfers Essaouira Marrakech:
$86
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Private transfer Marrakech airpot - Essaouira:
$86
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Private Transfer From Essaouira To Marrakech:
$87
Typical Local Transportation prices in Casablanca
Below are a few samples from actual travelers for transportation costs in Casablanca:
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Casablanca
Some specific examples of transportation prices in Casablanca:
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6-days Tour package from Casablanca to Fes via Tangier &Private airport transfer:
$1,244
-
5-days Tour package from Casablanca to Fes via & Private airport transfers:
$1,120
-
2 Day Morocco Tour From Casablanca To Zagora Desert with private Transfers:
$784
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Private Transfer from Casablanca (CMN) Airport to Ouarzazate:
$622
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Private Transfer: Casablanca to Mohammed V International Airport (CMN):
$622
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Private Transfer: Mohammed V International Airport (CMN) to Casablanca:
$622
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Best Tour to Chefchaouen - from Casablanca in private Transfers (2 Day Trip):
$592
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Private Transfer from Casablanca (CMN) Airport to Agadir:
$539
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Casablanca to Essaouira: Private Transfer (English Speaking Driver):
$459
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Casablanca private transfer from Casablanca city to Agadir airport (AGA):
$452
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Private transfer from Casablanca to Chefchaouen:
$443
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Casablanca to Chefchaouen: Private Transfer (English Speaking Driver):
$437
Is it cheaper to fly into Essaouira or Casablanca?
Prices for flights to both Casablanca 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 $11 per day, per person.
Casablanca's costs for entertainment, tickets, attractions, and tours will often cost around $7.82 per person, per day. This cost can vary widely by the type of activity, however, as this includes admission tickets, day tours, museums, and other things to do.
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
-
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 Casablanca
Some specific costs of activities, tours, and entrance tickets for Casablanca are as follows:
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10 Day Morocco Affordable Tour starting in Casablanca and ending in Tangier:
$2,600
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10 Day private tour around Moroccco:
$2,074
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10 Days 9 Nights Budgeted Casablanca Adventure:
$2,051
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10 Days 9 Nights Luxury Tour of Morocco:
$2,295
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10 Days 9 Nights Private Morocco Tour from Casablanca with Camel Trek:
$2,364
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10 Days Grand Morocco Tour for Best Experience:
$1,991
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10 Days Imperial Cities and Desert Tours:
$2,261
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10 Days Morocco Luxury Classic Tour:
$4,198
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10 Days Tour From Casablanca to Merzouga Desert, Chefchaouen, Fes and Marrakech:
$3,636
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10 Days Tour From Casablanca, Morocco:
$1,866
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10 Days Tour Imperial Cities and Sahara Desert (Any Departing Point):
$1,963
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10 Days Tour from Casablanca:
$1,493
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 $8.05.
Sample the Local Flavors in Casablanca
Also in Casablanca, these are the prices for nightlife and alcohol related activities from various tour providers:
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Day Tour of Casablanca with Lunch and Wine Tasting in Benslimane Vineyard:
$170
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Organic Wine Tour And Premium Lunch In Casablanca Valley:
$188
When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Essaouira and Casablanca, we can see that Casablanca 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 Casablanca would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in Casablanca than you might in Essaouira.
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