Which place is cheaper, Nice or Essaouira?
These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations.
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Should you visit Essaouira or Nice?
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 Nice can help you decide which place is right for you.
Where Should I go: Essaouira or Nice?
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.
Nice
Nice, in the French Riviera, is one of the most popular destinations in France. It's located on the southeast coast along the Mediterranean Sea and is the second largest French city on the Mediterranean. It is an energetic city that attracts all types of vacationers from every age group and demographic. It's the 5th largest city in the country and is the capital of the Alpes Maritimes departement. The metropolitan area has a population of about 1 million.
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 10-Day Tours in France, and The Best One Week (7-Day) Tours in France.
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Average Daily Cost Per person, per dayEssaouira $46Nice $141
The average daily cost (per person) in Essaouira is $46, while the average daily cost in Nice is $141. 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 Nice in more detail.
Accommodation
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Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one personEssaouira $26Nice $63
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Accommodation Typical double-occupancy roomEssaouira $52Nice $126
Compare Hotels in Essaouira and Nice
Looking for a hotel in Essaouira or Nice? 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 Nice Hotel Prices.
Local Transportation
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Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.Essaouira $1.99Nice $27
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Essaouira
Also for Essaouira, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:
- Marrakech : Private Transfer from or to Marrakech Airoport: $22
- Airport Transfer From Essaouira Airport To Medina: $22
- Private Transfer from or to Essaouira Airport (ESU): $22
- Private Transfer from or to Essaouira Airport: $27
- Hinterland Quad Bike Tour with Transfer: $36
- Essaouira Airport To city Transfer: $38
- From Scenic Diabat Horseback Ride with Transfer: $48
- From Beachside Quad Bike Tour with Transfer: $70
- Scenic Hinterland Quad Ride with Transfer: $80
- Private transfer Marrakech airpot - Essaouira : $87
- Transfert Marrakech to Agafay-Private Agafay to Marrakech : $87
- Transfer from Essaouira to Marrakech city or Marrakech airport: $93
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Nice
Some specific examples of transportation prices in Nice:
- Private Transfer from Nice to Milan: $1,390
- Private Transfer from Nice to Milan: $1,171
- Private Transfer from Nice to Marseille: $856
- Airport transfer to Marseille: $749
- Airport transfer to Genoa: $749
- Airport transfer to Aix en Provence: $695
- Nice Intl Airport (NCE): Private Transfer to Cannes hotels: $517
- Nice Intl Airport (NCE): Private Transfer to Monaco hotels: $443
- Airport transfer to St Tropez: $406
- Nice Airport Transfer to SAINT-TROPEZ: $396
- Airport transfer to Port Grimaud: $374
- Airport transfer to San Remo: $321
Is it cheaper to fly into Essaouira or Nice?
Prices for flights to both Nice 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 $14Nice $53
Typical Food Prices in Essaouira
Here are some examples of typical meal expenses from previous travelers to Essaouira:
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Baklava$1.40
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Breakfast Crepes$0.50
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Fish for Lunch$15
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Essaouira
For Essaouira, here are some samples of tours and activities related to meals and dining experiences:
- Traditional Moroccan Cooking Class: $39
- L'Atelier Madada Moroccan Cooking Workshop in Essaouira: $55
- Traditional Family Style Moroccan Cooking Class: $67
- 3 hours Camel Ride in Essaouira with Dinner and Overnight in Berber Camp: $170
Typical Food Prices in Nice
Some typical examples of dining costs in Nice are as follows:
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Slushee$2.68
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Strawberries$4.29
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Loaf of Bread$3.43
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Nice
Also, here are some specific examples of food and dining related activities in Nice.
- Nice Small-Group Walking Food Tour with Local Specialties & Wine Tasting: $84
- Viator Exclusive: Organic French Dinner in the Garden of Nice: $95
- The Flavors of Nice Food Tour: $103
- Old Nice Food Tour - Do Eat Better Experience: $104
- Nice Evening Food Tour - Do Eat Better Experience: $104
- Viator Exclusive: Local Cooking Class & Dinner with View of Nice: $107
- 3.5-Hour Original Old Town Food Tour: $107
- Private French Cooking Class with a Fun Local Noel: $112
- PRIVATE Award-Winning Nice Food Tour: 6 or 10 Tastings: $112
- Food Tour + Wine Pairing Lunch with a local Sommelier: $133
- Half Day Afternoon Walking Food Tour with Dinner: $147
- Dinner in the vineyard French Riviera: $192
Entertainment
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Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.Essaouira $12Nice $13
Tours and Activities in Essaouira
Also, here are some specific examples of entertainment, tickets, and activities for Essaouira.
- Highlights Tour with Tasting the Ocean City: $19
- Full Day Tour From Marrakech To Essaouira Mogador: $21
- Private City Tour: $26
- From Marrakech: Guided tour of Essaouira the coastal city: $26
- Friend-Guide Essaouira city tour: $31
- 3-Hour Camel Tour: $40
- Cultural & Historical Sightseeing Tour - half day: $41
- Guided Dromedary Riding Tour: $48
- Half-Day Old Town Guided Tour: $48
- Essaouira : 1H quad bike tour and 1H camel ride: $57
- Big dunes and atlantic coast tour 2 HOURS: $57
- 2 Hour Quad & ATV Experience: $58
Tours and Activities in Nice
Some specific costs of activities, tours, and entrance tickets for Nice are as follows:
- Half Day Shared Tour in Eze, Monaco and Monte Carlo: $65
- Majestic Christmas tour in French Riviera: $235
- Monaco, Monte-Carlo and Eze Village Small Group Half-Day Tour: $59
- 3 Hour Walking Tour with a Local Licensed Guide in Monaco: $60
- 3-Hour Guided Walking Tour of Nice with a Licensed Guide: $33
- 3-Hour Segway Tour to Nice & Villefranche-sur-Mer: $80
- 7h sightseeing excursion: Visit Saint Paul, Antibes, Cannes.: $104
- A Guided Walking Tour through the Charming Streets of Nice: $32
- A walk of wealth – guided tour in Monaco: $251
- All-Inclusive Food & History Tour in Old Nice with Local Guide: $142
- Amazing Private Walking Tour of Old Nice between Italy and France: $111
- Antibes Electric Bike Tour: $75
Alcohol
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Alcohol Drinks for one dayEssaouira $9.16Nice $18
Sample the Local Flavors in Nice
Also in Nice, these are the prices for nightlife and alcohol related activities from various tour providers:
- Nice Bar Crawl | Best Bars In 1 Night! VIP + FREE SHOTS: $5.99
- Pub Crawl Party with VIP Entry and Free Shots: $16
- Pub Crawl Nice with Drinking Games and Optional Drink special: $17
- Nice : Guided Pub / Bar Crawl with Shots and Nightclub Entry: $21
- Riviera Bar Crawl Party with Free Shots and VIP Entry: $23
- Nice Walking Tour with Wine Tasting: $45
- New Year's Eve Pub Crawl with Shots and VIP Club Entry: $52
- New Year’s Eve Bar Crawl Nice France: $53
- Provence Organic Wine Tasting Half Day Tour from Nice: $65
- Wine Tasting: Tour de France in Nice City Centre: $74
- Half-Day Saint Paul de Vence and Wine Tasting Tour: $82
- Half-Day Wine Tasting and Saint Paul de Vence Tour from Nice: $84
When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Essaouira and Nice, we can see that Nice is more expensive. And not only is Essaouira much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. Since Essaouira is in Africa and Nice is in Europe, this is one of the main reasons why the costs are so different, as different regions of the world tend to have overall different travel costs. 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 Nice would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in Nice 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 Nice Expensive?.
Which is Bigger, Essaouira or Nice?
Nice has a larger population, and is about 5 times larger than the population of Essaouira. When comparing the sizes of Essaouira and Nice, 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.