A Travel Price Comparison for Families, Couples, and Backpackers Santa Cruz de Tenerife vs. Essaouira for Vacations, Tours, and Honeymoons

Should you visit Santa Cruz de Tenerife or Essaouira?

Which is cheaper to visit? Which is more expensive for vacation?

If you're trying to decide where to visit between Santa Cruz de Tenerife or Essaouira, this travel comparison, which includes costs, can help. The overall cost of travel is usually a consideration when deciding where to go next, and the cost comparison down below can help you decide based on the average prices from other travelers along with your own travel budget.

Where Should I go: Santa Cruz de Tenerife or Essaouira?

Santa Cruz de Tenerife

Not everyone traveling to Spain is looking to collapse on a beach somewhere. If you're in search of a bustling, vibrant and colorful Spanish capital city without the crowds of Barcelona, you might want to book a few days in Santa Cruz de Tenerife. Located on the eastern tip of the island of Tenerife on the Canary Island chain, Santa Cruz's bright buildings, charming shops and rich, green scenery are there to greet visitors from all over the world - including 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.

For some great organized tour ideas, see The Best One-Week (7-Day) Tours from Madrid, The Best One-Week (7-Day) Tours from Barcelona, The Best 10-Day Tours in Morocco, and The Best One Week (7-Day) Tours in Morocco.


Which place is cheaper, Essaouira or Santa Cruz de Tenerife?

These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations.

The average daily cost (per person) in Santa Cruz de Tenerife is €126, while the average daily cost in Essaouira is €43. 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 Santa Cruz de Tenerife and Essaouira in more detail.



Accommodation
  • Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one person
    Santa Cruz de Tenerife 48
    Essaouira 24
  • Accommodation Typical double-occupancy room
    Santa Cruz de Tenerife 96
    Essaouira 48
Compare Hotels in Santa Cruz de Tenerife and Essaouira

Looking for a hotel in Santa Cruz de Tenerife or Essaouira? 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.

Hotels in Santa Cruz de Tenerife


Hotels in Essaouira


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: Santa Cruz de Tenerife Hotel Prices and Essaouira Hotel Prices.

Local Transportation
  • Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.
    Santa Cruz de Tenerife 64
    Essaouira 1.87

Hired Cars and Shuttles in Santa Cruz de Tenerife

Some specific examples of transportation prices in Santa Cruz de Tenerife:

  • Santa Cruz Tenerife Cruise Port: Transfer to Tenerife hotels: $252
  • Tenerife South Airport Departure Transfer (Costa Adeje Hotels to Airport): $98
  • Whale and Dolphin Watching Catamaran with Transfer and Buffet : $64
  • Tenerife South Airport Departure Transfer (Playa de las américas to Airport): $59
  • Mount Teide Tour with Transfer and Optional Cable Car Ticket: $43

Hired Cars and Shuttles in Essaouira

Also for Essaouira, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:

  • Transfert Marrakech to Agafay-Private Agafay to Marrakech : $87
  • Airport Transfer From Essaouira Airport To Medina: $22
  • Essaouira : Private Transfer from or to Agafay Desert: $160
  • Essaouira Airport To city Transfer: $38
  • Essaouira private transfer from Essaouira city to Agadir airport (AGA): $138
  • Hinterland Quad Bike Tour with Transfer: $36
  • Private Transfer from or to Essaouira Airport: $27
  • Private Transfer from or to Essaouira Airport (ESU): $22
  • Scenic Hinterland Quad Ride with Transfer: $80
  • From Beachside Quad Bike Tour with Transfer: $70
  • From Private Transfer to Casablanca: $321
  • From Private Transfer to Marrakech: $123

Is it cheaper to fly into Santa Cruz de Tenerife or Essaouira?

Prices for flights to both Essaouira and Santa Cruz de Tenerife 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
  • Food Meals for one day
    Santa Cruz de Tenerife 40
    Essaouira 13

Typical Food Prices in Essaouira

Here are some examples of typical meal expenses from previous travelers to Essaouira:


  • Baklava
    1.31
  • Breakfast Crepes
    0.47
  • Fish for Lunch
    14

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

Entertainment
  • Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.
    Santa Cruz de Tenerife 25
    Essaouira 11

Tours and Activities in Santa Cruz de Tenerife

Here are a few actual costs in Santa Cruz de Tenerife for available activities, ticket prices, and tours:

  • Full Day Guided Tour of Teide by Cabrio Bus : $75
  • Full Day Tour of Santa Cruz and San Cristóbal de La Laguna: $49
  • Guided Tour to Teide National Park in Tenerife: $44
  • Private Paragliding Flight Experience in Tenerife: $109
  • Private VIP Tour Tenerife Magic Circle: $258
  • Taucho Flight Experience: $118
  • Tenerife: Forestal Park Tenerife Entry Ticket: $28
  • Tenerife: Introductory Dive for Cruise Ship Passengers: $128
  • Volcano Teide National Park Shared Tour from Costa Adeje Los Cristianos Tenerife: $64

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

Alcohol
  • Alcohol Drinks for one day
    Santa Cruz de Tenerife 7.50
    Essaouira 8.58


When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Santa Cruz de Tenerife and Essaouira, we can see that Santa Cruz de Tenerife is more expensive. And not only is Essaouira much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. Since Santa Cruz de Tenerife is in Europe and Essaouira is in Africa, 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 Santa Cruz de Tenerife would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in Santa Cruz de Tenerife 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 Santa Cruz de Tenerife Expensive? and Is Essaouira Expensive?.


Which is Bigger, Santa Cruz de Tenerife or Essaouira?

Santa Cruz de Tenerife has a larger population, and is about 3 times larger than the population of Essaouira. When comparing the sizes of Santa Cruz de Tenerife and Essaouira, 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.