Cost of living in Morocco (our budget & 5 savings tips)

Before I moved, I had truly no idea what to expect about the cost of living in Morocco. I knew wages were much lower than in the United States, but I didn’t know what to expect regarding rental costs, food, or utilities. I wanted to break down our monthly costs to help give an idea for those who are possibly interested in moving to Morocco.

I also found a ton of misinformation online. Some websites even said that the average person makes something insane like US$36,000 per year, which is absolutely not true and I’m not even going to link them because it’s just totally inaccurate. Even websites like Numbeo weren’t totally accurate, in my opinion. I hope this article sheds some light on the average salary, the average rental and housing costs per month, and the cost of living in Morocco.

The average salary in Morocco

The pay in Morocco is very low, on average about 2,000-4,000 MAD (or $214-$429 UDS) For context, a teacher in Morocco makes on average 5,500 MAD (or $590 USD), and they have one of the higher-paying jobs in the country outside of high-level government jobs. Entire families live on 2,000 MAD, which is honestly extremely difficult and I don’t know how they do it.

The economy in Morocco is not good. Jobs don’t pay very much, the workplace is very unregulated, so if your boss just cuts your pay or your hours, there isn’t really much to do about it. A lot of people struggle to find jobs, even with degrees. And the jobs that are there, tend to be long hours for low pay.

Salary for English teachers in Morocco

Native English speakers working for an American school or a British school will often make less than $1000 per month, which is much higher than their Moroccan counterparts, but you definitely won’t become a millionaire anytime soon.

English teachers typically have a decently comfortable life, but the expectation is that plenty of work is done outside of school hours, and sometimes workdays are six days a week, instead of the five that many people are used to. It’s important factor in exactly how many hours will be working when considering a salary. The Moroccan work culture is also very casual in the sense that things can be quite unprofessional and chaotic, according to many people. So also keep that in mind.

What is the average rent in Morocco?

Before I moved to Morocco, my husband was living with two friends of his. They split the rent three ways and were each paying about 500 dirhams per month. When I moved to Morocco, we moved to a bigger city and our apartment was a one-bedroom, two living room (yeah, weird) apartment in a “mini-villa”, which is sort of like three apartments stacked on top of each other.

While the place was only 1,500 dirham per month, it was… very not nice. The apartments here are often quite large, but very poor quality. We had really bad cockroaches (which is very normal here) and very bad mold. We live in Kénitra which is near the Atlantic Ocean, the humidity is a serious problem. All of the homes are built with ventilation in mind, but it only does so much. The mold was making me ill couldn’t do anything about it. We tried so many solutions, but there must’ve been some sort of leak or something from one of the upper apartments because there was no fixing it on our end.

So we moved into the apartment we have now, in the city center. I’m much happier here because it’s closer to a lot of stores and cafés that I can walk to when my husband goes to work. We pay 3,000 dirham per month ($322 USD), which you may notice is more than a lot of people make per month. You’ll be paying a lot more than that if you rely on Airbnbs, which we do not recommend.

Cost of living comparison in Morocco vs US

One thing that attracts many people to Morocco is that the cost of living is low. While I know this is true, you do have to keep in mind that it’s very much a “you get what you pay for” type situation. We were paying about $155 per month for the last apartment, but the quality was very poor and the location was not good. We’re paying more for this apartment, but it still has a whole host of problems, like the factories nearby that pollute the air and the water 24/7. And, again, while things cost less, the average person also makes a lot less.

Is Morocco a cheap place to live?

The answer to this is, yes and no. Yes, it can be remarkably cheap. But you won’t necessarily have the best quality of life. The more money you spend, the more comfortable you’ll be. The people in Morocco who aren’t making very much money tend to have a lot of family support, as well. Coming into Morocco as a foreigner, you have to keep in mind that you won’t have the same financial and social safety net as somebody born here, who speaks the language and has a family to help them when they’re struggling.

Moroccans are very, very supportive of their family, and even friends help each other out when they need it. So, while it’s very difficult to live here without money, living here without money as a foreigner is going to be vastly more difficult than living here without money as a local. This is one of the major differences when you consider the quality of life and cost of living in Morocco vs US. You can’t really compare the cost of living between Morocco and industrialized countries, but while things are a lot cheaper, the average rate of pay for Moroccans is much lower.

What about bigger cities? Casablanca and Marrakech cost of living

Many people assume that living in bigger cities like Marrakesh and Casablanca and Rabat is far more expensive. While some things are more expensive, like fruits and vegetables, rent is surprisingly similar. I’ve known of people who spent 1000 dirham per month on an apartment, even in Marrakesh. The villages Tele be cheaper overall, but the cost of living even in the cities isn’t terrible.

The bigger difference in the cost of living is more the quality of living, not the location. I can find a furnished villa for 8000 dirhams a month anywhere I go. I can also find a humble apartment for much, much less. It all depends on what you’re looking for, and what you’re able to pay.

Cost of living in Morocco in US dollars

So here are our actual expenses:

Keep in mind, our cost-of-living is actually quite a bit higher than the average. When I first moved here and before I found work, we were living on closer to 8,000 dirham per month and it was doable. Our gas cost is also quite a bit higher because my husband has to commute about two hours per day. Many Moroccans don’t have a car, and use taxis or public transportation, which would considerably decrease our cost but would increase the time he spends commuting.

Things to consider regarding the costs of living in Morocco

One of the things that keep our cost of living low is the fact that my husband is Moroccan, he speaks Darija, and he knows how much things cost. If it were just me, I would be completely screwed. Every time I’ve gone out without him, I’ve been overcharged and I’ve overpaid because I just didn’t know to push back on the prices.

I remember when I first got here, I took a cab for the first time by myself. I ended up paying 20 dh for a ride that was only 5 dh, and when I tipped him, he didn’t give me some of my change back (presumably on purpose). So he charge me four times the normal amount and then stole money from me. A ride that should’ve cost five 5 dh with a 1 dh tip ended up costing about 27 dh.

Obviously not everybody’s going to do this, but it’s known that tourists and Westerners are usually charged more because they don’t know better. That’s one of the reasons I prefer shopping in stores like Bim and Carrefour and Marjane because even though the prices might be a little higher than the corner store, at least I know I’m not getting charged double or triple just because I look like a tourist.

One time we went to a store and picked out an item and each asked the guy who was selling the item how much they cost. The price he gave me was triple what he gave my husband! I mean, I get it for tourism, but that gets really old and pretty expensive when you live here. So, if you can, learn the price as quickly and get comfortable with haggling, or take a local friend or family member shopping with you who can advocate on your behalf.

Tips for keeping costs down when moving to Morocco

Be aware of lifestyle creep

When I first moved here, I didn’t have a job and so we were spending as little as possible. We lived in a place that wasn’t very nice, ate very cheap, never ate out, and only bought the basics. Once I started working, however, our lifestyle became gradually more expensive. This is very possible to do, even in a country where the cost-of-living is low. That’s because amenities that are similar to the West come out a premium cost.

You get what you pay for

I know I’ve said it before, but keep in mind that you will definitely get what you pay for when it comes to cost-of-living. If you wanna cut corners and only spend US $500 a month, you can. But it’s going to be a stretch.

Bring your technology and medicine with you when you move

Many goods and services are much cheaper in Morocco, but a few things stand out as being extraordinarily expensive compared to other places. Technology, for starters, is going to cost you almost double if you purchase it here versus purchasing it in the states. I highly recommend you come with everything you need technology-wise, or figure out a way to get it shipped to you via friends or family, because buying it at Virgin Megastore or Electroplanet is going to be so expensive.

Conclusion

The cost of living in Morocco is low. If you avoid an inflated lifestyle, enjoy the local fruits and vegetables produced in the country, and practice mindful packing when moving to Morocco, you should have no problem at all maintaining a good budget while living here.

Feel free to share your thought about the cost of living in Morocco below 👇