Agadir has always been known as a major tourist destination in Morocco, but in recent years many people come to the city not only for the purpose of tourism but also for the goal of settling down in this incredibly beautiful city.

Expats view Agadir as a nice alternative since the cost of living is starting to rise in big cities like Casablanca and Marrakech.

This post is meant to help the people who are planning to move to Agadir know the pros and cons of living in Agadir, the best districts to live in, and other things like shopping, rent, and making friends.

Pros & Cons Of Living In Agadir

Pros

•Affordable: The cost of living in Agadir has increased in recent years but it is overall cheaper than most big cities in Morocco.

•Safety: Morocco is a safe country and Agadir is no exception.

•Calm: Agadir has only a population of 600k people. Which makes it a relatively calm city with less hassle and fewer traffic problems.

It is true that Agadir got busier in recent years, but when compared to other major cities of Morocco, Agadir is calmer.

•Access to multiple beaches: The beaches that surround the city of Agadir are considered its biggest assets. People that live in Agadir have unlimited access to multiple incredibly beautiful beaches.

Famous beaches like Taghazout and Imsouane are just 45 min away.

• Weather: The weather is one of the major factors people come to Agadir to settle down or to enjoy their vacation.

The weather here is mostly sunny and warm. It doesn’t get too cold in winter and it doesn’t get too hot during summer.

•Proximity to Marrakesh: Marrakech is one of the major tourist attractions not only in Morocco but in the whole world. Living in Agadir will give you the advantage of being only 3 hours from that marvelous city.

Too many people that live in Agadir go to Marrakech during the weekend to enjoy all that city has to offer, from historical guided tours to wild nightlife.

Cons

•Rising costs: in recent years Agadir is witnessing unprecedented economic growth and as a result the cost of living is rising.

•Smaller expat community: Expats usually opt for Casablanca or Marrakech, these two major cities have bigger numbers of internationals.

But recently Agadir also is becoming a preferred destination for more internationals.

•Smaller airport: unlike Other major cities of Morocco, Agadir has not an important number of daily flights to European cities.

The price of flight tickets is usually higher if the departure is from Agadir airport.

People in Agadir usually prefer to take the plane from Marrakech airport since there are cheaper and better offers.

•Smaller job market: Currentely the city’s economy is growing but still not in a way that will help in creating more employment opportunities.

Agadir relies mostly on tourism and fisheries industries they are the main drivers of the city’s economy.

The city needs big projects that can help create more job opportunities and eventually make the city an economic hub in Morocco like Casablanca and Tangier.

Education

Education in Agadir covers the levels of primary, secondary, and collegiate education. The school system in Agadir is not different from the education system in the rest of Morocco. There are many public and private schools in place for Moroccans and expatriates. The Ministry of Education of Morocco is responsible for the accreditation of schools.

Expats usually prefer to send their children to private schools, since public schools are not known of good quality education,.Despite many efforts from the government to improve public schools they are still considered underfunded and overcrowded

To help you on your quest of giving your children the best education, I’ve put the following list of some of the well-reputed schools in Agadir.

•Complex School Al Qalam
•Groupe Scolaire Al Hanane
•Lycée Français International d'Agadir

Agadir is also home to several universities, and also home to many international students, mostly from African countries.

In recent years more international students from European countries and the US are choosing Agadir for an exchange program or even a degree.

Making friends

As I mentioned before Agadir has a smaller expat community unlike Casablanca and Marrakesh.

There are some Facebook groups in which Expats post to organize meetups and make friends.

The most common places where people make friends in Agadir are pubs, cafes, restaurants, gyms, and nightclubs.

Here is a list a list of the best ones below:

•The best night clubs in Agadir
•The best restaurants in Agadir
•The best gym in Agadir

Renting & Buying

Renting

When compared to big cities like Casablanca or Marrakesh, renting in Agadir is relatively cheaper.
It is common in Agadir to find properties for rents in websites like:
•Avito
•Maroc Annonces
•Mubawab
•Sarouty

Or you can contact me personally via WhatsApp by clicking the WhatsApp icon below, and I will make it easier for you :)

On these websites you will find plenty of offers of all types of properties.

Some of those offers are made by landlords so you can directly rent from the property owner, and some of them are made by letting agents who are known in Morocco by the name of "Samsar".

As the rent in Agadir is very affordable for short term periods, Some expats prefer to look for properties for rent through world-known websites like Booking or Airbnb.

Buying

Whether it's a place to come to during vacation or a place to settle in for good, many expats have opted for Agadir to buy a property. The city has plenty of options from small apartments to luxury villas.

As with rentals, the websites mentioned above tend to be the best starting place when it comes to finding properties to buy.

Popular sites include MarocAnnoces, Avito, Sarouty, Mubawab.

Or you can contact me personally via WhatsApp by clicking the WhatsApp icon below, and I will make it easier for you :)

The Best Districts To Live In Agadir

Hay Essalam

Hay Essalam is one of the newly built districts in Agadir. This district consists mainly of residential blocks and typical Moroccan concrete houses.

Due to its proximity to the University of Ibn Zohr, a large number of the inhabitants in Hay Essalam are students that come from different parts of Morocco to settle here.

Many of the people that live in Hay Essalam earn their livelihood from activities associated with fast-food restaurants and cafes the main driver of this district's economy.

All life needs are available in this area, from grocery stores, banks, schools, dentists to playrooms.

This part of Agadir is a good place to live for families and also single individuals.

Hay Essalam is usually very active during daytime and also during evenings. Some parts stay active even until the early morning hours.

The rent in this area is affordable. Normally Furnished 70m 2 apartments can be rented at the price of 3000dh-4000dh

Here is a list of The 10 best Apartments To Rent in Hay Essalam

Founty

Founty is one of the most expensive places to live in Agadir. Your options in this place would be villas and apartments in luxury residences.

This place is located in the tourist zone amidst hotels and next to the ocean. It's isolated from the rest of the city. The closest place to buy your groceries is the hypermarket Marjane.

Founty is a very calm and very secure place. People live here to be a few steps away from the ocean and to be away from the noises of the city.

The rent in Founty is higher than most other places in Agadir. The price of renting a villa starts at 10000dh per month. The cheapest accommodation you can find in this district could be a 6000dh per month duplex in a luxury residence.

If you consider living in Founty Agadir, you might need to bear in mind that the fares of living in this place are higher than most places in Agadir.

Having a car is a must when living in Founty Agadir since there are no bus lines in this district, you will always need to order a taxi which is sometimes complicated. And also because this district is isolated and located far from the center of Agadir and other major parts of the city.

Hay Mohammadi

Hay Mohammadi is one of the newest districts in Agadir, in recent years this district has witnessed unprecedented growth and became an independent place.

All daily life needs are available in this district.

The inhabitants of hay Mohammadi are mostly families.

Rent prices depend on your own choice since This district has a variety of options.

From affordable decent apartments to luxury villas.

Illigh

Illigh is a calm district consists mostly of luxury villas and inhabited mainly by the rich families of Agadir.

The average price for renting a villa in this district is 10000dh-15000dh per month.

This part of Agadir is near the Hassan II hospital but far from the rest of the city.

You would want to live in Illigh only if you can afford it, and if you would want to be isolated from the rest of the city.

Talborjt

Talborjt is one of the oldest parts of Agadir, and is inhabited by some of the oldest families in the city.

Talborjt has some of the most popular cafes and restaurants of the city. It gets very active during evenings and on the weekends.

People of Agadir, tend to go to this place to sip a coffee or to enjoy a meal with family or friends.

It is also considered a touristy place because Two of the main tourist attractions of Agadir « Loubnan mosque & Mohamed V mosque » happen to be In Talborjt .

Talborjt is an affordable district , 3500dh per month can get you a decent appartement in this district.

All life needs are available in this area, from grocery stores, banks, schools, dentists to playrooms.

Shopping

•Souk ALhad: is the biggest market in Agadir, this place is one of the oldest markets in Africa it has evolved through time but it is still keeping a traditional aspect.

Locals prefer to shop in this place because all life needs are available there and cheaper than other places.

Though Souk Alhad is a traditional market it is well organized into several sections to make shopping easier for shoppers.

There is a section only for fruits and vegetable, a section for clothes, and a section for crafts and many more other sections

•Marjane: is a Moroccan hypermarket chain, this company has 33 Hypermarkets around Morocco. It is well known throughout the whole country.

•Asswak Assalam: is a Moroccan hypermarket chain, this company has 13 Hypermarkets around Morocco. It is well known throughout the whole country.

•Carrefour: is an international hypermarket chain, It is well known brand throughout the whole country.

As for now there is no malls in Agadir, there are two malls under construction in the city center. But there is not a clear date when they are going to be ready to start receiving visitors.

There are no big brand stores in Agadir yet. It is said that the malls under construction will have several big brand stores in clothing, technology, and also in other industries.

Alcohol In Agadir

Morocco put some restrictions on selling alcohol, so it's uncommon to not find it easily in any city in Morocco, and Agadir is no different.

Many new expats that come to Agadir don't know where to buy alcohol.

Alcohol is sold only in some parts of the city. You can find alcohol stores in places like; the city center, Talborjt, and the touristic zone.

Hyper markets like Marjane and Asswak Assalam do not have alcohol in stock while in Carrefour market, you can find all types of alcohol.

Please share this post with someone that might be interested in moving to Agadir.

Feel free to leave a comment if you want to know about something else I didn't cover in this post